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Americans Have Lost Faith In Religious Leaders And Church Attendance, New Book Says
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When surveyed, almost all Americans say they believe in God, a majority say they pray and more than a third say they go to religious services every week.
But in a new book on religious trends in the United States, a Duke University professor says this picture of an unflinchingly faithful America is not quite accurate. At least when it comes to traditional religious practices, Americans’ belief has faded in recent decades, says professor Mark Chaves.
Take the well-known fact that fewer Americans are joining the clergy. The Roman Catholic Church in the United States, for example, has experienced a sharp decline in priests.
Part of the reason, Chaves says, could be that Americans have lost respect for religious leaders. That’s one of several findings in his book “American Religion: Contemporary Trends,” which is being released Sunday.
Chaves, a professor of sociology, religion and divinity, found that between 1973 and 2008, the percentage of people with “great confidence” in religious leaders declined from 35 percent to less than 25 percent. He also found that two-thirds of Americans say they would prefer religious leaders to stay out of politics.
Using data from the General Social Survey and the National Congregations Study, Chaves looked at developments in American religion since 1972. The General Social Survey, which began that year, is an ongoing look at American attitudes and behaviors by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center, while the National Congregations Study — a project Chaves directed — examined congregations in the United States from several religions, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam. [more]
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5 Comments
Indulgences and Purgatory are defined teachings of the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, these and other doctrines of the Catholic Church such as the 7 Sacraments, the Mass, Prayer, etc., have been missing for a generation in catechesis. I remember in the 70′s and ’80s where religous texts gave little doctrinal discussion to these important aspects of faith. A teacher of Faith Formation, said to me that it was in Catholic College where he learned about the teachings of the Catholic Church. He went to Catholic School but he said his relgious studies dealt with making collages and social ministry. No doctrine. This is a major reason why many don’t respond to a vocation or have little to do with church and sacraments. They have no idea what these are all about. Thank God we’re changing in the right direction. It will take time, but the Catholic Church will not die.
There are quite a few books being released lately.
Italian investigative journalist, Carmelo Abbate has written one that the Vatican isn’t commenting on and he hasn’t been threatened with libel either.
Religion and its leaders have always been a product of their times because we live in this sad and broken world. When you consider these are desperate, pagan times, this news could certainly be plausible.
But focus on the eternal truths that never change; this fickle world changes with the wind. Recall that all things pass away including each one of us, and consider the overwhelming vanities and trivialities of this passing world. Then I never waver from faith in God and his orthodox ones appointed to teach and preach the unchangeable Truth of who we are and our everlasting destiny, soon to come in the blink of an eye.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. (John 16:20)
I have no faith in the religious leaders because they refuse to accept reality. They are still preaching what was taught before the scientific discoveries of our time were known, ie., the Pope granted a special indulgence at the youth world day which is ludicrous since there is no time on the next frequency, dimension. Of what use is an indulgence when the catechism tells us we do not have to believe in purgatory. What kind of thought did he put into that?
Louise,
While I agree that there can be a conflict between science and religion. Your other comment had me scrambling for my copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Well, Purgatory does still exist(numbers 1030-1032). I think that the pope’s offering an indulgence speaks to the faith that inspired these pilgrims to make the trip to Madrid for World Youth Day.