73%
(highest)
of
Pentecostal/Foursquare
believers
strongly affirm that
Christ
was
sinless
on
earth, with
Catholics,
Lutherans
and
Methodists
being
tied at
33%,
and the lowest being among
Episcopalians
with
just
28%
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/53
94.4%
of
Evangelical
Protestants
and
84.9%
of
Catholics
believe
that
Jesus
is the son of God. 42.1%
of
the former and
46.1%
of
the latter say they pray once a day or more.
http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/33304.pdf
47.8%
of the
Evangelicals
and 11.8%
of Catholics
affirm the Bible
is Literally true.
6.5%
of the former and
19.8%
of the latter see
it as an ancient book of history and legends. ^
42.1%
of
Evangelical
Protestants and
7.1%
of
Catholics
Read Scripture
weekly or more. ^
64%
of
those in Assemblies
of God churches
(versus only 9%
of
Catholics)
strongly DISAGREE
that
if a person is generally good, or does enough good things for
others they will earn a place in
Heaven
[salvation
on
the basis of merit].
^
56%
of
Assemblies
of God (versus
17%
Catholics)
Christians strongly
DISAGREE
that
Satan
is
just a symbol of evil [rather than a real being].
^
Catholics
and
Mainline Protestants
tend more towards belief in a more
Distant God.
Baylor
Institute for Studies of Religion - American Piety in the
21
Century
– September
2006
.
http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/33304.pdf
Evangelical
Protestants
and
Black
Protestants
tend towards belief in a more
Authoritarian God. ^
Thirty
percent
of
Protestants
listed
God
as
their
most
important connection (relationship)
versus
9%
of
Catholics.
Barna,
2008
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/44-americans-identify-their-most-important-relationships
Political
conservatives
were almost three times as likely
as political liberals
to identify
God as
their most important relationship
(33% vs. 12%,
respectively). ^
Among
7,441
Protestant
pastors.
Asked if they believed that the Bible is the
inspired,
inerrant
Word
of God:
87%
of
Methodists
said
no.
95%
of
Episcopalians
said
no.
82%
of
Presbyterians
said
NO.
67%
of
American
Baptists
said
no.
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/54
Bible
Reading:
the highest was 75%,
by those going to a
Pentecostal/Foursquare
church
who reported they had
read
the Bible during
the past week (besides at church), while the
lowest
was
among Catholics
at
23%
^
Volunteer
church work
(during past
7
days):
Assemblies of God
were highest at
30%,
with the lowest going to Catholics at
12%.
^
Donating
Money (during
the last month): Church
of Christ churches
were the highest at 29%,
with Catholics
being the lowest at
12% ^
American
evangelicals
gave
four times as much
money,
per person, to churches as did all other church
donors
in
2001.
88 percent of
evangelicals
and 73
percent
of all Protestants donated to
churches. John
Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle, The State of Church Giving
through 2004:
Will We Will?
16th
ed. (Champaign, Ill.: Empty Tomb,
2006),12.
http://www.generousgiving.org/stats#
By
denomination, 61%
of the those associated with an
Assemblies of God
church said they had shared their
faith at least once during the past year, as did
61% of
those who attend a
Pentecostal/Foursquare
church, and ending
14%
among
Episcopalians
and just
10%
among Roman
Catholics.
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/54
25%
of
Evangelical
Christians
read the Bible
on
a daily basis along with
20%
of
other Protestants.
Just 7%
of
Catholics
do
the same. At the other extreme,
44%
of
Catholics
rarely
or never read the
Bible
along
with only 7%
of
Evangelical
Christians
and
13%
of
other Protestants.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/december_2008/catholics_protestants_practice_faith_in_different_ways
91%
of Evangelical Christians and 63%
of other Protestants and 25%
of Catholics consider themselves to
be born again; ^
44%
of Evangelical Christians reflect
at least daily on the meaning
of Scripture in their lives. 36%
of other Protestants and 22%
of Catholics do the same; ^
52%
of Evangelical Christians have had
a meaningful discussion about their faith
with a non-Christian during the
past month. 28% of other
Protestants and 18%
of Catholics also have held such a
discussion. ^
68%
of
Evangelical
Christians
attend a regular
Bible Study
or participate in some other
small-group
activity.
47%
of
other Protestants
take
part in small groups related to their faith, along with
24%
of
Catholics.
^
39
percent
of
Catholics
affirmed
not
attending church
is
a sin, versus
23
percent
of
Protestants.
Ellison
Research, March
11,
2008
http://ellisonresearch.com/releases/20080311.htm
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080312/study-behaviors-americans-consider-sinful.htm
Weekly
Church
attendance:
Evangelicals
showed
the highest participation of approx
60
percent
(30%
more
than once a week).
Catholics
were
at
45
percent
(9%
more
than once a week), and Jews
15
percent.
Gallup
poll. between
2002
and
2005.
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20060418/weekly-attendance-highest-among-Evangelical-churches.htm
69%
of
those associated with
Assembly
of God
churches,
and
66%
of
other
Pentecostal
churches
and
61%
of
those in
non-denominational
Protestant
churches were the most likely to have attended in the past week.
Catholics
registered
at
48%,
while at
30%,
those going to an
Episcopal
church
were
least
likely
to
attend a church service in the past week.
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/54
Catholics'
responses to the questions that make up the 2004
Gallup
Index of Leading Religious Indicators add up to a score of 609,
while Protestants score 690
--
a fairly substantial gap. Catholics
lag
noticeably behind
Protestants
on
all but two of the survey items that make up the Index: belief
in God and church membership.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/14725/protestants-vs-catholics-whos-got-religion.aspx
Among
those who
converted
to
a Christian
denomination,
42%
of
of those to Roman
Catholicism,
43%
of
Episcopalian
converts,
44%
of
those to
Lutheranism,
48%
of
those to
Methodism,
50%
of
those to the
Presbyterian
church,
60%
of
Baptist
converts,
60%
of
Non-denominational
converts, and
73%
of
of converts to
Pentecostal
churches
reported they attend
services weekly.
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=482
In
2011, 49% of Catholics were likely to attend church services,
down from 59% in 1991, while 29% were unchurched, up from 20% in
1991, and were 10 points less likely to volunteer at their
church (down to only 9%).
http://www.barna.org/faith-spirituality/514-barna-study-of-religious-change-since-1991-shows-significant-changes-by-faith-group
See
HERE
for
older
[2002]
church
attendance
(based
on adults who attended a church service in the past week) by
Denomination.
49%
of
evangelical
adults
fit the
charismatic
definition,
with
7%
of
Southern
Baptist
churches
and
6%
of
mainline
churches
being
charismatic,
according to their Senior Pastors,
9%
of
whom are
female
(same
as non-charismatic).
36%
of
all U.S.
Catholics,
and
22%
of
all
charismatics
in
the U.S. identify as
Catholic.
Barna
research, 2008
http://www.barna.org/congregations-articles/52-is-american-christianity-turning-charismatic
51%
of
all born
again Christians
are charismatic,
with 46%
of
all adults who attend a
Protestant
church
identifying with that.
16%
of
the country's white
Protestant
congregations
are Pentecostal,
compared to 65%
of
the Protestant
churches
dominated by
African-Americans.
Barna research, 2008
The
highest
percentage
of those who strongly agree they have a personal
responsibility
to
share
their faith
was
found among believers in
Pentecostal/Foursquare
churches
(73%)
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/53
81%
of
Pentecostal/Foursquare
believers
strongly agree that the
Bible
is
totally accurate in all that it teaches , followed by
77%
of
Assemblies
of God believers,
and ending with 26%
of
Catholics
and
22%
of
Episcopalians.
