Survey reveals increasing hostility in US towards religion
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Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council and Kelly Shackelford, president and CEO of Liberty Institute.
A report examining court cases from recent years has found that hostility towards religion has grown to unprecedented levels in the United States.
The newly-updated Survey of Religious Hostility in America serves as “a testament to the radical shift in our culture’s worldview” on religion, said Kelly Shackelford, president of Liberty Institute, and Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council.
On Aug. 20, Shackelford and Perkins announced the release of the updated analysis, describing “more than 600 recent examples of religious hostility” in the U.S., most occurring in the last decade.
The survey arose out of Shackelford’s 2004 testimony before the U.S. Senate on the rise in religious hostility in the U.S. Some members of the Senate claimed that the examples given were “simply isolated incidents.” In response, the report was developed, documenting the “very real problem” that the issue poses.
The updated survey reveals that eight years later, “hostility against religious liberty has reached an all-time high,” said Perkins and Shackelford.
The report observed a “new front” of attacks against churches and religious ministries in recent years.
Five years ago, it said, it would have been “unthinkable” for the federal government to claim that it could “tell churches and synagogues which pastors and rabbis it can hire and fire.”
Yet this was the argument made by the U.S. Department of Justice in the recent Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC case, in which the federal government fought against the “ministerial exception” that allows churches to select their leaders without government interference, it said.
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled against the Justice Department and defended ministerial exception in January. [More]
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26 Comments
Persecution of the Catholic Church is here, both from within and from outside. Our faith expression will be confined to a building and anytime a Bishop, Priest of Deacon says anything contrary to the Government policy, heads will roll. What happened in Eastern Europe under Communism is going to happen here. Young people are influenced by the Public School System and Public Universities to deny the existence of God. If they don’t they will be set up for ridicule or expulsion. This is already happening in some places. When this young population matures and is saturated with immoral teachings, the church will have to go, except for those leaders who believe in relativism and preach the opposite of church teachings, as many are doing already. God will triumph in the end. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
It consoles me greatly to realize and acknowledge that God is still in charge in spite of our humanity, ignorance, misunderstandings, foibles and failings.
Dear Catholic Lady. The reality of my statement is true. There will be a small status of catholic but we will never see what we were. The Bishops acknowledge this also.
Hey Jim did you even read my 830 am post on the column?
Yes I did, Tony, and thanks for that. I even read it to my wife! You’re a good man, Tony — even though, as you say, we don’t agree on many points. But, God judges us not by our accuracy, but by our hearts, and I think you have a good heart. I don’t know if you read my post from last night, but I indicated I was going to remember you and others at Eucharistic Adoration early this morning — and I did. I looked right at the host and mentioned your name and others — including Catholic Lady, Andrew, Recovering, and Florian.
Religion is a money-making enterprise which flies below the radar of governments and watchdog organizations. Like the rich everywhere, religious leaders become addicted to wealth and power, and of course sex. Money and property given for the sake of the poor often winds up in the accounts of the wealthy, with no apology for disregarding the letter and spirit of the Gospel. Thus the “increasing hostility” comes as no surprise whatever.
Yes, Florian; whenever I go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (I am a sinner — you?), I get charged $4.95.
that’s not bad it costs me 10% of my income plus multi year long pledges to support some mucky mucs whatever or may to replenish what the booty bandits have cost the church
Thank you Jim, I really believe that we need to pray for one another, and maybe build our community of faith.
Tony — I’m not sure to which “community of faith” you are referring, whether this blog or the Catholic Church at large. In either case, but especially with regard to our country, the most effective route is to appeal to the Blessed Mother for her to secure the necessary graces.
You’re not a believer in Fatima, Tony, but what the Blessed Mother said there is that her Immaculate Heart will triumph through the Rosary. Today, BTW, is the feast of the Queenship of Mary, established in 1954 by Pius XII, the octave of the Blessed Mother’s Assumption (August 15). I am inviting you to grow closer to her, as she helps us connect with Jesus more quickly and more effectively than we can do by going to Jesus directly.
Yes Jim, Our Blessed Mother is the Patroness of Our Country under the title of the Immaculate Conception. My own sense of Marian devotion holds her up to be a model of discipleship. A mother, a Sister, a comforter, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
Meditation on her Fiat and Magnificat is at the core of my spirituality.
My prayer to her is taken from one of the canons of the mass, that God the Father may see and love in us, what he sees and loves in Jesus.
