Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

Source: National Survey of Religion and Politics 1992,
University of Akron Survey Research Center.

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION  (U.S.)
---------------------

	Evangelical Protestants			25.9%

	Mainline Protestants			18%

	Black Protestants			 7.8%

	Roman Catholics				23.4%

	Other Christians			 3.3%

	Jews					 2%

	Muslims					  .4%

	Hindus					  .2%

	Buddhists				  .2%

	Other religions				  .3%

	Nonreligious				18.5%

    So where are us UU's?  :-(

    .2  The stats I have are not that specific.  I suspect UUs are thrown
    in, along with Quakers, under "Other Christians."  I can't say for
    sure, but in the majority we ain't.  ;-}
    
    Shalom,
    Richard
    

    I guess we just need more evangelical UU's and Quaker's.
    
                                  Patricia

    .4  You're evangelical enough for me! ;-}
    
    Shalom,
    Richard
    

In his next edition of the "Encyclopedia of American Religions," Gordon
Melton will list 1,600 denominations, 44% of which are non-Christian.
                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Shalom,
Richard

According to Time Magazine:

	"Among [U.S.] Christians, the most remarkable development of the
past generation has been the shrinking mainline Protestant denominations
(e.g., Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian) and the growing Evangelical
congregations (including Fundamentalists, Pentecostals and Charismatics)."

Shalom,
Richard

.1 

As I add it, this makes Christians an overwhelming majority in this country,
with 78.4% of the people claiming to be in one category or the other of
Christiandom, outnumbering us poor non-religious types by over 4-1.

Does this make me persecuted?

Steve

Note 1051.8

>Does this make me persecuted?

Steve,

	Not necessarily.  Among Christians, I'm outnumbered myself.
Do you feel persecuted?

Shalom,
Richard

Source: AARFC Trust for Philanthropy

1993 Charitable Contributions (U.S.)

	Religion		45%

	Education		12%

	Human services		10%

	Health			 9%

	Environment		 3%

	Other			13%

.9 CSC32::J_CHRISTIE "Unquenchable fire"

>>Do you feel persecuted?

No, not usually. In other arguments around persecution it has been implied that
Christians are persecuted, in part, because they are a minority.

Steve

steve, since it was me who referred to practicing christians as a minority 
(1030.17), let me say this:

if i compare the figures given in .1 with those here in my country (switzerland)
the total of christians here runs into the mid ninety percent range (as i 
recall) though only something like 5% of these christians are regular church 
goers (practicing christians). for the rest, which i'd call the "secular
christians", the primary points of contact with the christian faith are pretty 
much exhausted with using the services of the church for the execution of 
"customary rites" (baptisms,wedding,burials).

assuming that the situation is similar in the US, a question which comes to 
mind when looking at the figures in .1, what would happen if the minority 
of the practicing christians tried to mobilize the majority of "secular 
christians"? my guess is that 1st- the majority of "secular christians" would 
remain unimpressed and that 2nd- due to the practicing christians being 
themselves split into numerous factions over doctrinal disputes, they can 
hardly expect, as one body, hope to find universal appeal.


andreas.

>assuming that the situation is similar in the US,

That would not be a valid assumption; church attendance is much higher
than 5% in the U.S.

It varies by region from 20% to 60%.

/john

i better check my figures then, there must be a mistake somewhere. why is 
it, that in my country, with such a low percentage of practicing christians, 
that our society is NOT disintergrating?! ;-)


do NOT take the above seriously! it was only entered in a fiendish attempt
to disprove my dearly respected friend's, jack martin's, theory that more
christian presence in a society, makes that society more moral (or in other
words, less immoral, which in the logic of morality equates to: less criminal).

i wouldn't know if that theory could be proven in the first place, and secondly
from what i know of the US i do still suspect the situation in my country to
be similar to that in the US with regards to the precentage of praciticing
christians. hence i'll see if i can find some recent figures.


andreas.

re Note 1051.14 by DECALP::GUTZWILLER:

> why is 
> it, that in my country, with such a low percentage of practicing christians, 
> that our society is NOT disintergrating?! ;-)

        Well, perhaps your society is *so* depraved that you are
        unable to see your deep depravity?

        In the U.S., we still have enough Christians to remind the
        rest of us of their depravity.

        (Another case in point is the orderliness of a society like
        Singapore, decidedly not Christian.)

