More Americans are acquainted with a gay or lesbian person than an evangelical, according to a recent study.
The latest research by Phoenix-based Ellison Research found that only 24 percent of all Americans who say they are not evangelical know an evangelical person very well and 40 percent have never known any evangelicals at all, even casually. Meanwhile, 53 percent say they know a homosexual person very well and 20 percent know such a person casually.
"The study raises questions about why members of some groups are largely invisible to so many Americans," Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, noted.
Sellers pointed out that homosexuals are estimated to make up less than 10 percent of the U.S. population while 17 percent of Americans call themselves evangelical. Despite the larger evangelical count, Americans are more likely to know a gay or lesbian person than an evangelical.
Also, the study showed that a majority of evangelicals (62 percent), along with 75 percent of Protestant churchgoers and 77 percent of all Catholics, know a gay or lesbian person at least casually.
"Is this because homosexuals are more open than evangelicals about who they are? Because Americans are more open to knowing a homosexual than an evangelical? Because evangelicals themselves are less likely to reach into the broader community to form relationships?" he posed. "These questions are certainly open to debate."
The questions Sellers posed can also be applied to other groups, he noted. "You could just as easily ask these questions about Mormons versus evangelicals, where Americans are just as likely to know a Mormon as an evangelical, even though by any measure the evangelical population in the U.S. is dramatically larger than the Mormon population."
According to the study, 21 percent know a Mormon very well.
Statistics were more positive for born-again Christians, but only to a small extent. Among Americans who do not call themselves born again, 38 percent say they know a born-again Christian very well and 18 percent have never known one.
Among other findings, half of all Americans know a member of the Christian clergy very well, 20 percent know one casually, and 12 percent have never known a clergyperson. More interestingly, the study pointed out that among people who regularly attend worship services, 30 percent say they do not currently know any clergy members very well and 14 percent say they do not even know one, including their own minister or priest, casually.
Younger Americans are less likely to know a Christian clergyperson. Only 39 percent of people under 35 know a Christian clergyperson very well compared to 48 percent of people 35 to 54 years old and 61 percent of those 55 or older.
Even fewer Catholic churchgoers report knowing any clergy with 23 percent saying they do not know one even casually, according to the study.
Although Catholics may not know their own priest, many Americans are acquainted with Catholics. With Catholics representing a large segment of the U.S. population, 76 percent of all non-Catholics say they currently know a Roman Catholic very well. Only 3 percent have never known a Catholic. Continue >>
Comments
Oooooo - scitz a likes lina...scitz a likes lina ... I'm tell'n.
Lina, I read your posts and its as if I am reading my own. I have many of the same thoughts on religion.
In rereading over recent posts, if anyone's need re-posting, it's Lina's. She may not be an "acceptable Christian" for many on this Web site, but Christians need to seriously consider the points lina makes. Here are two.
Lina’s comments from 7/2/08:
And Prophet - I find it no substance in the Bible. Just orders. Like the Koran. An attempt to control the masses. It works for you. Great. Not for me. There is just no enough evidence for the claims of the Bible. There is much evidence in the works of Darwin, Einstein, and Watson (at least to me). The direction of our species has seemingly been heading in the right direction but at the expense of religion. Religion only comes to terms with scientific evidence stubbornly and often by conveniently reinterpreting its own texts to fit the new realities - essentially to save its own skin and retain a shred of legitimacy. Think of the world we're in. Evangelicals are obsessed with pro-life, anti-gay, anti-stem cell research, pro-Israel anti-diplomacy, anti-science issues (evolution, contraception, vaccination against HPV). They seemingly believe that failing to support these initiatives will bring out the end of the World. Can you think of anything more delusional? What 2 mature adults do naked in the privacy of their own home trumping fighting poverty? Consequently, not only do I find religious belief delusional, but harmful. That's why it should be privatized. The secular world doesn't need your picketing, your whining, your end-of-Western-Civilization-as-we-know-it doomsday scenarios. We don't need to be reminded of God's word or the Rapture. Not only do I know your texts well, I freely disbelieve in them.
and
I'll never get this. I will never understand god's purpose/need/want for creating a universe he will destroy, and so many billions of people, most of whom will burn in hell forever. Considering the vast amount of unbiased research conducted by the secular world, for the benefit of all humanity, religion has, in my eyes, been severely weakened; almost to the point of absolute dismissal. I really dislike the requirement for morality the religious ascribe to their texts. The world is less violent today because of the increasing absence of religion. That is obvious. Let's just take God out of the equation and privatizing him. There is no hope in weaving together the diverse beliefs of 6 billion into one universal religion. Muslims, Jews, and Hindus believe as strongly in their god(s) as you all do. So much so, they fear your afterlife. At one point do you say: I just have faith in my religion. I don't need to bark orders at anyone else. My faith has done little for the benefit of humanity (perhaps only for me in that provides me solace in the face of impending death). Humanity has been the only real driver of beneficial change. That is a fact.
