Posted on 02/26/2008 10:44:25 AM PST by Between the Lines
Evangelical Christianity has become the largest religious tradition in this country, supplanting Roman Catholicism, which is slowly bleeding members, according to a survey released yesterday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
Evangelical Protestants outnumber Catholics by 26.3 percent (59 million) to 24 percent (54 million) of the population, according to the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, a massive 45-question poll conducted last summer of more than 35,000 American adults.
"There is no question that the demographic balance has shifted in past few decades toward evangelical churches," said Greg Smith, a research fellow at the Pew Forum. "They are now the mainline of American Protestantism."
The traditional mainline Protestant churches, which in 1957 constituted about 66 percent of the populace, now count just 18 percent as adherents.
Although one in three Americans are raised Roman Catholic, only one in four adults describe themselves as such, despite the huge numbers of immigrants swelling American churches, researchers said.
"Immigration is what is keeping them afloat," said John Green, a Pew senior fellow. "If everyone who was raised Catholic stayed Catholic, it'd be a third of the country."
Those who leave Catholicism mostly either drop out of church entirely or join Pentecostal or evangelical Protestant churches, Pew Forum director Luis Lugo said. One out of every 10 evangelicals is a former Catholic, he said, with Hispanic Catholics leaving at higher rates; 20 percent of them end up in evangelical or Pentecostal churches.
"It's a desire for a closer experience of God," he said. "It's not so much disenchantment with the teachings of the Catholic Church but the pull of what they see in Pentecostalism."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
This has affected Latin America as well.
Your first revival meeting can be a powerful thing. My former Catholic brother-in-law switched, gave up drinking and started preaching to me. He was much more likeable as a boozy Catholic. The newness will wear off in a couple of years and he will probably become a Buddhist
The pity is that Catholics (like all people) need the personal relationship with Christ, but that’s rarely preached. My conservative-ish parish does hear that message though.
bttt
Here is the real "slap you in the face" statistic contained in this article. That is a massive drop in the space of half a century. This is where the real hemorrhaging has occurred. Naturally, that doesn't warrant a headline, though.
Instead, we're served the "Catholicism is dying" headline du jour.
The real story here is that there has been a drastic shift from mainline Protestant churches to evangelical ones.
Considering the scandals, liturgical lunacy, apostasy and heresy which have plagued the Catholic Church over recent decades, I'd say these figures are a testament to the faith and long-suffering of Catholics in general.
My wife loves the Church, tought CCD for many years and is a “minuteman” because the men don’t want to do it.
I was raised in the Baptist tradition, but we agreed to raise the kids Catholic. I have had a chance to see both sides.
Catholicism is complex, trying to understand Doctrine and Dogma requires a PhD. The Mass and the church’s are full of symbolism and significance and complicated meanings.
But, the one thing that my Catholic friends all understand is that you have to go on Sunday or go to hell. To them this means that the reverse is also true. Go to church on Sunday and you will go to heaven. I have never had a meaningful discussion about a sermon with a Catholic after mass. Being there is what’s important.
What is the most common complaint against the priest? It is his sermons are too long.
To be a Baptist, you have to join a church. To be saved, you have to accept Christ as your lord and saviour. You attend when you want, but you want to attend, after all, you CHOSE to join the church. People complain when the pastor talks too much, but they also complain about the substance and style of the sermon. The sermon is the reason for the service and your opinion on it is as valid as the pastor’s.
Now, I don’t know which is right or better, but I understand the attraction and detractions of both approaches.
Closer than the real presence? I think what they're really looking for is more of a feeling. That's too bad. Motivational speaking will not necessarily bring you closer to God.
Good catch. I looked right over that.
I love the way this article compares the counts of catholics to the count of hundreds if not thousands other religions.
There are over 30k protestant religions out there, if you lump enough of them together you can come up with a number that is greater than Catholics.
The decline of mainline Protestant churches is hardly anything new and has been well documented over the past thirty years. Not worth a headline at all.
The sermon isn’t — or traditionally wasn’t — an actual part of the Mass. Pre-Vatican II, daily Masses didn’t have a sermon. And (some time in the Middle Ages maybe?) the priest used to remove the chasuble for the sermon to underline that it wasn’t part of the Mass. For Catholics, it’s the Sacrifice of the Mass itself that’s important, not the sermon. As I understand it, for many Protestants, the sermon is the meat of the service. Just a very different mindset conditioned by different things.
I'd have to disagree.
It's not a decline. It's a collapse.
From two thirds of the population to less than one fifth in the space of 50 years.
If the Catholic Church is "fading", mainline Protestantism was hit by a train.
It is not merely a quantitative change for the US Catholics, but also a shift from ethnic or cultural Catholicism to Catholicism of conviction. As ethnic Poles and Italians lose atheir ethnic identity in the US melting pot, some of them, — provided their Catholicism was shallow to begin with, — also lose their Catholicism. I have no doubt that the Catholic church of the future will be less ethnic, possible less in numbers, but it will consist of people who know and love the Catholic Church as their mother.
Probably because some of the largest of the traditional mainline Protestant Churches have gone completely apostate and true Christians have been fleeing them like the plague. This is a positive and reassuring development.
What’s sad to me is many Catholic churches are mimicking mainline protestantism. Our church has music performances, youth groups and a ministry for everything. My husband says it reminds him of the Presbyterian church of his youth. That church is now lucky to have a hundred people attend Sunday services.
I believe western Christianity is going to be a lot smaller in the near future and persecuted.
I never mind if one stops being a bad Catholic to become a good Protestant. I would love to think this number reflects the leaving of dissidents but nope we get stuck with the likes of Chittester, Kerry and other CINO’s. But I sure as heck do not wish them on my Protestant brethern.
I switched my financial support to other charities, but I am still Catholic.
I just don't admit it.
One out of every 10 evangelicals is a former Catholic, he said, with Hispanic Catholics leaving at higher rates; 20 percent of them end up in evangelical or Pentecostal churches.
“It’s a desire for a closer experience of God,”
They have had enough with religion and want God. That is why they are leaving. No surprise. Happening in some South American countries too.
The way the New York Times reported it, all the “unaffiliated” were lumped together, whether they were atheists or evangelicals. Made it kind of hard to see if we were making progress or going to hell.
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