How different faiths view major issues, USA Today 9/18/08
God is punishing us.
Guardian angels protect us.
The Earth is in grave danger.
So finds Baylor University's newest survey on Americans' religious beliefs and practices.
The survey, to be released today, is based on interviews with 1,700 adults conducted in fall 2007. Among the highlights:
Environment
Evangelicals less worried about global climate change
Most respondents to the Baylor Religion Survey agree that "if we do not change things dramatically," global climate change will be "a disaster" (67%); coal, oil and natural gas will be exhausted (70%); and most plant and animal life will be destroyed (57%).
But evangelical Protestants are significantly less likely (55%) than other religious groups to be alarmed about global climate change or to forecast destruction of life unless changes are made (49%).
While 56% of U.S. adults say the government is not spending enough to improve and protect the environment, fewer evangelicals do ?41%, says Baylor sociologist F. Carson Mencken.
Indeed, evangelicals are at least twice as likely as any other major religious group to say the government is already spending too much. Most likely to say spending is too little: Jews, 81%, and people with no religious affiliation, 79%.
"So much for the myth of the evangelical environmental movement," Mencken says. "This is not to say that evangelicals are anti-environment, but their support for environmental issues is not as strong as other religious traditions."
Environmentalism has been controversial among evangelicals. When the National Association of Evangelicals launched a "Call to Action" on climate change in 2006, some religious conservatives, led by James Dobson of Focus on the Family, strongly opposed it.
Gender and politics
Are women suited for politics? Americans are deeply divided
The survey reveals deep divisions over women's roles in society, splits that may play out in the November elections.
For example, 33% of Americans say "Most men are better suited emotionally for politics than most women." But 44% of evangelical Protestants agree, more than other Christians and markedly higher than Jews (29%), other religions (23%), and those with no religion (14%).
Baylor's data were gathered in 2007, when Sen. Hillary Clinton was seeking the Democratic nomination, but long before Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was named to the Republican vice presidential ticket, putting motherhood and gender in the spotlight. Palin is a mother of five, including an infant with Down syndrome.
Both Republican candidates are evangelical Protestants (John McCain is Baptist and Palin non-denominational). Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is a mainline Protestant (United Church of Christ), whose running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, is Roman Catholic.
The survey also finds:
•41% say a preschooler suffers if the mother works (54% of evangelicals say so, nearly double for other groups).
•31% say "it's God's will that women care for children" (48% for evangelicals).
Will these views shape votes?
"People may hold these social values, but they don't always translate at the polls," says Lauren Winner, assistant professor of Christian spirituality at Duke University. "While a conservative view of gender roles is a piece of an evangelical worldview, it's not the most important plank for people ?abortion is.
"People can spin Palin's contravention of traditional roles ?a nursing mother possibly in the White House ?by latching on to her clear pro-life stance."
Tragedy and evil
Dealing with evil:Candidates disagree
God either causes or allows "major tragedies to occur as a warning to sinners," say 20% of U.S. adults.
While 43% say most evil is caused by the devil, 47% disagree ?a statistical tie.
But most (68%) would not say human nature is basically evil.
So where does evil dwell ?in the devil or in mankind? The Baylor survey allows for overlapping views; it finds 36% strongly agree with both statements.
"Those who believe God causes or allows bad things to happen did not speak in terms of tragedies being God's fault," says Baylor sociologist Christopher Bader.
Bader says people told him that "tragedies are our fault. We have sinned as a nation and God has stood aside and allowed terrible things to happen."
At his Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency, the Rev. Rick Warren asked the presidential candidates: "Does evil exist?" Both candidates said yes.
Sen. Barack Obama said it is "God's task" to "erase evil from the world" but "we can be soldiers in that process."
Sen. John McCain said, "Evil must be defeated," and linked it entirely to "the transcendent challenge of the 21st century ?radical Islamic extremism."
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20080918/bl_cover18_baylor.art.htm
