A national survey released today shows that while many Americans say faith drives their stances on social and political issues, there's little consistency on how and when it does.
Opinions on hot-button matters like abortion and same-sex marriage are more often influenced primarily by religion than are issues such as immigration, the environment and poverty, according to the Pew Research Center survey, "Impact of Religion on Political Views."
Of the more than 3,000 adults surveyed over a two-week period this summer, 35 percent said religion mattered most for them on the issue of same-sex marriage. Of just those who oppose such marriages, 60 percent named religion as their top influence. On abortion, 26 percent named religion, with 45 percent of opponents weighing in this way.
Forty-four percent of those surveyed said their clergy speaks about same-sex matters, and 59 percent said they hear from clergy about abortion.
But even though 88 percent of regular churchgoers said their clergy speaks about poverty and hunger, only 10 percent cited religious beliefs as their top influence when considering the government's role in assisting the poor.
Clergy speaks about environmental protection to 47 percent of those surveyed, but just 6 percent said their positions were primarily faith driven. And while 24 percent said they hear about immigration in their houses of worship, only 7 percent gave religion top-billing when it comes to influence.
Education, personal experiences and media coverage often have more influence than religion on opinions about poverty, the environment and immigration, explained Greg Smith, a senior researcher at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
He said it's hard to know why people report the influences they do, but deciphering what issues have important religious links and what issues do not is key to understanding how faith factors into American politics.
Among the discoveries he ranked as most interesting was the realization that religion doesn't necessarily push Americans in a conservative direction. A full 32 percent of those opposed to the death penalty (or 19 percent overall), for example, cite religion as the most important influence in forging their opinion.
Also outlined in the survey is a list of what issues are considered "very important" to voters. Ninety percent said the economy; 88 percent said jobs; 78 percent said healthcare, followed by other issues including terrorism, taxes, energy, Afghanistan and immigration. At the bottom of the list: 43 percent said abortion and 32 percent said same-sex marriage.
Looks like Reality needs to hook up with this Jessica Ravitz...so they can make beyootiful statistics together...
That's great, now tell us something new. If you wanna emulate Harper's then do it right
For new members only:
Essential reading to understand why people think the way they do when it comes to religion:
From James Somerville, professor emeritus, Xavier University:
John Hick, a noted British philosopher of religion, estimates that 95 percent of the people of the world owe their religious affiliation to an accident of birth. The faith of the vast majority of believers depends upon where they were born and when. Those born in Saudi Arabia will almost certainly be Moslems, and those born and raised in India will for the most part be Hindus. Nevertheless, the religion of millions of people can sometimes change abruptly in the face of major political and social upheavals. In the middle of the sixth century ce, virtually all the people of the Near East and Northern Africa, including Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt were Christian. By the end of the following century, the people in these lands were largely Moslem, as a result of the militant spread of Islam.
The Situation Today
Barring military conquest, conversion to a faith other than that of one's birth is rare. Some Jews, Moslems, and Hindus do convert to Christianity, but not often. Similarly, it is not common for Christians to become Moslems or Jews. Most people are satisfied that their own faith is the true one or at least good enough to satisfy their religious and emotional needs. Had St. Augustine or St. Thomas Aquinas been born in Mecca at the start of the present century, the chances are that they would not have been Christians but loyal followers of the prophet Mohammed.
@Reality
Well said buddy....
Peace....
You make a valid point. But it needs to go a step deeper. What is that impulse in humanity that tends toward God? People have always known of God through intuition and made a response to that impulse. But since the object of that response (God) is infinitely lofty and abstract, we can only put an insufficient name and face on it. It should come as no surprise that there are many names for God and responses to Her/Him. Unfortunately, because of human inadequacy in expressing God, religion can be made to look silly.
@brad
Your post..."What is that impulse in humanity that tends toward God.? People have always known of God through intuition, etc..etc...
brad---Since time began, we humans have had an 'impulse' to 'understand' ....well, life. Our ancestors used to believe that if there was not enough rain and there was a drought, somehow, we displeased the rain god's. If someone died, they may have believed that they displeased god somehow, when now, through, science we now know of disease, etc....
We (humans) have had a strong tendency and impulse to describe a super natural power outside ourselves to help 'explain' things. We ended up calling it God, or as you said....called many names. But, your statement unquestionably(if i am understanding your post right) assumes and presupposes that there *is* a God. It is just a matter of different names to call this intuition or impulse.
It is always an impulse to *understand*.....life. It is *not* an impulse to God.....
Peace....
@peace2all: "But, your statement unquestionably(if i am understanding your post right) assumes and presupposes that there *is* a God. It is just a matter of different names to call this intuition or impulse."
The point I would like to make is that it would never have occurred to early man that the meaning of existance could be found outside the material world. He was too unsophisticated for this. He would have been ruled entirely by his senses. The presence of this impulse in such an immature being suggests that the source of this impulse comes from "beyond".
Peace to youself.
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