^
The
percentage of Catholics
who
believed the Bible
is
totally accurate
in
all of the principles
it
teaches declined
from
34%
in
1991 to
26%
in
2011
http://www.barna.org/faith-spirituality/514-barna-study-of-religious-change-since-1991-shows-significant-changes-by-faith-group.
The
typical
Catholic
person
was
38%
less
likely than the average American to
read
the Bible;
67%
less
likely to attend a
Sunday
school
class;
20%
less
likely to share their
faith
in
Christ
with
someone who had different beliefs,
donated
about
17%
less
money
to
churches, and were
36%
less
likely to have an "active
faith,"
defined as reading the
Bible,
praying
and
attending
a church service
during
the prior week.
Catholics
were
also significantly less likely to believe that the Bible is
totally
accurate
in
all of the principles it teaches.
44%
of
Catholics
claimed
to be "absolutely
committed"
to their faith, compared to
54%
of
the entire adult population. However, Catholics were
16%
more
likely to attend a church
service
and
8%
more
likely to have
prayed
to
God during the prior week than the
average
American.
Barna
Reaearch, 2007, “Catholics Have Become Mainstream America”
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/100
40%
Roman Catholics vs. 41%
Non-R.C. see abortion
as "morally acceptable";
Sex between unmarried couples: 67%
vs. 57%; Baby out of wedlock:
61% vs. 52%;
Homosexual relations: 54%
vs. 45%; Gambling: 72%
vs. 59%
http://www.gallup.com/poll/117154/Catholics-Similar-Mainstream-Abortion-Stem-Cells.aspx
Committed
Roman Catholics (church attendance weekly or almost) versus
Non-R.C. faithful church goers (see
the below as as morally acceptable):
Abortion:
24%
R.C.
vs. 19%
Non-R.C.;
Sex between unmarried
couples:
53%
vs.
30%;
Baby
out of wedlock: 48%
vs.
29%;
Homosexual
relations:
44%
vs.
21%;
Gambling:
67%
vs.
40%;
Divorce:
63
vs.
46%
^
82%
of
Mainline
Churches,
77%
of
Catholics
and
53%
of
Evangelical
Churches
affirmed, "There is
MORE
than
one
true way to
interpret the
teachings
of
my religion."
U.S.
Religious landscape survey; Copyright © 2008
The
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#
Orthodox
(29%),
Mainline
Churches
(28%),
and Catholics
(27%)
led Christian Churches in affirming that the Scriptures
were
written by men and were not
the
word
of God, versus
Historically Black
Churches (9%),
and Evangelical
Churches
(7%)
who rightly affirm its full
inspiration of
God. ^
Catholics
broke
with
their Church's
teachings more
than most other groups, with just
six
out
of 10
Catholics
affirming that God is "a person with whom people can have a
relationship", and three in
10
describing
God as an "impersonal force."
2008
The
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#
Only
33%
of
Catholics
strongly
affirmed that Christ
was sinless on
earth.
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/53
88%
of
Catholics
believe that they can practice
artificial means of birth
control and
still be considered good Catholics. New
York Times/CBS News poll, Apr. 21-23, 1994, subsample of 446
Catholics, MOE ± 5%
A
1992
Catholic-funded
Gallup Poll found only
30%
of
American
Catholics
affirmed:
"When receiving Holy Communion, you are really and
truly
receiving the
Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ,
under the
appearance
of
bread and wine.
Poll
of 519 American Catholics, 18 years or older, conducted from
December 10, 1991, to January 19, 1992,
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-79305248.html
Responding
to the questions on the
Roman
Catholic
Eucharist,
“Which of the following comes closest to what you believe
takes place at Mass: (1) The bread and wine are
changed
into
the body and blood of Christ, or (2) The bread and wine are
symbolic
reminders
of Christ? 63% of
Roman
Catholics overall,
and 51%
of
weekly
attenders,
and
70%
of
all
Catholics
in
the age group
18
to
44
affirmed
the Roman
Catholic
Eucharist
is
a "symbolic
reminder"
of Jesus
[it
is, of His death],
indicating they do not believe it is Jesus actual body and blood
[as
Rome erroneously teaches].
New
York Times/CBS News poll, Apr.
21-23,
1994,
subsample of
446
Catholics,
MOE ±
5%
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1252/is_n2_v122/ai_16233123/pg_8/
1995 Commonweal Foundation
However,
a Catholic polling service reported that
57
percent of
adult Catholics (and 91%
of
adult weekly Mass attenders), said their belief about the
Eucharist
is
best
reflected by
the statement “Jesus
Christ is really
present in
the bread and wine of the Eucharist,”
[a statement which Lutherans could assent to] versus to 43
percent who
said their belief is best reflected in the statement, “Bread
and wine are symbols
of
Jesus, but Jesus is not
really present.”
Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate
(CARA) at Georgetown University, 2007, commissioned by the
Department of Communications of the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
In
a survey by the Pew Forum,
55%
of
Catholics
affirmed
that
their church teaches that the bread
and
wine
in
their liturgy of the Lord's supper become
Christ’s
body and blood,
[an
erroneous
doctrine] while
(41%)
said that the church teaches that the bread and wine are
symbols.
http://pewforum.org/Other-Beliefs-and-Practices/U-S-Religious-Knowledge-Survey.aspx
A
study by the Roper Center and commissioned by
Catholic
World
Report
reported
that
82%
of
Catholics
percent
agreed
with
the statement that "the
bread
and wine
used
at Mass are actually transformed
into
the
body
and blood of Christ,"
and 57
percent
attend
Mass
every week.
Catholic
World
Report; 1997 survey of 1,000 Catholic Americans by Roper Center
for Public Opinion Research at the University of Connecticut.
http://www.adoremus.org/397-Roper.html
66%
of Catholics supported women's
ordination to the priesthood, and 73%
approved of the way John Paul II leads the church. Surveying
the Religious Landscape: Trends in U.S. Beliefs by George
Gallup, Jr. and D. Michael Lindsay (Morehouse Publishing, 1999).
Copyright © 2004 --
The Gallup Organization www.gallup.com
80%
of Catholics believe it is possible
to disagree with the pope on official positions on morality
and still be a good Catholic.
Time/CNN nationwide poll of
1,000 adults,
conducted by Yankelovich Partners, Sept. 27-28, 1995; subsample
of 500 Catholics,
MOE ± 4.5%
77%
of
Catholics
polled
"believe a person can be a good
Catholic without
going to Mass every Sunday, 65
percent
believe
good Catholics can divorce
and
remarry, and 53
percent
believe
Catholics can have abortions
and
remain in good standing.
1999
poll
by the National Catholic
Reporter.
http://www.catholictradition.org/v2-bombs14b.htm
Comparing
Catholics and other Americans,
44% of Catholics
claimed to be "absolutely committed"
to their faith versus 54% of
the entire adult population, and donated
about 17%
less money
to churches;
was 38% less
likely than the average American to
read the Bible; 67%
less likely to attend a
Sunday school class;
20% less likely to
share their faith in
Christ with someone who had different beliefs; 24%
less likely to say their religious faith
has greatly transformed
their life; and
were 36% less
likely to have an "active
faith," (defined as reading
the Bible, praying and attending a church service during the
prior week.) Yet Catholics were 16%
more likely than the norm to attend a
church service and 8%
more likely to have prayed
to God during the prior week.
Catholics
Have Become Mainstream America, Barna research, July 9, 2007
http://www.barna.org/faith-spirituality/100-catholics-have-become-mainstream-america
Comparing
16
moral behaviors,
Catholics
were
less likely to say mean
things about
people behind their
back,
and tending to engage in recycling
more.