Please, I beg of you all, dont boycott McD, They have good coffee and I am a rather large stock holder......LOL
rolln writes: "We can also boycott McDonalds http://www.boycottmcdonalds.com/
The Mac Attack just attacked our family and faith."
McDonald's USA spokesman Bill Whitman said, "Hatred has no place in our culture."
Who's right? I do know that I hate McDonald's hamburgers.
Prophet, you wrote:
"Daniel,
You said '...you have to do the right things and trust there is a good greater than yourself or your own personal interests.'
"Amen. Unfortunately, most people don't believe in any greater good than themselves. That's the position this world has gotten intself into."
Prophet, hasn't the world ALWAYS been in this position? I remember finding out what low percentages of colonial Americans identified with any church. Of course, this does not mean that they might not have studied their Bibles at home.
Then if heaven is all around us, as you pointed out, then some of these people walking around are dead?
And if heaven is a physical place, God is physical, and so are angels. And if God is physical, He cannot be everywhere at once. And if He is physical, then the Bible is wrong when it says that God is spirit. And if angels are physical, how come we can't see them. And if angels are physical, then demons must be physical. And if demons are physical, then why can't we see them as well? And if heaven is physical, why doesn't our body go there when we die. I've been to a lot of funerals, and each one had a body. And if heaven is physical, of what purpose is our spirit?
Prophet-
The scripture says that Jesus ascended body and soul into heaven. Therefore it must be physical.
We can also boycott McDonalds http://www.boycottmcdonalds.com/
The Mac Attack just attacked our family and faith.
Daniel,
You said "...you have to do the right things and trust there is a good greater than yourself or your own personal interests."
Amen. Unfortunately, most people don't believe in any greater good than themselves. That's the position this world has gotten intself into.
"Why did God WANT to create a universe HE KNEW he would ultimtely destroy."
Why do people produce things they know will eventually wear out?
Why do people form rock bands when they know only a small % actually last?
There are many expensive products which result in much waste to produce. We value the product and simply accept the waste as what is required to produce the product. The idea is to be on the product side of the equation and not the waste end.
Ok try this one! Were I to havea choild if I knew it was going to hell? Well, if I knew it was going to hell, then I know God already must have indicated I have the child. I would follow God's command to have the child for God uses all things for good, even a child destined for hell. He may go to hel but he may save the life of an individual who ends up leading several sinners to Christ
At the foot of the cross all sin is equal. So yes a homosexual is the same as a thief or a murderer. the argument that I was made that way is true. The fall of man in the garden of Eden made all of us sinners from the day we were born. To say that homosexuality is a choice is also true. We are directed to take up our cross daily to follow Him. Is it any easier for an adulterer, rapsist, thief to take up thier cross more so than a homosexual? the answer is no, but we expect them too. God gave us whoo accept the saving grace of Jesus all the same ability equally to fight our fleshly desires. so yes you were born with the desire to sin(homosexuality) just as the thief is. Is it a choice you make each time. Yes it is. God said no man has a problem that hasn't been had before and defeated
To further explain (or muddy the water)....
I have a son in the Army. Sometimes people are selected to die.... They might not but their death may save tens or tens of thousands. It may not do any good at all. Still, you have to do the right things and trust there is a good greater than yourself or your own personal interests.
"Daniel Paul: Would you have had one of your children if you had known that child was going to go to hell when it died?"
OK...this question is based on an underlying question. Is God fair and just? I have pondered the concept of if young children go to heaven and the like. This is the question I was left with for all those types of questions. Please ponder what I am about to post before responding.
I believe that God IS fair and just. I believe no one goes to hell that doesn't deserve to be there. I also believe that children are a gift from the Lord. I do believe I as a parent am responsible for teaching them correctly. I am to be a good steward of my children.
With that said, I would have any child God gave to me. The question is one of free will. God is not responsible for our choices simply because He has allowed us to have a choice in the first place. Without that choice we could do no wrong and therefore our existance would be moot. Because children have a free will it is required of parents to respect and do their best to shape that will. However, parents are not responsible for the choices the child makes and it would be disrespectful of parents to deny a child the right to choose for themseves as adults. (This is why I disagree with abortion. It denies the child the right to choose for themselves if they will live or die.)
So, yes I would simply because I believe God is fair and just. Therefore, He has a reason for everything even if I don't like it.