Friday, December 11, 2009

Media Claim Americans, as Individuals, are Pluralistic in Faith

Many Americans attend services outside of their own religion, and blend Christianity with Eastern and New Age beliefs, the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life said.

Surveys, such as this, are intended to convince the reader that "normal" Americans do NOT hold to the exclusivity of Christ.

-- From "More Americans 'mix and match' religious beliefs, poll finds" by Nicole Santa Cruz, Los Angeles Times 12/10/09

The nationwide poll of 4,013 adults found that a third regularly or occasionally attended religious services at more than one location -- and 24% of the public overall worshiped outside their faith.

Three in 10 Protestants surveyed said they sometimes attended services representing other faiths, as did about 20% of Roman Catholics.

About a quarter of those surveyed expressed beliefs in New Age or Eastern religious principles such as reincarnation and the presence of spiritual energy in physical objects.

About 65% of those surveyed also expressed belief in or report having an experience with a variety of supernatural phenomena, such as believing in astrology, being in touch with the dead or consulting a psychic.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "More U.S. Christians mix in 'Eastern,' New Age beliefs" by Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA Today 12/10/09

Of the 72% of Americans who attend religious services at least once a year (excluding holidays, weddings and funerals), 35% say they attend in multiple places, often hop-scotching across denominations.

They are like President Obama, who currently has no home church. He has worshiped at a Baptist church, an Episcopal one, and the non-denominational chapel at Camp David.

Scott Thumma, a professor at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research in Hartford, Conn. [said,] "Today, the individual rarely finds all their spiritual needs met in one congregation or one religion."

[Albert Mohler,] president of the seminary and a leading voice for Baptist orthodoxy . . . sees a "rampant confusion" about faith revealed in the Pew findings.

"This is a failure of the pulpit as much as of the pew to be clear about what is and is not compatible with Christianity and belief in salvation only through Christ," Mohler says.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.