However, they were also twice as likely to view
pornographic
content
on the Internet, and were more prone to use
profanity,
to gamble, and to buy
lottery
tickets.
^
In
a survey asking whether one
approves
or rejects
or overall sees
little consequence (skeptical) to society regarding seven trends
on the family
(More:
unmarried couples raising children; gay and lesbian couples
raising children; single women having children without a male
partner to help raise them; people living together without
getting married; mothers of young children working outside the
home; people of different races marrying each other; and more
women not ever having children).,
42%
of all
Protestants
were “Rejecters”
of the modern
trend, 35%
were Skeptics,
and 23%
were
“Approvers.”
Among Catholics,
27%
were Rejecters,
34%
were Approvers,
and 39%
were Skeptics.
(Among non religious, 10%
were Rejecters,
48%
were Approvers,
and 42%
were Skeptics.)
Pew
forum, The Public Renders a Split Verdict On Changes in Family
Structure, February 16, 2011
http://pewsocialtrends.org/2011/02/16/the-public-renders-a-split-verdict-on-changes-in-family-structure/#prc_jump
50
percent
of
Protestants
affirmed
gambling
was
a sin,
versus
15
percent
of
Catholics;
that
getting
drunk
was
a sin:
63
percent
of
Protestants,
28
percent
of
Catholics; gossip:
70
percent
to
45
percent:
homosexual
activity
or sex:
72
percent
to
42
percent.
Ellison
Research, March 11, 2008
http://ellisonresearch.com/releases/20080311.htm
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080312/study-behaviors-americans-consider-sinful.htm
Combined
aggregate results from 9
surveys
conducted from
2001
through 2004
show
71%
of Protestants
(68%
of regular
church goers)
and 66%
of Catholics
(59%
of regular
Catholic
church-goers) support capital
punishment.
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/gallup-poll-who-supports-death-penalty
73
percent of Catholics
rejected Catholic teaching artificial
methods of birth control. Catholic
World Report; 1997 survey of
1,000 Catholic Americans by Roper Center for Public Opinion
Research at the University of Connecticut
Only
20 percent
strongly agreed with the Church teaching
that only men may be ordained.
^
Of
never-married adult females,
25% of
Evangelicals, 11%
of Catholics and 14%
of Mainline Protestants
professed never to be have had
sexual relations. Countering
Conventional Wisdom: New Evidence on Religion and Contraceptive
Use, Guttmacher Institute, April. 2011
74%
of Evangelicals,
73% of Mainline
Protestants,
and 68%
of sexually active Catholics
women use birth control.
3% of
the Catholics
rely on natural
family planning.
Attendance
at religious services
and importance of religion
to daily life are largely unrelated to use of highly effective
contraceptive
methods. ^
40%
of 18- to 29-year-old Catholics
said the church’s
“teachings on sexuality
and birth control are
out of date.”
http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church
59%
of
all Catholic
women
of
childbearing age practice
contraception—a
rate of usage statistically equivalent to that of the general
population (60%).
Calvin
Goldscheider and William D. Mosher, "Patterns of
Contraceptive Use in the United States:
58%
of Catholics
52%
if they are
voters) believe that employers
should be
required to provide their employees with health care plans that
cover
contraception;
50%
of white
Catholics
support this
requirement, versus 47%
who oppose
it, along with
38%
of white
evangelical Protestants
an 50%
of white
mainline Protestants.
Public
Religion Research Institute, February 2012
http://publicreligion.org/research/2012/02/january-tracking-poll-2012/
Catholic
women
have an abortion
rate
29
percent
higher
than Protestants.
Alan
Guttmacher Institute
http://www.catholicleague.org/research/Catholic_women_and_abortion.htm
26
percent of Catholics
polled strongly agree with the Church's unequivoval position on
abortion Catholic
World Report; 1997 survey of
1,000 Catholic Americans by Roper Center for Public Opinion
Research at the University of Connecticut
46
percent of Catholics
who say they attend mass weekly accept
Church teaching on abortion;
43 percent
accept the all-male priesthood; and 30
percent see contraception as
morally wrong. ^
31%
of
faithful Catholics (those who attend church weekly) say abortion
should
be legal either in "many" or in "all" cases.
2004,
The Gallup Organization
Gallup Survey for Catholics
Speak Out: 802 Catholics, May 1992, MOE ± 4% ^
30%
of
Roman Catholic
priests
in 2002 described
themselves as
Liberal,
28%
as
Conservative,
and 37%
as
Moderate
in
their Religious ideology.
53
percent
responded
that they thought it always was a sin
for
unmarried
people
to have sexual
relations; 32
percent
that
is often was, and 9
percent
seldom/never.
However, nearly four
in 10
younger priests in 2002
described themselves as conservative,
and were more likely to regard as "always
a sin"
such acts as premarital sex,
abortion,
artificial birth
control,
homosexual
relations, etc., and three-fourths said they were more
religiously orthodox
than their older
counterparts. Los
Angeles Times (extensive) nationwide survey (2002).
http://articles.latimes.com/print/2002/oct/21/local/me-priest21COLOR="#663300">
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/reports/LAT-Priest-Survey.pdf
71
percent
of priests responded that it always was
wrong
for a woman to get an
abortion,
19
percent
that it often was, and
4
percent
seldom/never. ^
28
percent judged
that is always was sin for married couples to use
artificial birth
control, 25
percent often,
40 percent
never. ^
49
percent affirmed
that it was always a sin to engage in
homosexual
behavior, often, 25 percent; and never, 19
percent. ^
To
take one's own life if
suffering from a debilitating disease: always, 59 percent;
often, 18 percent; never, 17 percent. ^
|
15
percent
of
the clergy polled listed themselves as "gay
or
on the
homosexual
side."
Among younger priests 23 percent did so.
Los
Angeles Times (extensive) nationwide survey (2002). Arthur
Jones, 2002
National
Catholic
Reporter.
Gale Group.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_2_39/ai_94129129/pg_2
44
percent
of
the priests said "definitely" a
homosexual
subculture'--defined
as a `definite group of persons that has its own friendships,
social gatherings and vocabulary'--exists in their diocese or
religious order. ^
After
examining the official web sites of
244
Catholic universities and colleges in
America, the TFP Student Action found that 107
– or 43% have
pro-homosexual
clubs.
TFP
Student Action Dec. 6. 2011;
studentaction.org/get-involved/online-petitions/pro-homosexual-clubs-at-107-catholic-colleges/print.html
39
percent
of
Roman
Catholics
and
79
percent
of
born-again,
evangelical
or
fundamentalist
American
Christians affirm that
homosexual
behavior
is sinful.
LifeWay
(SBC) Research study, released Wednesday. 2008
LifeWay
Research study.
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080606/survey-americans-divided-on-homosexuality-as-sin.htm
79
percent
of
American
Jews,
58
percent
of
Catholics
and
56
percent
of
mainline
Protestants
favor
acceptance of
homosexuality,
versus
39
percent
of
members of historically black churches,
27
percent
of
Muslims and
26
percent
of
the
evangelical
Protestants.
U.S.
U.S.
Religious landscape survey; Copyright © 2008
The
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#
56%
of Catholics
believe
that
sexual
relations
between
two adults of the
same
gender
is
not
a sin.
