http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/stories/062408dnrelpewstudy.2f6d9020.html
[Dallas News] 24 Jun 2008--Most Americans say they are absolutely sure about standards of right and wrong – and are just as sure that no one religion holds an exclusive franchise on the truth.
Overwhelming majorities of Americans say they believe in God (or a "universal spirit"). But substantial majorities from all major religious categories also say they believe their religion is not the only path to eternal life, and that there's not just one correct version of their faith.
These are among the results reported Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The report is based on a massive national poll commissioned by the organization last year
The seeming conflict between certainty and ambiguity may show that most people see overriding truths behind many religious dogmas, the Pew researchers said.
The researchers also said the results indicate that it's wrong to assume that Americans can be pigeonholed on the basis of religion. There is a wide diversity of beliefs and behaviors, even among people who say they belong to the same religious group, said John Green, a senior fellow at the Pew Forum with a long history of studying faith-related polls.
"I was stunned by just how diverse it was," he said. "The diversity goes all the way down."
No comments:
Post a Comment