More on American religion

Just when I post something about religion, along comes another big survey about American beliefs.  USA Today‘s Cathy Lynn Grossman summarizes:  Newly released data from a major survey finds that most U.S. adults range far from knowing or caring about the distinctive teachings of their professed faith. They believe overwhelmingly (92%) in God and 58% ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

Just when I post something about religion, along comes another big survey about American beliefs.  USA Today's Cathy Lynn Grossman summarizes

Just when I post something about religion, along comes another big survey about American beliefs.  USA Today‘s Cathy Lynn Grossman summarizes

Newly released data from a major survey finds that most U.S. adults range far from knowing or caring about the distinctive teachings of their professed faith.

They believe overwhelmingly (92%) in God and 58% say they pray at least once a day. But when it comes to specific religions — the teachings of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Roman Catholic Church or scores of other denominations — they’re all over the map, finds the latest data from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Pew’s U.S. Religious Landscape Survey survey questioned 35,000 Americans, nearly three in 10 of whom profess no religious identity, but sometimes go to church. Most evangelicals, whose denominations teach that Jesus is the sole route to salvation, instead say people who have “led good lives” go to heaven. Only one in three Catholics say their church should preserve its traditional beliefs rather than change with the times or adopt modern practices….

This analysis, based on a questionnaire that never mentions Jesus, portrays a nation of “free-flowing spirituality,” says Pew Forum director Luis Lugo, who finds the declining adherence to dogma “stunning.”

“You no longer have an alignment of affiliation, belief and behavior. Instead we find complexity, and diversity not only between religious communities but within them, as well. We find a high level of comfort with this diversity,” says political scientist John Green, a senior fellow with the Pew Forum.

You can look at the complete survey results by clicking here

 

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

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