        Bob

>        Well, perhaps your society is *so* depraved that you are
>        unable to see your deep depravity?


you strike a sore point here bob, we are indeed depraved. all our good
and best left for america!


andreas.



ps. i really must check the figures before this is getting out of hand :-)

below comparable figures for west-germany. they originate from a poll taken 
by the country's largest news weekly, the "spiegel". the faith of germans in 
christianity is dwindling rapidly. today only a quarter of all germans believe
that jesus was the son of god, whilst 84% do all the same still consider
themselves either protestant or catholic. according to the report, by the
next generation only 10% of germans will fit the term christian.


of 2,000 west-germans interviewed:


1992	1967

 56%     68%    believe in god

 29%     42%    believe that jesus is the son of god (as the church says)
 43%            believe that jesus was mortal but a great human
 23%            believe that jesus has no significance
  3%		believe that jesus is the invention of the apostles

 22%     36%    believe in the virgin birth
 50%     59%    believe there will be a final judgement day 
 40%     50%    believe that jesus fed 5000 with 2 fish and 5 loafs of bread
 77%     82%    believe that jesus healed the ill and the sick
 50%     48%    believe in life after death
 24%     34%    believe that hell exists

 84%     94%	consider themselves either protestant or catholic
 13%      3%    are without confession

 10%     25%    attend church service weekly (or almost every week)
 12%     18%    attend church service at least once a month


source: emnid, "spiegel" nr. 25/1992


adding the population of eastern germany (1,000 interviewed), where only 17% 
believe in jesus, only 26% of all germans believe that jesus is the son of god.




andreas.

    Narrow is the gate which leads to eternal life and few are those who
    find it.
    
    -Jack

reading the figures (.17) it would almost seem that the gates to heaven in
germany are presently sponsored by the "pagans" - in west germany, where only 
29% can be called christians, 84% STILL support the church financially. that 
is two out of three church tax payers don't even fit the church definition of 
christian!!!

a pretty generous bunch if you consider that only 27% of current church tax 
payers consider the church tax appropriate (others think it is a little too 
much or way too much). large scale financial church support is further at risk 
given that around 40% of the church tax payers think or have been thinking 
about leaving the church!

little wonder then, that the contemporary church critics demand that the 
definition of christianity be updated. though whilst the church critics are
more popular than the pope, they are withdrawn the right to preach and to
teach by their "pay-masters"!

narrow are the gates to heaven!


andreas.

                 WHO'S SUPPORTING THE CHILDREN?

     By spring 1990, 10 million women aged 15 and over maintained
families with children under age 21 whose fathers were absent
from the home.  About 5.7 million had been awarded child support,
leaving a large number without support from the children's
father.  About 3.2 million of these families (1 in 3) lived in
poverty.
     What are the characteristics of the women receiving child
support payments?
     One-half of women due support actually received full amount.
The remainder were about evenly split between those receiving a
portion of what they were due and those who received nothing.  
Mothers with child support awards had a significantly lower
poverty rate that those without awards (24 versus 43 percent).  
Also, never-married mothers with children from an absent father
had a poverty rate of 54 percent, compared with 23 percent for
those who had been married before.
     Support varies by marital history, education, and race and
Hispanic origin.  Women who have been married before were three
times as likely to be awarded child support as those who have
never been married (72 versus 24 percent).  While 68 percent of
White women were awarded child support, only 35 percent of Black
women received such awards.  The award rate for Hispanic-origin
women was 41 percent.  The award rate rises with the mother's
educational level, from 37 percent (no high school diploma) to 75
percent (4 or more years of college).
     Fathers have visitation privileges in over half the cases;
another 7 percent had joint custody with the mother.  The
remaining 38 percent had neither.  Having joint custody, or at
least visitation privileges, made it more likely for absent
fathers to make the child support payments they owed.
     Absent fathers usually (64 percent) live in the same State
as their children.  Proximity seemed to increase the chances of
payment; 81 percent of absent fathers living in the same State
who were supposed to pay did so, compared with 66 percent living
in another State, and 47 percent living either abroad or at an
unknown address.
     Fewer than half of women are awarded health care benefits.  
About one-third of fathers required to provide health insurance
benefits as part of the award, though, did not do so.  On the
other hand, some fathers (7 percent) not required to provide
health insurance did so anyway.   
     Close to 1 in 3 sought government help in obtaining child
support.  About 1 million women received aid in finding the
father, establishing paternity, or establishing support
obligations. About the same number got help in enforcing the
support order or obtaining collection.  The reminder tried to get
help, but did not.
                                                              SSM
_________________________
Source: Adapted from Bureau of the Census Statistical Brief,
SB/91-18, October 1991.


from Family Life Packet: February 1992

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