2011
Public Religion Research Institute
http://www.publicreligion.org/research/?id=509
http://www.publicreligion.org/objects/uploads/40/Catholics_and_LGBT_issues_2010_FINAL.pdf
39%
Catholics say
homosexual behavior is morally
wrong, versus 76% of
white evangelicals
and 66%
of black
Protestants. ^
52%
of black
Protestants and 58%
of white
evangelical Protestants oppose
any form of legal
recognition for same-sex
couples.^
74%
of Catholics,
versus 19% of Evangelicals, agree
that homosexual
relationships should
be accepted by
society (either by homosexual marriage (43%) or civil unions
(33%). (Among the general public
62% say that gay and lesbian
relationships should be accepted
by society.)
^
69%
of Catholics
disagree that
homosexual orientation
can be changed,
versus 23%
who believe that they can
change. ^
43%
of Catholics
favor allowing homosexual
people to
marry — 71%
if this would be a civil
marriage “like you get at
city hall” (versus in a church) — while 31%
of Catholics
favor allowing them to form civil
unions, with 22% holding
there should
be no legal recognition of
a homosexual couple’s
relationship. Catholic
support of
legal recognition of homosexual
relationships is higher
than members of any
other Christian
tradition polled,
and of Americans overall.
^
Without
distinguishing what kind of
marriage, 53%
of Catholics
overall affirm
that homosexual
couples should be allowed to marry.
^
27%
of Catholics
who attend church
services regularly say their clergy
speak about
the issue of homosexuality,
with 63%
of this group saying the messages
they hear are negative.
^
Only
26% of
Catholics who
attend services weekly
or more favor
allowing homosexual
people to marry,
compared to 43%
of Catholics
who attend once
or twice
a month,
and 59%
of Catholics
who attend a few times a
year or less. Only 20% of
Catholics reported
attending mass only once or
twice a
month. ^
Only
31% of
weekly attenders
say there should be no legal
recognition for a
gay couples
relationship. ^
73%
of Catholics
favor laws
that would protect
homosexual people
against discrimination in
the workplace. ^
63%
of Catholics
favor allowing gay
and lesbian people to serve openly
in the military,
while 60%
favor allowing gay and lesbian
couples to adopt children.
^
48%
of
white evangelical Protestants
oppose
letting
homosexuals
serve openly in the
military,
with 34%
supporting
this proposal, versus
63% of
Catholics
(66%
of white)
supporting
and
23% opposing.
Pew forum, November
29, 2010,
http://pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Issues/Gay_Marriage_and_Homosexuality/gays%20in%20military%20full%20report.pdf
White
evangelicals
are most
satisfied
with their church’s handling
of homosexuality,
with 75
percent giving
it an `A’
or a `B.’
Catholics
are the most
critical,
with nearly a third — twice as many as any other group —
giving their church a `D’
or `F.’
Oct. 2010 Poll
sponsored by the Public Religion Research Institute and the
Religion News Service.
http://thepulpit.freedomblogging.com/2010/10/22/survey-links-gay-bullying-to-religion/7682/
31%
of Catholics
called celibacy
a major
factor
leading to sexual
abuse,
while another 28% called
it a minor
factor. 35%
said celibacy
did not play a part in the abuse.
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/poll_catholics_050410_2pm.pdf
30%,
meanwhile, said homosexuality
played a major
role. An additional 23%
said it played a minor
role. 37%
said it was not
a factor. ^
The
percentage of percentage of adults
Protestants
who
have been
married
and divorced
is
34%
versus
28%
for
Catholics,
(the survey not determining if the
divorce
occurred
before or after conversions) while
Evangelicals
were
at
26%.
Atheists
or
agnostic
were
at
30%
(only
65%
were
ever married, vs.
84%
for
born-again
Christians)
while those
aligned with a
non-Christian
faith
were at
38%.
The
largest disparity (17%)
relative to
divorce
was
between high and low income levels (22%
to
39%).
http://www.barna.org/family-kids-articles/42-new-marriage-and-divorce-statistics-released
31%
of
Catholics
made
less than
$30,000
per
year (2008), while
19%
made
$100,000
or
more (National average:
31%
and
18%
respectively).
The figures for
Evangelical
Protestants
were
34%
and
13%
respectively.
Hindus
and
Jews
had
the highest income levels.
http://pewforum.org/Income-Distribution-Within-US-Religious-Groups.aspx
Evangelical
Churches
(17%),
had the lowest
percentage
of souls aged 18-29,
versus Unaffiliated (31%),
Muslims (29%),
Historically Black Churches (24%),
Mormons (24%)
and Other Faiths (24%).
Mainline Churches had the greater
percentage
(23%)
of
souls 65
and
older. U.S.
Religious landscape survey; Copyright © 2008 The Pew Forum
on Religion & Public Life.
http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#
A
Catholic
study
in the year 2000
reported
that of the
17
religious bodies
in
America with 1 million or more adherents in
2000,
only six
showed
an
increase
in
numbers while 10 showed a decline in numbers.
Glenmary
Research Centers.
3.5http://www.glenmary.org/grc/RCMS_2000/Catholic_findings.htm
Among
the
gainers,
four
religious
bodies showed double-digit increases-- between
16
percent
for
Catholics
and
19
percent
for
Latter-Day Saints (Mormons).
The
Southern
Baptist
Convention
grew at nearly
5
percent.
^
Except
for
Catholics
(which
grew by immigration), all those bodies gaining members between
1990
and 2000
generally
are considered “Conservative
Protestants,”
while most of those showing a
decrease
in
number of adherents generally are considered “Moderate”
or “Liberal”
Protestants.
^
In
every state, the percent
Catholic
growth
from
1990
to 2000
was
very substantially greater than the general population growth
[including a
45
percent
increase
in
Arkansas
and
111
percent
increase
in
Nevada.]
^
The
Catholic population
of the United States had fallen by
nearly 400,000 in 2007,
and suffered a slight membership loss in
2009
but increased
1.49 percent
in
2010.
[U.S. population growth rate in 2008 was 0.9 percent, and 0.57
percent in 2011.]. From 2007
to
2008
Roman
Catholics
grew from
17.33 percent
of the global population to
17.4 percent in 2008.
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5753
http://www.ncccusa.org/news/100204yearbook2010.html;
http://www.ncccusa.org/news/110210yearbook2011.html
2002
Statistics
compiled by the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for
Hispanic
Affairs
reported that
71
percent of
the U.S. Catholic population
growth
since
1960
was
due to
Hispanics.
The statistics are taken from U.S. Census reports and recent
surveys of Hispanics.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_15_36/ai_59607715/pg_3/
In
2008, 25:1% of
respondents self-identified themselves as Catholic
(versus 26.2 in
1990),
with
50.9
belonging
to
Other
Christian groups
(from
60%
in
1990).
http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf
According
to the American Bishops'
count (as reported in WP)
in their Official Catholic Directory 2010, which primarily rests
on the parish assessment tax which pastors evaluate yearly
according to the number of registered members and contributors,
Catholics
in the United States represented 22%
of the US population.
2010
reports show the
Church
of God (Cleveland,
Tenn.) - ranked 24th
largest
- increased
1.76
percent,
and the
Assemblies
of God
(9th)
grew
1.27
percent.
The
“Latter-day
Saints”
[cult]
(ranked 4th
largest)
grew
1.71
percent,
the Jehovah's Witnesses [cult] (23rd
)
said they were up
2
percent
http://www.ncccusa.org/news/100204yearbook2010.html
The
Presbyterian
Church (USA) shrank 3.3 percent
Southern Baptist Convention,
the largest denomination after Catholics,
lost 0.24 percent
of its membership and now stands at 16.2 million. It also
declined in membership in the year prior.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/catholic_church_shows_robust_growth_in_u.s._membership_new_report_says/
In
numbers (not
percentage),
Catholicism,
which lists 68.1 million in the US,
has experienced “the greatest net
loss”
of any major religious group.
members.