Tony — I’m glad you have that Marian devotion. Early this morning — today being the feast of the Queenship of Mary — I discovered the following in a book at the chapel: “Hail, White Lily of the ever-peaceful and glorious Trinity! Hail, Vermilion Rose, the delight of Heaven, of whom the King of Heaven was born, and by whose milk He was nourished! Do thou feed our souls by the effusions of your divine influences.
PROMISE: during an apparition of the Blessed Mother, St. Gertrude noted that the Holy Trinity was depicted under the form of a white lily with three petals. The Blessed Mother made it known that she would exert her influence with the Holy Trinity on behalf of those who saluted her as the White Lily of the Trinity and the Vermilion Rose of Heaven. She then added: “I will appear at the hour of death to those who salute me thus, in such glory that they will anticipate the very joys of Heaven.” Source: Cruz, Joan Carroll (1990). Prayers and Heavenly Promises. Rockford, IL: Tan, pages 102-103. I believe this is a direct answer to me from the Blessed Mother in response to my prayers about my own death, which indeed can be a most frighening proposition — unless we see the Blessed Mother and / or Jesus when we are dying, in which case I intend to run to them full speed ahead. No one in their right mind would want to spend any more time here on Earth if we can be assured of the promise of Heaven.
Really Jim? The priests at my parish have been charging me $10 with a discount if I bring a family member.
I think the religious hostility may be just against “organized” religions and their narrow-minded self-righteousness. Nobody is hostile toward “spiritual” people.
RC — I am not hostile to “spiritual” people, but I feel bad for them — without the authentic hierarchy and the graces that flow through it, they are at a great disadvantage.
I didn’t make a duplicate comment. Every time I make one
you seem to say that. Please
explain. Sarah A. Dolan, Ph.D
Dr. Sarah — I have explained this to you in the past, but you don’t even have the courtesy to read my replies. It says “duplicate comment” because you apparently click the “add comment” button twice. Perhaps you do so because the first comment never posts, because the blog rejects it for a specific word. In any case, one only gets that message when indeed a comment was submitted twice.
I should remember, though, that you don’t know that hormonal contraceptives serve as abortifacients (Google that, please), so perhaps that’s why you’re not getting this either.
Dr. Sarah — you also previously, in a very un-objective, un-scientific manner, rejected my post about hormonal contraceptives making women less attractive to men. I can provide that firm documentation for you if you like.
Where is the documentation for this survey on Religious Hostility.Who was interviewed,
what were the guidelines, etc.
I think jo you are full of crap. It is not religion that people are fed up with it’s the absurdity of it’s leaders that cause people to question. And we know how well the church likes to answer questions. Let us now forget that religion is what man says about God and not spirituality of the individual. Our so called bishops have sold the average guy in the pew down the river in an attempt to corrupt free thinking and the Holy Spirit’s role in individual behavior.
thanks tm
As America become more and more a secular, atheist, pagen country, religion, especialy the Catholic church will be a thorn in its side. The goverment will do all that it can specially Obama to contain and control it. Obama will create more rules and laws to disarm the catholic church. As I have repeatedly said, as the older catholics like myself die off and there are none to take our place or so very few, we will be selling off our churchs and schools. If you want to attend mass you will go on top of the chinese restaurant. American has to hit a terrible spiritual bottom which is going to take two to three generations (if we are still here) then begin to question if there is a God and where are you? What were those Catholics trying to tell us?
Although the church may go through tough times in the years to come it will never die. Even liberal catholics have a strong commitment to he church which government cannot supress. The church has always been strengthened in times of persecution, out of the blood of marters we stand. Extreme radical rigth wing veiws have caused a discouragement among all religions, christian, muslim, hindu, etc. The catholic church will flurish
Joseph Francis, your predictions are of dome and gloom. What about having just a little faith in your fellow Americans, do you think that they will allow this to happen. I know for a fact that there are many young Christians (children) waiting at the side lines getting ready to pick up the tourch and run with it, the good race for Christ.
How sad!!!!!!!!
What gives me hope is that there are good people, like the people on this website who comment regularly about their envolvement with their religion.
Even though I so often disagree with Jim, and his extreme conservative viewpoints I admire is faithfulness and his tenacity in expressing his religious convictions.
With people like Jim,we can be assured that our religious values won’t be silenced.