VENTURA, USA, November 1, 2002 — Americans may think of themselves as being Bible-believers, but new research suggests their values and beliefs are in fact being heavily influenced by other sources.
A recent, nationwide poll conducted by the California-based market research company, Barna Research Group, found that a large percentage of people who attend Protestant or Catholic churches have adopted beliefs that conflict with the teachings of the Bible and their churches.
Survey participants were asked to respond to 12 theological statements, varying levels of agreement or disagreement. In nine out of the 12 statements, a majority or large minority of respondents expressed points of view that conflict with the Bible.
Evil, sin and salvation
| "59% of Americans deny the existence of Satan, concluding rather, that the devil is a symbol of evil. " |
For instance, 59% of Americans deny the existence of Satan, concluding rather, that the devil is a symbol of evil. A vast majority of Americans (74%) also reject the concept of original sin, agreeing with the statement, "when people are born, they are neither good nor evil - they make a choice between the two as they mature."
Although most American adults are aligned with either a Protestant (54%) or Catholic (22%) church, many believe, contrary to church teaching that Jesus Christ did not lead a sinless life, while on earth. While exactly half of poll respondents say Jesus did not sin, 42% believe he did.
| "Half of all adults indicated they believe that anyone who "is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life will earn a place in Heaven." |
Regarding the issue of salvation, half of all adults indicated they believe that anyone who "is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life will earn a place in Heaven." While this view might be considered to align with Catholic doctrine, and is one of the fundamental differences of belief over which the Protestant Reformation was waged, fully 40% of Protestants also currently accept this view of salvation.
The Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon
Americans' beliefs are being impacted by the variety of religious and cultural traditions that surround them. A large minority (44%) agree with the statement, "the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths." Only 38% of those polled disagreed with that idea.
| "A large minority (44%) agree with the statement, 'the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths.' " |
Summing up the data, director of research George Barna concluded that the results of the poll reflect a people whose theological views are increasingly inclusive of many faith traditions. Said Barna, "Over the past 20 years we have seen the nation's theological views slowly become less aligned with the Bible. Americans still revere the Bible and like to think of themselves as Bible-believing people, but the evidence suggests otherwise. Christians have increasingly been adopting spiritual views that come from Islam, Wicca, secular humanism, the eastern religions and other sources. Because we remain a largely Bible-illiterate society, few are alarmed or even aware of the slide toward syncretism - a belief system that blindly combines beliefs from many different faith perspectives."
Source: Patricia Paddey, Bible Network News
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