The 'had it'
Catholics,” National Catholic Reporter ,Oct. 11, 2001,
based on reports from the 2008 Pew Forum on Religion &
Public Life survey and the National Council of Churches’
2010 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches.
68%
of
those
raised
Roman
Catholic
still
are Catholic (comparable with or better than the retention rates
of other religious groups).
15%
are
now
Protestant
(9%
evangelical);
14%
are
unaffiliated.
Pew
forum, Faith in Flux (April 27, 2009)
http://pewforum.org/uploadedfiles/Topics/Religious_Affiliation/fullreport.pdf
44
percent
of
Americans have switched
religious
affiliations
since childhood, mostly mainline
Protestants.
7%
who
were raised Protestant are now unaffiliated; 15%
now
belong to a different
Protestant
faith.
^
80%
of
adults who were raised
Protestant
are
still Protestant.
^
51%
of
Protestants
from
a different
Protestant
denomination
cite
a lack
of spiritual fulfillment
as
a reason
for
leaving
their
childhood faith. 85% say they joined their current
denominational
faith
because
they enjoy
the
services
and
style of worship
Only
15%
left
say they left
because
they stopped
believing
in
its teachings. ^
Those
who have left
Catholicism
outnumber
those who have joined
the
Catholic Church by nearly a four-to-one
margin. 10.1% have
left the Catholic
Church
after
having been raised
Catholic, while
only
2.6% of
adults
have
become Catholic
after
having been
raised
in
a
different
faith.
4%
of
Americans raised Catholic
are
now unaffiliated;
5%
are
now Protestant.
^
Over
75% of
those who left Catholicism
attended
Mass
at least once a week as
children,
versus 86%
having done so who remain Catholics
today.^
Regarding
reasons for leaving
Catholicism,
less than 30%
of
former
Catholics
agreed that the clergy
sexual abuse scandal played
a role in their departure. ^
71%
of
Protestants
converts from Catholicism
said that their
spiritual needs
were
not being met
in
Catholicism,
with 78%
of
Evangelical Protestants
concurring, versus
43% of
those now unaffiliated.
^
50% of all
Protestants
converts from Catholicism said
they stooped believing in Catholicism's teachings overall. Only
23%
(20%
now evangelical)
were unhappy
about Catholicism's teachings on abortion/homosexuality
(versus 46%
of those now unaffiliated);
23% also expressed disagreement with teaching on
divorce/remarriage;
16% (12%
now evangelical)
were dissatisfied with teachings on birth
control, 70%
said they found a religion
the liked more in Protestantism.
55%
of evangelical
converts from Catholicism
cited dissatisfaction
with Catholic teachings
about the Bible
was a reason for leaving
Catholicism,
with 46%
saying the Catholic
Church did not view the Bible
literally
enough.
81%
of all
Protestant
converts from
Catholicism
said they enjoyed the service and
worship of Protestant
faith as
a reason for joining a Protestant
denomination, with
62% of
all Protestants and 74%
Evangelicals
also saying that they felt
God's call to
do so. ^
42%
of those now
unaffiliated
stated they do not believe in
God,
or most
religious teaching.
^
54%
of “millennial generation”
Catholics
(born in 1982 or later) are
Hispanics,
while 39%
are non-Hispanic whites. On the
other hand, 76%
of “pre-Vatican II
generation” Catholics (born 1943 or earlier) are
non-Hispanic whites, while
15%
are
Hispanics.
Center for Applied
Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University,
September, 2010 .
http://www.osv.com/tabid/7621/itemid/6850/Openers-More-evidence-of-the-browning-of-US-Cat.aspx
68%
of
all
Latinos
in
the U.S. identify as
Catholics.
Changing
Faiths: Latinos and the Transformation of American Religion
http://pewforum.org/Changing-Faiths-Latinos-and-the-Transformation-of-American-Religion.aspx
Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion - American Piety in the
21 Century – September 2006 .
http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/33304.pdf
Latinos
comprised
32
percent of
all U.S. Catholics
in
2008,
versus to 20
percent in
1990.
However, Catholic identification has slipped from 66
percent in
1990
to
60
percent in 2008. There
has also been a significant rise in the number of Latinos who do
not
adhere
to
a religion.
The longer a Latino has lived in the United States, the less
likely he
or she is to be Catholic.
Study
of Secularism in Society and Culture at Trinity College,
http://theamericano.com/2010/03/18/new-report-on-u-s-latino-religious-identification/
18%
of
all
Latinos
say
they have either
converted
from
one religion to another or to
no
religion
at
all.
http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/75.4.pdf
1,000
Mexicans left
the Catholic
Church
every day between 2000
and
2010,
a decline
that
has continued
uninterrupted
over the past 60
years,
from 98.21
of
the population to 83.9
percent today.
Latin
American Herald Tribune, March 10, 2011, based upon census data
and study by sociologist and historian Roberto Blancarte of
Colegio de Mexico and the National Autonomous University of
Mexico
The
percentage of of Protestants
and
Evangelicals
rose
from
1.28%
in 1950 to close to
8%
of
the total population in 2010,
(excluding
so-called Jehovah’s
Witnesses or Mormons).
5.2
million
say
they profess no
religion.
^
This
decline
is
seen as extending across the region (Catholics represent between
55%
to
73%
in
Central
America,
70%
in
Brazil,
50%
in
Cuba
and
Uruguay).^
Almost
20%
of
all
Latino
American
Catholics
have
left
the
Roman
Catholicism,
with
23
percent
of
second-generation
Latino
Americans doing so.
http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/33304.pdf
54%
of
Hispanic
Catholics
describe
themselves as
charismatic
Christians.
http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=75
51%
of
Hispanic
Evangelicals are
converts,
and 43%
are
former
Catholics.
82%
of
Hispanics
cite
the desire for a more direct,
personal
experience with God
as
the main reason for adopting a new faith. Among those who have
become evangelicals,
90%
say
it was a spiritual
search for
a more direct, personal
experience
with God was
the main reason that drove their conversion.
Negative
views of Catholicism
do
not
appear
to be a major reason for their conversion. ^
A
study which broke down
Mainline
Protestants, Evangelical Protestants, and non-Hispanic Catholics
into
the three subgroups of
traditionalists,
centrists,
and modernists,
found that 5.3
percent of
the respondents qualified as
traditionalist
Catholic,
5.4
percent as
centrist
Catholics,
and 4.9
percent of
respondents are
modernist
Catholics. The
Henry Institute, A Pre-Election Analysis
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/survey_finds_some_catholics_looking_for_a_political_home/
Latinos
Catholics
constituted
6.8
percent of
the survey respondents.
^
About
68
percent of
traditionalist
Catholics
opposed
gays
and
lesbian
marriage,
versus 50%
of
centrist
Catholics
and
65
percent of
modernist
Catholics.
^
Traditionalist
Catholics
disagreed that “abortion
should
be legal and solely up to the woman to decide”
71
to 21 percent,
centrist Catholics agreed
54
to 40 percent,
and modernist
Catholics
agreed 80-16
percent.
^
Catholic
Latinos,
overwhelmingly identify as
Democratic,
57 percent to 15 percent. Religion and the 2008 Election:
^
Evangelical
Protestants
are
the most
politically
conservative Christian tradition.
Within each tradition, those with
literal
views of the Bible
are
more
politically
conservative than
is their tradition overall.
