Americans are very opinionated on matters of faith, and for the most part, their opinions coincide with those of the Bible, according to a new nationwide survey of religious beliefs released by the Barna Research Group of Ventura, Calif. The study found that most Americans (85 percent) consider their religious faith very important to their life, and generally feel strongly about their religious beliefs.
The survey presented 14 theological statements to a nationwide random sample of 1,002 adults, and asked people to agree or disagree with each statement, indicating if they were strongly or moderately attached to that position. Overall, a majority of adults sided with biblical teaching on 11 of the 14 items tested. However, a majority indicated they “strongly held” biblical positions on only two of the 14 statements tested.
Americans have been called the most religious population on earth and the intensity of people’s opinions related to their religious beliefs supports that contention. For each of the 14 statements evaluated, very few people said that they were not sure how they felt about the statement. None of the 14 belief statements registered even one out of 10 adults who had no opinion on the statement. In fact, while survey respondents often gravitate toward the mid-points of scales in response to such queries, just the opposite was true in regard to the belief statements evaluated. On all 14 statements tested, a majority of respondents chose one of the extreme points on the four-point-scale – that is, “agree strongly“ or “disagree strongly“ – rather than one of the more moderate points on the scale (“agree somewhat” or “disagree somewhat”).
One of the most startling findings was that only three of the 1,002 adults interviewed — less than three-tenths of one percent — had both a firm and biblically-consistent opinion for all 14 of the items.
The survey found that born- again Christians were the segment most likely to hold firm views that were consistent with Scripture.
A majority of the born-again adults held such positions in 11 of the 14 positions tested. In comparison, among the non-born-again adults a majority had firmly held opinions that were consistent with the Bible for only two of the 14 statements tested.
Compared to Catholics, a majority of Protestant adults had firmly-held and biblically-consistent views for twice as many of the statements evaluated. However, it was a minority of adults from both groups who were generally in sync with the Bible. Among Protestants, a majority had strong opinions that were consistent with the Bible’s position on six of the 14 statements, while Catholics followed suit on just three of the statements.
Overall, 60 percent of all adults said they agree that “the Bible is totally accurate in all that it teaches.” Yet, people’s knowledge of the content actually taught in the Bible leaves much to be desired.
The statements that generated the greatest numbers of people who held positions consistent with the Bible were believing that the universe was created by God (74 percent agreed strongly, 13 percent agreed somewhat); rejecting the idea that sin is an outdated concept (68 percent strongly disagreed, 15 percent disagreed somewhat); and believing that angels exist and influence people’s lives (49 percent strongly agreed, 32 percent agreed somewhat).
The statements for which there were the greatest percentages of people who held positions conflicting with the Bible included claiming that the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves (53 percent strongly agreed, 22 percent agreed somewhat); that the Holy Spirit is not a real entity but is just a symbol of God’s presence or power (41 percent agreed strongly, and 20 percent agreed somewhat); and that Satan is not a real being but is just a symbol of evil (40 percent agreed strongly and 18 percent agreed somewhat).
According to George Barna, whose firm conducted the research, the results underscore the magnitude of the challenge facing churches today.
“In one recent survey we found that almost nine out of 10 adults believe they know all of the basic teachings of Christianity very well,” Barna said.
“But when you explore what they think the Bible actually teaches, as we did in this study, many theological inconsistencies and inaccuracies emerge. Unfortunately, correcting people’s mistaken assumptions about Bible content is made nearly impossible by their self-assurance about their beliefs. Even if they are exposed to good Bible teaching they typically fail to absorb that input because they think they already know it all. Changing the errant theological positions of millions of Americans is a very tough assignment,” he noted.
Barna says, “That fits well with the idea that good people can earn their salvation or that everyone experiences the same outcome after death regardless of their beliefs — positions that define a majority of born-again Christians. Throw in the widespread rejection of supernatural forces — such as Satan and the Holy Spirit — and you have the makings of theological ignorance and spiritual chaos in which believers are distracted from the reality of the spiritual battle taking place and separated from the spiritual power that is available to them.”
Of the 14 statements posed to the respondents, correct statements were: the Bible is totally accurate in all of its teachings; you, personally, have a responsibility to tell other people your religious beliefs; angels exist and influence people’s lives; the universe was originally created by God.
Incorrect statements presented in the survey were: the devil, or Satan, is not a living being but is a symbol of evil; if a person is generally good, or does enough good things for others during their life, they will earn a place in heaven; when He lived on earth, Jesus Christ was human and committed sins, like other people.
The survey also indicated all religious faiths teach the same lessons; the Holy Spirit is a symbol of God’s presence or power but is not a living entity; after He was crucified and died, Jesus Christ did not return to life physically; God helps those who help themselves; all people will experience the same outcome after death, regardless of their religious beliefs; there are some crimes, sins or other things which people might do which cannot be forgiven by God; the whole idea of sin is outdated.
The Barna Research Group, Ltd. is an independent marketing research company located in southern California. (EP)
Survey: Americans feel strongly about beliefs
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