| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Dr. Jai Maharaj" |
| Date: |
06 Jun 2005 05:49:53 AM |
| Object: |
POLL - RELIGIOUS DEVOTION HIGH IN U.S. |
Poll: Religious Devotion High in U.S.
By Rachel Zoll, AP Religion Writer
The Associated Press
Yahoo! News
Sunday, June 5, 2005
Religious devotion sets the United States apart from some
of its closest allies. Americans profess unquestioning
belief in God and are far more willing to mix faith and
politics than people in other countries, AP-Ipsos polling
found.
In Western Europe, where Pope Benedict XVI complains that
growing secularism has left churches unfilled on Sundays,
people are the least devout among the 10 countries
surveyed for The Associated Press by Ipsos.
Only Mexicans come close to Americans in embracing faith,
the poll found. But unlike Americans, Mexicans strongly
object to clergy lobbying lawmakers, in line with the
nation's historical opposition to church influence.
"In the United States, you have an abundance of religions
trying to motivate Americans to greater involvement,"
said Roger Finke, a sociologist at Penn State University.
"It's one thing that makes a tremendous difference here."
The polling was conducted in May in the United States,
Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy,
Mexico, South Korea and Spain.
Nearly all U.S. respondents said faith is important to
them and only 2 percent said they do not believe in God.
Almost 40 percent said religious leaders should try to
sway policymakers, notably higher than in other
countries.
"Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian policies and
religious leaders have an obligation to speak out on
public policy, otherwise they're wimps," said David
Black, a retiree from Osborne, Pa., who agreed to be
interviewed after he was polled.
In contrast, 85 percent of French object to clergy
activism -- the strongest opposition of any nation
surveyed. France has strict curbs on public religious
expression and, according to the poll, 19 percent are
atheists. South Korea is the only other nation with that
high a percentage of nonbelievers.
Australians are generally split over the importance of
faith, while two-thirds of South Koreans and Canadians
said religion is central to their lives. People in all
three countries strongly oppose mixing religion and
politics.
Researchers disagree over why people in the United States
have such a different religious outlook, said Brent
Nelsen, an expert in politics and religion at Furman
University in South Carolina.
Some say rejecting religion is a natural response to
modernization and consider the United States a strange
exception to the trend. Others say Europe is the anomaly;
people in modernized countries inevitably return to
religion because they yearn for tradition, according to
the theory.
Some analysts, like Finke, use a business model.
According to his theory, a long history of religious
freedom in the United States created a greater supply of
worship options than in other countries, and that
proliferation inspired wider observance. Some European
countries still subsidize churches, in effect regulating
or limiting religious options, Finke said.
History also could be a factor.
Many countries other than the United States have been
through bloody religious conflict that contributes to
their suspicion of giving clergy any say in policy.
A variety of factors contribute to the sentiment about
separating religion and politics.
"In Germany, they have a Christian Democratic Party, and
they talk about Christian values, but they don't talk
about them in quite the same way that we do," Nelsen
said. "For them, the Christian part of the Christian
values are held privately and it's not that acceptable to
bring those out into the open."
In Spain, where the government subsidizes the Catholic
Church, and in Germany, which is split between Catholics
and Protestants, people are about evenly divided over
whether they consider faith important. The results are
almost identical in Britain, whose state church, the
Church of England, is struggling to fill pews.
Italians are the only European exception in the poll.
Eighty percent said religion is significant to them and
just over half said they unquestioningly believe in God.
But even in Italy, home to the Catholic Church,
resistance to religious engagement in politics is
evident. Only three in 10 think the clergy should try to
influence government decisions; a lower percentage in
Spain, Germany and England said the same.
Within the United States, some of the most pressing
policy issues involve complex moral questions -- such
as gay marriage, abortion and stem cell research == that
understandably draw religious leaders into public debate,
said John Green, an expert on religion and politics at
the University of Akron.
The poll found Republicans are much more likely than
Democrats to think clergy should try to influence
government decisions -- a sign of the challenges ahead for
Democrats as they attempt to reach out to more religious
voters.
"Rightly or wrongly, Republicans tend to perceive
religion as, quote-unquote, 'on their side,'" Green said.
The survey did find trends in belief that transcend
national boundaries. Women tend to be more devout than
men, and older people have stronger faith than younger
people.