Catholics
that
are
Biblical
literalists
(11.8%)
hold
more
conservative
political
views than the Catholic population in general does. The
Biblical
literalist
Catholic
is as
politically
conservative
as
the Biblical
literalist
who
is
Evangelical
(47.8%)
or
Mainline
Protestant. (11.2%) American
Piety in the 21st Century,
Baylor
Institute for Studies of Religion
http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/33304.pdf
72%
of
Catholics
said
that the will
of
the American people
should
have more influence
than
the Bible
on
US
law,
as compared to 63%
of
the general public.
Pew
Research Center, "Pragmatic Americans Liberal and
Conservative on Social Issues," August 3, 2006,
http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/283.pdf (accessed June 24,
2008).
Latino
Evangelicals
are
50%
more
likely than those who are
Catholics
to
identify with the
Republican
Party,
and are significantly more
conservative
than
Catholics
on
social
issues,
foreign
policy
issues
and even in their attitudes toward the plight of the
poor.
http://pewforum.org/surveys/hispanic
50%
of
Evangelicals
considered themselves
Republican
or leaned toward that party,
34%
Democratic
or leaned thereto;
9%
Independents. ^
48%
of
Catholics
considered themselves
Democrats
or leaned toward that party,
33%
Republican
or leaned thereto;
10%
Independent.
^
Based
upon exit polling,
74
percent of
Evangelicals
voted
for McCain
in
2008, with 25
percent for Obama.
(Another measure put the percentage of evangelicals at
23
percent,
with 73
percent voting
for McCain, 26
percent for
Obama.)
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=367
Catholics
overall
supported
Obama
over
McCain
by
a nine-point margin (54%
vs.
45%)
^
37%
of
Catholics
were registered as Democrats,
27%
Republican, and
31% as
Independents. Aggregated
Pew Research Surveys,
2007.
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=295#ideology
77
percent
of Black
Protestants
said they vote
Democratic,
whether they attended weekly services or not.
2008
The
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
71%
of
Evangelicals,
35%
of Protestants
and
25% of
Catholics
said that a
candidates
position on
abortion
would have a lot
of influence
on their
decision
of who to vote
for in 2012.
Likewise 63%
of evangelicals,
35%
of Protestants
and 19%
of Catholics
and said a
candidates position on homosexual
marriage would
have a lot of influence on their decision.
Barna,
April, 2011
http://www.barna.org/transformation-articles/482-voters-most-interested-in-issues-concerning-security-and-comfort-least-interested-in-moral-issues
73%
of Catholics
polled say they
believe Catholic politicians
are under no
religious
obligation
to vote
on issues the
way the bishops
recommend,
with 75%
disapproving
of denying
communion
to Catholics
who support
legal abortion,
while 70%
of Catholics say
that the views
of Catholic
bishops
in the US are
unimportant
to them in
deciding for whom to vote,
and 69%
of say they feel
no obligation
to vote
against
candidates who
support abortion.
Belden
Russonello & Stewart, "Secular and Security-Minded: The
Catholic Vote in Summer 2008," Catholics for Choice, July
2008. http://www.catholicvote.net/page7/page22/page22.html
According
to a February, 2011 Pew forum survey,
44%
of white
evangelical
Protestants agree
with the Tea
Party movement, with only
8%
disagreeing,
while 33%
of white
Catholics
agree and
23%
disagree.
Only 12%
of atheists/agnostics
support it with 67%
opposing.
http://pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Tea-Party-and-Religion.aspx
10%
of
Evangelical
Protestants
reside in the
NE,
23%
in the
Midwest,
50%
in the
South,
and 17%
in the
West.
Catholics:
29%
NE,
24%
Midwest,
24%
in the
South,
23%
in the
West.
“Muslim
Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream,” Pew
Research Center, 2007.
http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#
The
population of Massachusetts
ranks as the most
liberal,
with Boston and
Cambridge being
the most liberal large cities (100,000
or more), followed by
California.
http://www.epodunk.com/top10/liberal/index.html
The
16
most
Catholic states
contain
24 of
the most liberal
cities. Excluding (Maryland
26th),
predominately Roman Catholic states
contain all but one (Seattle WA) of the
30
most liberal
cities.
Of states in which S. Baptists
are the single largest
denomination none
(of the 30
cities) were found
(the term
“liberal” being defined according to individual
contributions to PACs, election returns and the number of
homosexual households:
http://www.epodunk.com/top10/liberal/index.html
http://www.glenmary.org/grc/RCMS_2000/Catholic_findings.htm
,
http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html.
The
highest
percentages
of
residents who describe themselves as
Christian
are
typically in the
South,
including: Shreveport LA (98%), Birmingham (96%), Charlotte
(96%), Nashville (95%), Greenville, SC / Asheville, NC (94%),
New Orleans (94%), Indianapolis (93%), Lexington (93%),
Roanoke-Lynchburg (93%), Little Rock (92%), and Memphis (92%).
http://www.barna.org/faith-spirituality/435-diversity-of-faith-in-various-us-cities
73%
of the populations of Charlotte
and Shreveport held scripture in
high regard, versus only 27% of the
residents of Providence, Rhode
Island [the most Catholic state] and San
Francisco [the most homosexual large city]. ^
The
lowest percentages
of self-identified Christians
inhabited the following markets: San Francisco (68%), Portland,
Oregon (71%), Portland, Maine (72%), Seattle (73%), Sacramento
(73%), New York (73%), San Diego (75%), Los Angeles (75%),
Boston (76%), Phoenix (78%), Miami (78%), Las Vegas (78%), and
Denver (78%). Even in these cities, however, roughly three out
of every four residents align with Christianity. ^
The
highest percentage of souls who tended toward being
atheist
or
agnostic
were in
Portland, Maine (19%), Seattle (19%), Portland, Oregon (16%),
Sacramento (16%), and Spokane (16%)
Commitment
to evangelism
(agree
strongly that a person has a responsibility to share their
beliefs with others) saw the greatest percentage of endorsement
by
residents of Birmingham
(64%)
and Charlotte
(54%),
in contrast to residents of Providence (14%)
and Boston (17%).
(See
HERE
for
a table of casual Religious-Political relations. And HERE
for
correlation between faith, ideology, politics, environment,
money.)
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On
the term “Evangelical.”
It
must be noted that while the term “evangelical” is a
warranted and recognized
distinguishable category of “tradition,” it is not a
precise classification, due to it not being a formal denomination
or having a formal definition, and the determinative methodology
used by pollsters is not uniform. Most studies use
self-identification for religious categorizations, but typically
classify respondents as evangelical depending on answers to a few
basic questions (see below), and or what denomination they belong
to (which themselves are classified based upon some general and
recognized defining aspects), but
typically they
combine
“born
again” with “evangelical.” The former is
usually associated with experiencing a “day of salvation”
(2Cor. 6:2) in which one entered into a “personal
relationship” with Jesus Christ (born again), while an
additional typical distinctive for evangelical denominations is
that of holding to a basic literalistic view of the Bible and as
Scripture being the supreme authority, and of salvation by faith
versus earning it, as well as an emphasis upon evangelism, and
possessing other basic conservative theological as well as moral
views.
Seeking
to be more precise, Barna distinguishes
between “born
again” and “evangelical” and categorizes the
latter based upon affirmation of 9
theological
aspects. These different methods can result in somewhat
different numbers for evangelicals among pollsters, and can
include those of any denomination, as well as reveal general
characteristics of those in such. Only a small percentage of
Catholics self-identify as “evangelical,”
and denominational and religious tradition comparisons are best
manifest in surveys which compare
denominations.
The
American
religious identification survey (ARIS) of 2008
asked, “Do
you identify as a Born Again or Evangelical Christian?,”
with no definition being offered or a distinction made between
the two terms. In response, 44.8%
of
all American Christians (34%
of the total
national adult population), fell into the combined
born
again/evangelical category, including 18%
of Catholics.
