A majority of Americans believe America is a Christian nation and religious faith is the basis of its strength, according to a recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. But the poll also found that Americans are concerned that the influence of religion might be on the wane. The survey found that 52 percent of Americans believe faith’s influence on the lives of Americans is declining, even though an overwhelming majority (by an eight-to-one margin) would like religion to have more influence in American life.
The survey, released in early May, revealed that 67 percent of Americans believe America is a Christian nation, and 58 percent think that America’s strength is based on the faith of its people.
‘Protection from God’
The poll also found that some 48 percent of Americans say their nation has “special protection from God.” Those holding that opinion included a majority of white evangelicals (71 percent), Southerners (57 percent), Republicans (57 percent), blacks (58 percent), Hispanics (56 percent) and women (55 percent).
But while Americans believe that faith is important, 84 percent of those polled said religious faith isn’t crucial to being a good American.
“Many Americans see religion as a source of strength, said Melissa Rogers, executive director of the Pew Forum. “But Americans try to be open-minded and accept and embrace the kind of religious freedom that we’ve typically had in our country.”
The Pew survey appeared to confirm that tolerance. In spite of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel, 54 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of Muslim Americans, and 51 percent believe that Islam does not encourage violence among its adherents. In fact, 51 percent of those polled said that the terrorist attacks demonstrated that there is “too little religion in the world,” while only 28 percent said the attacks were proof of “too much religion in the world.”
Using factors like the frequency of church attendance, the Pew survey found a “commitment gap” in which devoutly religious Americans tend to share particular beliefs regardless of their denominational affiliation. The poll found, for example, that 87 percent of devoutly faithful Americans said that children raised in a religious environment are “more likely to grow up to be moral adults.”
The Pew survey found that while 66 percent of Americans between 50 and 64 years of age believe religious faith is important in successfully raising children, only 47 percent of those under 30 think so. As always, the South remains the most religious geographic area in the nation, with 70 percent of Americans in the South saying that religion is important in child rearing and is the foundation of the nation’s strength. (EP)
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