The Study Of Religion And Religious Ideas And Beliefs

[Kay Hamling]

Thischapter examines the diverse religious beliefs and practices of American adults. It looks first at the various degrees of importance Americans assign to religion in their lives and explores their views of God, Scripture, miracles and other religious beliefs. It then moves into a discussion of worship and other congregational activities, followed by a look at devotional practices, spiritual experiences and other practices. The chapter concludes by examining beliefs about religion, including how exclusive people are in their claims to salvation, as well as by examining the ways in which members of different religious traditions think about morality.

Just as the first report of the Landscape Survey detailed the remarkable diversity that exists in the religious affiliation of adults in the United States, the pages that follow document the great diversity the survey finds in the religious beliefs and practices of Americans. Many measures confirm that the United States is, indeed, a very religious country. Americans are largely united in their belief in God, for instance, with majorities even of people who are unaffiliated with a particular religious tradition expressing belief in God or a universal spirit. Large majorities also believe in miracles and an afterlife. Yet there are significant differences in the exact nature of these beliefs and the intensity with which people hold these beliefs. For example, while most Americans believe in God, there is considerable variation in the certainty and nature of their belief in God.

The survey also finds considerable diversity within religious groups. For instance, Americans who are not affiliated with any religion often report having some specific religious beliefs and practices. The reverse is also true; some adults who say they belong to one religion or another nevertheless say religion is not too important in their lives and report having few religious beliefs or practices.

Although the U.S. is a highly religious country, Americans are not dogmatic. For instance, a large majority of Americans who are affiliated with a religion, including majorities of most faith groups, say there is more than one religion that can lead to eternal life and more than one way to interpret the teachings of their faith. And though the overwhelming majority of the public expresses a belief in absolute standards of right and wrong, the survey suggests that this belief is shaped as much by practical experience as by religious beliefs.

Importance of Religion and Demographic GroupsThe survey finds that women are significantly more likely than men to say religion is very important in their lives. This holds true to varying degrees among many religious groups, though equal numbers of male and female Mormons (83%) say religion is very important in their lives.

In general, older adults are more likely than younger adults to say religion is very important in their lives. For example, less than half (45%) of adults under age 30 say religion is very important in their lives, compared with more than two-thirds (69%) of those age 65 and older. This pattern also holds across many religious traditions, but it is particularly strong among Catholics and members of mainline Protestant churches. There is no generation gap, however, among Mormons, Jews and Muslims. Within these groups, those who are younger are about as likely as those who are older to say religion is very important to them.

Among the general public, adults with less education tend to be most likely to say religion is very important in their lives; this is also true for the unaffiliated and for Muslims. For most religious traditions, however, there are only small differences in the importance of religion across different levels of education.

Women are significantly more likely than men to say they are absolutely certain in their belief in a personal God (58% vs. 45%). This holds true for most religious traditions with the exception of Mormons, Buddhists and Hindus, where men and women profess roughly the same levels of absolute belief in a personal God.

Overall, Americans with a college education tend to be slightly less likely to believe with certainty in a personal God compared with those without a degree. But the opposite is true among members of evangelical churches, where those with a college degree are more likely than those with a high school degree or less to profess certain belief in a personal God. This is also true, though to a lesser extent, among Catholics and members of historically black churches.

Although large majorities of all Christian traditions say the Bible is the word of God, the extent to which they say it should be taken literally varies widely. Majorities of members of historically black (62%) and evangelical (59%) churches say that the Bible should be taken literally, word for word. By contrast, members of mainline Protestant churches and Catholics are more likely to say that the Bible is the word of God but should not to be taken literally (35% and 36%, respectively). Half of Muslims say the Koran is the literal word of God, while 25% say the Koran is the word of God but should not be taken literally.

About two-thirds of the unaffiliated (64%) view the Bible as the work of men and not as the word of God. However, among the religious unaffiliated, roughly half (51%) view the Bible as the word of God, with one-in-four expressing the view that the Bible is the literal word of God.

Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Americans believe in an afterlife, with two-in-three of these (50% of the public overall) saying they are absolutely certain in this belief. Solid majorities of most major religious traditions believe in life after death, including 98% of Mormons and 86% of members of evangelical Protestant churches. A remarkable 88% of Mormons are absolutely certain that there is life after death.

Among the unaffiliated, nearly half (48%) believe in life after death, including two-thirds of the religious unaffiliated (66%) and more than four-in-ten of the secular unaffiliated (44%). But the unaffiliated tend to be less certain about this belief than members of most other religious traditions.

A similar number of Hindus (61%) say they believe in reincarnation, or that people will be reborn in this world again and again. Slightly more than a third (34%) are absolutely certain in this belief.

The Landscape Survey finds that belief in miracles and supernatural phenomena are widespread among U.S. adults. Nearly eight-in-ten adults (79%), including large majorities of most religious traditions, believe that miracles still occur today as in ancient times. More than eight-in-ten members of evangelical (88%) and historically black (88%) churches, Catholics (83%) and Mormons (96%) agree that miracles still occur today.

Less than half of Buddhists and Hindus, and less than a quarter of Jews, say angels and demons are active in the world. Although relatively few atheists and agnostics believe in angels and demons, nearly a third of the secular unaffiliated (29%) and more than two-thirds of the religious unaffiliated (68%) believe angels and demons are active in the world.

Among the unaffiliated, nearly three-in-four (72%) say they seldom or never attend religious services. Not surprisingly, attendance at worship services is more common among the religious unaffiliated (11% say they attend church at least once a week, and 35% say they go occasionally).

Women in several Christian traditions are more likely than men to attend religious services at least once a week, with the largest gap existing among members of historically black churches. Among Muslims, however, men are much more likely to attend services weekly, and among Mormons, Jews and the unaffiliated, the figures are roughly equal.

Older Americans are more likely than younger Americans to say they attend services at least once a week. Among Christian groups, the age gap is particularly large for Catholics; nearly two-thirds of Catholics over age 65 (62%) say they go to church every week, compared with only about a third of Catholics under age 30 (34%). There are similar, though somewhat less pronounced, generational differences among all three Protestant traditions. Notable exceptions to this pattern are Mormons, Jews and Muslims, among whom younger individuals are at least as likely as their older counterparts to say they attend religious services on a weekly basis.

Among the general adult population, there are no substantial differences in attendance at worship services by education. But within certain Christian traditions, including members of evangelical, mainline and historically black Protestant churches as well as Mormons, those with more education tend to attend church somewhat more often than those with less education.

Members of non-Christian religions tend to be less likely than Christians to report official membership in a house of worship. Only 30% of Buddhists do so, along with 32% of Hindus, 42% of Muslims and 55% of Jews.

Interestingly, nearly a quarter of the unaffiliated (22%) say they or their families are official members of a local church or house of worship. The figure is even higher for the religious unaffiliated (30%). These findings could indicate that a sizable number of people who say they have no particular religious affiliation have family members who belong to a religious congregation. Alternatively, it could indicate that many who do not identify with a particular religion nevertheless belong to a religious congregation.

Among U.S. adults who attend worship services at least a few times a year, around one-fifth (21%) say they attend a small congregation with a membership of less than 100, while more than four-in-ten (44%) attend a house of worship with between 100 and 500 members. An additional 21% attend congregations with between 500 and 2,000 members, and 10% attend a house of worship with more than 2,000 members.

It should also be pointed out that, historically, Catholic parishes were known for having very large congregations. Indeed, even today, nearly one-in-five Catholic adults (18%) attend a congregation with more than 2,000 members. Many Hindus also belong to large congregations, with 24% saying they attend services at congregations with more than 2,000 members.

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