(p. 9) This ambiguous self-identification versus classification
(according to denomination or basic views) resulted in very high
figure. The same survey also showed 25-30
percent of
those who affirmed they were “Born
Again”
affirmed they
believed in a higher
power but
not a personal
God. In
contrast, according to Barna's criteria,
only
8%
of
the nation theologically
qualifies
as
evangelical.
A
basic Gallup
Poll (2005) self-identification question, "Do
you consider yourself to be born-again
or evangelical?”
found 42%
Americans affirming. However, based upon
respondents' answers to three questions that most evangelical
leaders would say are core evangelical doctrines (if the Bible is
the word of God, and if they had a born again experience —
a turning point when they committed their life to Jesus Christ —
and if they have tried to get someone else to accept Jesus as
their Lord and Savior), only 22%
of Americans fit the description of an evangelical.
(That number is further reduced to 18%
if it is limited to those who are Protestants or
unaffiliated Christians.)
(http://www.gallup.com/poll/16519/US-Evangelicals-How-Many-Walk-Walk.aspx)
In
distinguishing between born again
and evangelical, a 2008
Rasmussen Reports survey of 928
Regular Churchgoers, found 91%
of Evangelical Christians
(apparently from evangelical denominations), 63%
of other Protestants, along with 25% of Catholics consider
themselves to be born again. (Toplines -
Churchgoers - December 16, 2008)
In the 2005
Baylor
Religion
Survey,
33.6%
of
the US population were categorized as Evangelical
Protestant
by
affiliation,
but in choosing to affirm titles among many labels to describe
their religious
identity,
and in which more than one could apply, 47.2%
choose
“Bible-believing,”
and 28.5%
“Born
again,”
17.6%
and
“Theologically
Conservative,”
but
only 14.9%
chose
the specific term “Evangelical,”
and barely 2%
say
it is the best description.
Thus
we see that in the born-again/evangelical,
category, the former term has the higher figure, while together
they totaled around 42%.
This survey also found 21.2%
of Americans identified
themselves as Catholic,
(4.7% as
“Born again,”
and
2.8% as
“Evangelical”)
and 22.1% as
Mainline Protestant.
Respondents were asked to choose from a standard list of names,
as well as to give the name and the address of their place of
worship.
Going
back further, a 2002
ABCNEWS/Beliefnet poll
of a random national sample of 1,022 adults, showed
53 percent
of Americans
are Protestants, 22
percent Catholics and 8
percent other
Christians, such as Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses. 37
percent of all
Christians described themselves as born-again
or
evangelical;
14%
of Catholics,
47% of all Protestants
including 62%
of Baptists
and
37%
of nondenominational
Protestants.
(http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/dailynews/beliefnet_poll_010718.htm)
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Commentary
on unity:
This
page was originally partly occasioned by a Roman Catholic polemic
which impugned the evangelical doctrine of the supremacy of
Scripture by contrasting the divisions in what is broadly
defined as Protestantism in comparison to the doctrinal unity
of Rome enabled by a magisterium providing clarity in that. To
which I counter that the latter can only refer to a quite limited
official
“paper”
unity, while any claim to popular unity stands in contrast to the
disagreement in moral values and certain core truths among
Catholics, and which disagreement much evidence shows is greater
than among evangelicals, though the integrity of both faiths is
in decline.
Unity
as proof
Unity
itself as a proof of being the one true church is not a valid
criteria. Cults display the greatest unity, as they share with
Rome the same basis for its greatest unity (assent of faith in an
infallible-type human authority). But unity itself is not a goal
of Godliness; rather, the Scriptural goal is unity with God and
each other based upon established Truth.
While
comprehensive doctrinal unity has ever been a goal not
realized, though it must be sought, it is the unity of Holy
Spirit (Eph. 4:3) that is most essential and foundational, and
which is realized by souls being regenerated by repentant faith
out of a broken heart and contrite spirit. (Ps. 34:18) Only by
this can Jesus prayer can be realized to any degree —
sonship with Christ in them and they in Him (Jn. 17:21-23) —
but which institutionalized religion overall does not foster, and
its unity is one that is much in critical error. The unity that
results from the Berean method and heart, (Acts 17:11) while it
can result in more division than assenting to men as if they were
assuredly infallible, is of a much higher quality, if not
quantity, than implicit trust in such men based on as if their
words were as assured Scripture.
Division
because of truth is also what Christ promised, (Lk. 12:51-53) as
it is necessary, (1Cor. 11:19) and Christianity is itself a
result of division, and rejection by those who had the claim of
official authority. (Mt. 23:2; Lk. 17:25; 20:17; Jn. 7:43; 10:19;
Acts 13:46) And such necessary divisions occur due to a remnant
wanting to preserve historic truth. Rome has her internal
divisions, in heart and in doctrine, and the fact that they
rarely result in formal divisions due to tolerance of liberal
deviation is not necessarily a positive attribute. It also may be
said that the lack of a Berean heart that esteems the truth of
Scripture above men, and wants to follow it wherever it leads, is
the reason for detrimental divisions, rather than the method that
such uses being the problem.
Unity
based on two different assured infallible supreme sources
Evangelicals
are attacked by Catholics as having a supreme assuredly
infallible authority (Scripture, if indeed they allow it to be
termed infallible), but as lacking an infallible (incapable of
error) interpreter, and who only have a local fallible
magisterium at best. And thus they are charged with not being
able to have surety of doctrine from Scripture or the
magisterium. This is contrasted with Roman Catholicism in which
the supreme magisterium is asserted to be perpetually protected
from fallibility when speaking in accordance with her infallibly
defined (scope and subject-based) criteria, though this promise
does not necessarily extend to the arguments and reasoning behind
such decrees. What the exclusion of Scripture as providing surety
versus the formulaic assuredly infallibility of Rome amounts to
is that assurance of the infallible nature of such decrees
essentially rests upon the infallible self-declaration of Rome to
be so.
Meanwhile,
the surety of faith which Scripture promises is not based on the
premise of a perpetual assuredly infallible magisterium, but is
realized by faith based upon demonstrable conformity with
Scripture (Acts 17:11) and the Scriptural attestation that it
evidences God gives to truth and faith, (Mk. 16:20; Acts 4:33;
Rm. 15:19) “by manifestation of the truth commending
ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God,”
(2Cor. 4:2) and most essentially to the gospel by its manifest
transformative regeneration. (1Thes. 1:3ff) Thus believers can
even know the present have eternal life. and faith. (1Jn. 5:13;
cf. Heb. 5:9)
And
even without an assuredly infallible magisterium of men or
centralized magisterium, those who in practice hold to the
historical doctrine of the supremacy of Scripture of Scripture
and its hermeneutic and its manner of (normatively) literal
exegesis — from Southern and Fund. baptists to Assembles of
God churches to Calvary chapels — most universally (if not
inclusively) agree on foundational truths stated in the Apostle's
Creed, as well as salvation of grace (versus deserving or earning
it), and the supremacy of Scripture, and which is shown by their
common contention against cults which deny such things as the
Deity
of Christ, as well as extra-Biblical teachings of Rome, both
of which are typically a result of effectively holding men or an
office as a supreme, infallible type authority. In addition
manifest a remarkable degree of spiritual fellowship —
which is seen in in many realms — while disagreement in
other things has overall
been limited
in degree and scope, with fringe groups being marked by their
deviating from the norm.
This
is true despite lacking a central authority which claims
supremacy over all others, yet each evangelical denomination does
have some sort of main teaching magisterium which upholds core
essentials, exercising jurisdiction over it own flock.
