"Oprahization" of American Religion - Not So Fast

This reaches back about two years ago, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life study of religious beliefs in America from 2008.

It comes to mind because, according to yet another poll, the number of Americans who regard themselves “as more spiritual than religious” has increased.

Whatever “spiritual” might mean, it does not mean “organized.” When I hear that from someone I always suggest becoming Lutheran. They would fit right in because we’re hardly ever organized.

Back to the Pew study. It was done among some 35,000 Americans. USA Today and The New York Times both made much hay from the survey results.

What had everybody in a stew was the supposed finding that most people in the survey do not believe that Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life” and “no one comes to the Father except through” Jesus.

Instead, as the Pew Forum reports, seventy percent believe “Many religions can lead to eternal life.”

I hate being picky but when I see survey answers like these I always want to know the questions as they were asked.

Here is the Pew Forum’s survey question that produced the percentages noted above.

"Question to ask respondent:
Now, as I read a pair of statements, tell me whether the FIRST statement or the SECOND statement comes closer to our own views even if neither is exactly right.
FIRST: My religion is the one true faith leading to eternal life,
SECOND: Many religions can lead to eternal life."

Let me explain why that question is the wrong question.

First, if neither statement is “exactly right” then the responses won’t be either. Second, more importantly, I suspect that if you asked a lot of people that question they would not think of the great world religions. They instead would think closer to home, like across the street or next door where their neighbors live. And in America, most probably, the neighbor's religion is Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, or whatever the neighbor happens to be.

If we are then asked, “Can people outside of your religion be saved?” the answer is, well, “Duh, yeah. Of course.”

So, let’s ask a Lutheran.

“Does the Lutheran Church have the one, true faith leading to eternal life?”

And if the Lutheran knows his or her theology, the only possible answer is a loud “Yes.” (Or in the case of Minnesota Lutherans, "Yah, ya'betcha.")

Followed just as loudly by, “But we don’t believe we are the only church that has it.”

But it is the Pew Forum’s question that has the media claiming religious beliefs have changed in America.

I don’t think they have. But like I said, ask the wrong question and you’ll always get the wrong answer.

As for changing beliefs, maybe the Pew Forum should concentrate on the forty percent.

Forty percent—as Gallup Poll consistently finds—is the average percentage of average Americans at worship on any given average Sunday in any given year. These are people who regard themselves as frequent worshipers and as people whose faith impacts their daily lives in significant ways.

Forty percent out of the population of America is a huge number. So huge in fact that were you to pick any average Sunday of the year, more Americans will be at worship that one Sunday than all Americans attending all the sporting events held all year.

The Pew Forum survey results, and the spin attached by the media, want us to believe that American religion is becoming Oprahized . . . that would be more “spiritual” than “religious.”

One commentator made much of the fact that after the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, the official memorial service was held in the National Cathedral in Washington, DC and was led by clergy. By contrast, following 9/11 Twin Towers attack, the official memorial was held at Yankee Stadium with Oprah as master of ceremonies and clergy chiming in when invited.

Two differences.

The Pearl Harbor memorial was Episcopal, led by Episcopal clergy in an Episcopal cathedral.

The Yankee Stadium 9/11 memorial, by contrast, was explicitly inter-faith with Christians, Moslems, and Jews, each offering prayer from their own religious tradition. The 9/11 memorial service was purposely designed to show that where sectarian hate can kill, sectarian respect may heal.

As for Oprah as host, why not? Better her than David Letterman.