Tuesday, December 16, 2014

New Pew Research Poll Reveals Complexity of American Views on Religious Issues: Two Articles


The War on Christmas is over. Jesus won.

Kirk Cameron can breathe easy: the War on Christmas is over. Jesus won.

That's the implication of a new Pew Research Center survey that finds nearly three-quarters of Americans -- 73 percent -- believe that Jesus was literally born to a virgin. This is especially surprising when you consider that only one third of Americans say that the Bible is the word of God and should be understood literally.

In other words, about 40 percent of Americans say the Bible should, in general, not be taken literally, but they nevertheless believe in the virgin birth. In addition, 81 percent say Jesus was laid in a manger, 75 percent say that the three wise men brought him gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh, and 74 percent say that his birth was announced by an angel to the shepherds. Read more

Americans mostly OK with religious displays on public property

When it comes to religious holiday displays, Americans show that their views are a bit complicated.

Most Americans are OK with religious holiday displays on government property as long as multiple symbols are represented, according to a new Pew Research poll.

The poll, released today, found that 44% of Americans think that Christian symbols should be allowed on government property regardless of whether other religions are represented.

Twenty-eight percent said that those symbols should not be allowed unless accompanied by symbols of other faiths. An example would be that a Nativity scene can be displayed if a Menorah is also present.

Whereas, 20% said there should be no religious symbols on government property. Eight percent don't know. The poll was conducted Dec. 3-7 with 1,507 adults. Read more

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