Regarding the Pew survey, here are a couple of snippets that I found interesting.
<<Atheists receive the lowest ratings of all. Only 34% of those who can rate atheists view them favorably; fully 66% have an unfavorable view. Non-believers are particularly unpopular among the less educated, more conservative, and older segments of society. Nearly three quarters of those who did not finish high school say they feel unfavorably toward people who don't believe in God, compared to just 37% of those with college degrees. >>
Seems to me someone on this thread recently expressed disbelief that atheists are held in such low regard. At the time I didn't have a source.
<<The Christian conservative movement and the entertainment industry – two groups often at odds with each other – earn relatively modest ratings from the public. Christian conservatives get a 58% favorable to 42% unfavorable rating, and the entertainment industry earns a 53% favorable to 47% unfavorable rating. >>
Better than atheists, at least.
<<Strong majorities in both political parties believe in the importance of religion. Seven-in-ten Republicans and virtually the same percentage of Democrats (69%) say religion is very important. >>
It may have been on another thread that I recently hear the left called "unreligious."
<<Republicans are less likely than Democrats or independents to express favorable views of either Muslims or Buddhists. And these differences sharpen when ideology is factored in. While only 47% of conservative Republicans view Muslims in a favorable light, fully 77% of liberal Democrats view them favorably. >>
<<When Americans think about God, they think first and foremost about power and might. Asked to describe God in their own words, nearly four-in-ten respondents gave answers relating to God as creator, architect of the universe, almighty, or supreme power. For a quarter of Americans, their definition of God involves what God does in their lives. >>
<<There is no consensus among the public -- or Christians for that matter -- as to whether the Bible is actually the word of God, intended to be taken literally. A plurality of the public (43%) believes the Bible is indeed the word of God, but that it should not be taken literally. Somewhat fewer (36%) adhere to the literal interpretation of the Bible, while 14% say the Bible is written by men and is not the word of God. >>
<<The nation's non-Christian religious population remains fairly small -- only about 4% of respondents say they practice Judaism or other non-Christian religions. Seculars -- self-described atheists and agnostics, and those who profess no religious preference and rarely, if ever, attend church -- comprise about one-in-ten Americans. >>
<<Public opinion on this question is divided along religious rather than partisan lines. Republicans are only slightly more likely than Democrats to support the notion of churches expressing their political views. But mainline and evangelical Protestants have vast differences of opinion over whether religious groups should weigh in on politics. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of white evangelicals favor churches expressing political views, while only one-third of white mainline Protestants feel this way. >>
<<The survey confirms that religion continues to be a key source of conservative political opinion on cultural and sexual issues. Religion is a conservative influence most clearly on the issue of gay marriage, where 65% of those who oppose same-sex unions cite their religious beliefs as the most important influence on their views (among those with high levels of religious commitment, this figure rises to 80%). Similarly, 59% cite religious views as most important in their opposition to physician-assisted suicide, and 42% do so regarding opposition to human cloning.
On the liberal side, 42% of those who oppose the death penalty say their religious views most influenced their position on the issue. Among religiously-committed death penalty opponents, 62% cite their religious beliefs as a source of opposition. But only 15% of respondents who support more generous government assistance to the poor cite religion as their major influence; personal experience is more important on this issue. And just 12% cite religious beliefs as most important in their support for U.S. intervention to prevent genocide; the media is much more important to the views of both supporters and opponents of U.S. intervention.>>
<<Fully half of seculars are independents, while 26% are Democrats and 17% are Republicans. >>
<<Only about half (54%) of college graduates consider religion very important, compared to two-thirds of high school graduates and three-quarters of those who have not finished high school. >> |