The Associated Press-Ipsos polls of about 1,000 adults in
each of the 10 countries were taken May 12-26. Each has a
margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage
points.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050606/ap_on_re_us/religion_ap_ipsos_poll
- - - - - - -
Poll results at:
http://wid.ap.org/polls/050606religion.html
Posted on 6/06/2005 1:09:31 AM PDT by F15Eagle
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Religious zeal sets U.S. apart from allies, poll finds
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8113152/
Posted on 6/06/2005 1:20:41 AM PDT by F15Eagle
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-To: F15Eagle
"In Western Europe, where Pope Benedict XVI complains
that growing secularism has left churches unfilled on
Sundays..."
I have said it before, but I guess it's worth repeating:
Two of the biggest obstacles facing the Catholic Church
in present times are the number of European Catholics who
don't go to mass and the number of American Catholics who
do....
Posted on 6/06/2005 1:28:59 AM PDT by Joe 6-pack
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-To: F15Eagle
"Americans profess unquestioning belief in God and are
far more willing to mix faith and politics than people
in other countries,..."
Liberals love The White Rose, the Munich University
students, who wrote a series of pamphlets against the
Nazis and were executed by them. Religion was all thru
the White Rose pamphlets. I guess they were bad because
they mixed religion and politics.
Posted on 6/06/2005 3:20:46 AM PDT by Jabba the Nutt
(Jabba the Hutt's bigger, meaner, uglier brother.)
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-To: Joe 6-pack
Two of the reasons facing all churches are the ACLU and
the ACLU.
Posted on 6/06/2005 3:30:02 AM PDT by gulfcoast6
(GOD can help us with anything.)
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End of forwarded message
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Hindu Holocaust Museum
http://www.mantra.com/holocaust
Hindu life, principles, spirituality and philosophy
http://www.hindu.org
http://www.hindunet.org
The truth about Islam and Muslims
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate
The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.
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| User: "Les Hellawell" |
|
| Title: Re: POLL - RELIGIOUS DEVOTION HIGH IN U.S. |
06 Jun 2005 06:19:15 AM |
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On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:49:53 GMT, (Dr. Jai Maharaj)
wrote:
Poll: Religious Devotion High in U.S.
By Rachel Zoll, AP Religion Writer
The Associated Press
Yahoo! News
Sunday, June 5, 2005
Religious devotion sets the United States apart from some
of its closest allies. Americans profess unquestioning
belief in God and are far more willing to mix faith and
politics than people in other countries, AP-Ipsos polling
found.
In Western Europe, where Pope Benedict XVI complains that
growing secularism has left churches unfilled on Sundays,
people are the least devout among the 10 countries
surveyed for The Associated Press by Ipsos.
Hmm so much for comments about 'old Europe'. being
backwards. It looks to me that its the USA that stuck in
a more superstitious past.
<sad story snipped>
History also could be a factor.
Many countries other than the United States have been
through bloody religious conflict that contributes to
their suspicion of giving clergy any say in policy.
Right
We have been suspicious of Republicanism ever since
the Puritans took control of our country under Cromwell
--
Les Hellawell
greetings from
YORKSHIRE - The White Rose County
.
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| User: "Fred Stone" |
|
| Title: Re: POLL - RELIGIOUS DEVOTION HIGH IN U.S. |
06 Jun 2005 07:38:29 AM |
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Les Hellawell <myshredder@notatleswell.freeuk.com> wrote in
news:oqb8a19q6b7u3muskt83qq0qpmh2v0qqrj@4ax.com:
On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 10:49:53 GMT, (Dr. Jai Maharaj)
wrote:
Poll: Religious Devotion High in U.S.
By Rachel Zoll, AP Religion Writer
The Associated Press
Yahoo! News
Sunday, June 5, 2005
Religious devotion sets the United States apart from some
of its closest allies. Americans profess unquestioning
belief in God and are far more willing to mix faith and
politics than people in other countries, AP-Ipsos polling
found.
In Western Europe, where Pope Benedict XVI complains that
growing secularism has left churches unfilled on Sundays,
people are the least devout among the 10 countries
surveyed for The Associated Press by Ipsos.
Hmm so much for comments about 'old Europe'. being
backwards. It looks to me that its the USA that stuck in
a more superstitious past.
Old Europe has its own superstitions, of the economic and social(ist)
variety.
<sad story snipped>
History also could be a factor.
Many countries other than the United States have been
through bloody religious conflict that contributes to
their suspicion of giving clergy any say in policy.
Right
We have been suspicious of Republicanism ever since
the Puritans took control of our country under Cromwell
--
Fred Stone
aa# 1369
Even if the grass is greener on the other side,
they still have to cut it.
.
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