Study finds contradictions among Americans' religious beliefs
Matthai Kuruvila, Chronicle Religion Writer
Monday, June 23, 2008
(06-23) 10:03 PDT SAN FRANCISCO - -- Americans remain heavily religious, but their views rarely conform to dogma, according to a massive new survey released this morning.
Seventy percent of religious adherents in the United States believe multiple religions can lead a person to salvation, while 68 percent say there is more than one way to interpret the teachings of their religion.
Those views are at the centerpiece of a survey of 36,000 people released today by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The survey - unprecedented in its combination of survey pool and breadth of questions - reveals that religious beliefs and practices in America defy doctrine.
- 57 percent of evangelical Christians say that multiple religions can lead to salvation, though nary an evangelical theologian or minister would say that.
- 58 percent of Catholics believe society should accept homosexuality, a view that is greatly at odds with U.S. Catholic bishops, including the Bay Area.
- 12 percent of Eastern Orthodox Christians say they speak in tongues once a week, even though it is a Pentecostal practice that is not in Orthodox liturgy.
- 21 percent of self-defined atheists believe in God.
more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/23/BATE11AKBJ.DTL&tsp=1