Religion in 21st century America

The Pew Forum on Religion &Public Life has released results of a survey of 35,000 Americans on their views regarding religion. It's interesting reading for those who follow culture and the role religion plays.

Many of the major findings are unsurprising, at least for some, but are worth noting. The survey, conducted over several months, found that Americans for the most part have a non-dogmatic approach to faith. A majority of those affiliated with a religion don't believe their religion is the only way to salvation. And almost the same number believes that there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their religion. In the words of the report's authors, "This openness to a range of religious viewpoints is in line with the great diversity of religious affiliation, belief and practice that exists in the United States."To read the summary of the key findings, click here.

Also what many know, and the survey confirms again, is that religious beliefs do influence political thinking, although "Relatively few adults (14%) cite their religious beliefs as the main influence on their political thinking" and "about the same number as cite their education as being most important (13%). Far more cite their personal experience (34%) as being most important in shaping their political views. An additional 19% identify what they see or read in the media as the most important influence in shaping their political views."

But, according to the report, there is a dovetailing of religious beliefs and political affiliation that is identifiable in a significant portion of the American population. According to the authors:

"When it comes to religious affiliation and basic political outlook, for instance, Mormons and members of evangelical churches are much more likely than other religious groups to describe their political ideology as conservative. Not surprisingly given these ideological leanings, Mormons and members of evangelical churches are also by far the most Republican religious groups in the population; roughly two-thirds of Mormons and half of members of evangelical churches describe themselves as Republican or leaning toward the Republican Party.

At the other end of the political spectrum, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and the unaffiliated are much more likely than members of most other religious groups to describe their political beliefs as liberal. When it comes to partisanship, more than three-quarters of members of historically black churches favor the Democratic Party, as do two-thirds of Jews and Buddhists and majorities of Muslims (63%), Hindus (63%) and the unaffiliated (55%)."

The report also notes that:

"The U.S. has largely avoided the secularizing trends that have reshaped the religious scene in recent decades in European and other economically developed nations – but not entirely. The Landscape Survey documents, for example, that the number of Americans who are not affiliated with a religion has grown significantly in recent decades, with the number of people who today say they are unaffiliated with a religious tradition (16% of U.S. adults) more than double the number who say they were not affiliated with a religion as children (7%)."

 

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'08 Election, Blog, Culture, Politics