As
for Roman Catholicism, there is much less absolute certainty and
more division that most realize. Roman Catholicism claims an
assuredly infallible magisterium (and which effectively is like
that of a denomination as it only has limited jurisdiction, even
within what is called Catholicism), but its members cannot claim
assured infallibility in understanding it, or whether a decree is
infallible.
Certain
core doctrines are provided, these being “infallible”
pronouncements for which assent of faith is required, but it is a
matter of interpretation as to how
many of
the multitudes of potentially infallible pronouncements really
are infallible (and Catholics have a right to know if one is
infallible before giving its requisite “assent of faith”),
and in which their is disagreement,
but which are generally held to be few. And these pronouncements
themselves overall allow for some degree of interpretation.
In
addition, much or most of what Catholics believe and practice
today comes from the non-infallible Ordinary magisterium, which
includes its catechisms, and (as Roman Catholic forums show)
these can require interpretation to reconcile to Catholic
teachings issued down through the centuries.
Moreover,
Catholics can exercise varying degrees of dissent in
non-infallible teachings (although that is a matter of
interpretation), and which includes areas where evangelicals have
much disagreement, such as freedom
of the will and eschatology,
and there actually can be much uncertainty about what Rome
officially teaches.
Roman
Catholics can look to officially approved publications which have
the Roman Catholic stamps
of approval, the Nhil Obstat (a Latin phrase meaning that
“nothing stands in the way,” of publication, that a
book contains nothing damaging to faith or morals) and its
Imprimatur (Latin, meaning “let it be printed”). But
Roman Catholic apologists themselves state that this is not an
assurance that the contents are orthodox, nor is it required for
much of Roman Catholic literature. (
They
can look to papal pronouncements from nearly 300 popes, but
trying to study such is a mammoth task even for theologians, let
alone the impossibility of reconciling all that is taught therein
as well as the rest of what Rome has taught (for instance see
here
as regards Bible reading). Just the "Bulls" of the
popes from 540 to 1857 fill forty-one volumes, and the General
Legislation in the New Code of Canon Law
states that
Alexander III is said to have issued thirty-nine hundred and
thirty-nine decrees and Innocent II over five thousand.
(p. 42; H.A.
Ayrinhac, Longmans, Green & Co., New York, 1969;
http://www.biblestudymanuals.net/infallible_interpreter.htm)
Conclusions:
basis and types of unity
Thus,
while evangelicals and Catholics both look to an authority they
hold as infallible, neither one offers assurance that the
understanding of every type of hearers will be infallible (though
Scripture does offer assurance based upon obedience and virtue:
1Jn. 5:13), nor can Catholics be sure about what infallible
pronouncements all consist of, as no infallible canon of all such
is known to exists, while interpretations vary
of when the magisterium is speaking infallibly, and how many
times it has, and then what such more precisely mean.
And
as little of the Bible has been “infallibly' defined,
therefore, Roman Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin can state, “the
liberty of the [Catholic] Scripture interpreter remains
extensive, as taking due consideration of the factors that
influence proper exegesis, only a few interpretations will be
excluded with certainty by any of the four factors [the judgment
of the magisterium, by the Church Fathers, or by the analogy of
faith, these being open to some interpretation], circumscribing
the interpreter’s liberty.”
While
Roman Catholics can engage in much private interpretation of
Scripture in seeking to support Rome, yet no amount of
insufficient Scriptural warrant or contradiction of Scripture is
allowed to correct what Rome has presumed to infallibly declare,
which things are considered infallible when she declares them in
accordance with her infallible declared (scope and subject-based)
formula.
Roman
Catholics are forbidden by Vatican 1 from interpreting the
Scriptures contrary to the “unanimous consent of the
fathers,” but Rome itself violates that command, yet it can
autocratically define non-unanimous
consent]
to mean
unanimous. And in addition, the most complete written compilation
of the Fathers (Oxford/Edinburgh "Ante-Nicene and
Post-Nicene Fathers," compiled by Anglicans) fills 38
volumes, and it is held that this work contains only a small
selection of the writings of the Church Fathers.
This
all results in Catholic unity being more that of identification
with a particular church and faith-culture, rather than a bond
resulting from a common conversion experience of regeneration
based upon Scripture, and its resultant Scripture-based
relationship with God. And as is true with institutionalized
Protestant churches in which doctrinal purity is not a paramount
concern, in Roman Catholicism it usually takes something very
major for a formal
split to
occur. While Catholicism itself has many but fewer divisions,
than in Protestantism yet as evidenced by statistics, multitudes
of its souls have left to become evangelicals, mainly due to
their spiritual needs not being met, versus a desire for an
easier or more liberal faith.
All
this does not negate or condone the reality of unnecessary formal
and informal disunity among evangelicals, or the potential
viability of a central Scriptural authority. But it is helpful to
understand the different kinds of unity and cause and quality
thereof.
Evangelicalism
as a movement
is characterized by emphasizing the supremacy of Scripture
(versus an infallible magisterium) and obedience to it, with its
typical manner of historical conservative, literal, exegesis, and
emphasis on conversion and conservative values, and which
distinguishes it from its mainline “institutionalized”
counterpart. The latter, as seen in Roman Catholicism and
mainline Protestantism, overall has a unity in which the
authority of Scripture is typically not effectually emphasized
much, and the exegesis of it is often liberal, with both working
against Biblical conviction and conversion and commitment to
absolute truths. Security is found in identification with a
particular church, and in set structures of worship and
formalism, versus living by faith. Yet as noted above, such
institutionalized churches might be considered more stable, as
seen today in which it takes something as extreme as the
ordination of homosexual pastors for them to formally divide
over.
And
expanding on what has been stated, churches like the Southern
Baptists and the Assemblies of God, etc., are formally divided on
some things, and some each year split off from such, yet they
typically both preach the gospel of grace in which souls, being
damned because of their sins and morally destitute of any merit
whereby they may escape Hell or gain glory, trust the risen
Divine Son of God, sent by the Father, to save them by His
sinless shed blood, (Rm. 3:8-5:1) resulting in manifest
regeneration, (1Thes. 1:8,9; Heb. 6:9,10) and by which the
universal church and the kingdom of God is enlarged. (1Cor.
12:13; Col. 1:13)
These
therefore, rather than their faith being much centered in a
relationship with a particular church which “birthed”
them, are typically centered in a personal relationship with the
Christ that regenerated them, and which basic faith and
conversion experience transcends denominational lines. They thus
can more easily go to different gatherings as they have a basic
spiritual bond with others who have believed the “word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation” (Eph. 1:13) and
received the Spirit of promise. (Acts 10:43-47; 15:8,9)
Of
course, not all in such churches have been converted or have
continued in the Word and know this “fellowship of the
Spirit,” (Phil. 2:1), and doctrinal divisions are real, but
the unity of the remnant among such churches is greater than
their differences and of a superior quality than among those who
“think of men above that which is written,” (1Cor.
4:6) as is the case in Rome.
To
be sure, to hold to the supremacy of Scripture requires seeking
formal unity as well, but which includes leaders being
established after the Biblical manner, by a holiness and teaching
that conforms to Scripture and its attestation, versus resting on
formal ecclesiastical decent and a self-proclaimed infallible
office. And as the prophesied general apostasy of the church take
place, (2Thes. 2:1,2ff) the evangelical type unity must grow
stronger in quality, even though it has not the greatest
quantity; the latter of which belongs to the Beast of Revelation,
whom the Lord will overcome. (Rev. 6:16; 13:3; 19:1-21; 20:10)
Thanks be to God.
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