17 Intriguing Facts You Didn’t Know About Religion in the U.S.

People say America is one of the most religious countries in the world. But is it religious in the way that you think it is?

It used to be that socio-economic status (SES) was the biggest determination of Party ID. Now it is religious attendance.

Generally speaking there has been a trend away from all religious and political institutions. With more and more people refusing to identify with a particular political party or religious institution. This, I think, coincides with breaking down of the family and traditional marriage.

Here are three of the 17 tidbits.

3) There are currently no Protestants on the Supreme Court, even though about half of the U.S. population identifies as Protestant.

Six of the Supreme Court justices are Catholic and three are Jewish. (Sources: Wikipedia, Pew Forum)

11) Only 1.6% of the U.S. population was Catholic in 1776.

Today, about 25% of the U.S. population identifies as Catholic. (Source: Wikipedia)

16) There has only been 1 Catholic president and 1 Catholic vice-president.

Former president John F. Kennedy identified as Catholic, and current Vice-President Joe Biden identifies as Catholic. (Sources: Wikipedia, Wikipedia)

There's one finding you highlighted that I'm still curious about... even going back to the survey question itself.

"[Which] statement comes closer to your own views even if neither is exactly right:
> My religion is the one, true faith leading to eternal life.
> Many religions can lead to eternal life.

U.S. Protestants would tend to think that 'many religions' would include other Protestant denominations among that count, whereas the survey takers lumped them all in together. I'm betting that subtlety was lost on both the question askers and answerers.

So that - and liberal teachings of "mainline churches" - probably account for an incredible 83% agreeing with the SECOND statement more than the first. Even in Black churches and evangelical churches, 59%/57% bought the 2nd statement more than the first.

I have a hunch that this - and perhaps other questions on the survey have flawed results on that basis.

Jehovah's Witlesses: 80% think it's their way or the highway (the highway to annihilation).
Joe's Witnesses (the Mormons): 39% didn't get the memo.
Hindus: 89% think any way is good (no shock there) Buddhists: 86% think any way is good (given what they require for enlightenment, this makes no sense whatsoever).
Catholics: 79% agree with the good of the many, rather than the one. That's another head-scratcher, but I wonder once again if this isn't part of the Protestant flaw in this question.

John 14:5-6 "Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

(Lest anyone miss that: the Greek words in bold above are ego eimi: 'I' 'to be'... or "I AM" - he was taking on the name YAHWEH, and did so in John 9:9,10:7,9, 11,14,11:25,12:26,13:19,33, 14:3,6, 15:1, 5, 17:14,16,24... and perhaps most pointedly in John 8:58. In other words - it was hardly an accident: Jesus claimed to be God.)

All bible believing Protestants know that Jesus is the ONLY way to God, meaning, therefore, Non-Christian “religions,” Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc., do NOT lead to eternal life. I find it hard to believe they would believe “many religions” on the survey means the denominations of Christianity.

The way the question is worded makes me wonder the motives of the one doing the survey. Is he trying to trip up Protestants with its wording, or is is he just plain ignorant of the way a Protestant would view the question?

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