Posted on 12/06/2003 3:43:37 PM PST by Federalist 78
Everyone has a worldview, but few have one that is biblical. That's the conclusion of a national survey by Barna Research, which found that just 4 percent of American adults have a biblical worldview. Additionally, only 9 percent of those categorized as born-again Christians have a biblical worldview, Barna said.
The poll of 2,033 adults was conducted September through November.
"Worldview" is a term used to describe the belief system by which a person understands or makes decisions about the world.
One of the most prominent modern-day worldviews is postmodernism -- a belief system that rejects the notion of absolute truth. This is often expressed in the statement, "That may be true for you but it's not true for me."
Not surprisingly, the Barna research found that adults without a biblical worldview and those with such a worldview had vastly different views of immoral and unethical behavior. For instance, those without a biblical worldview were:
-- Around 100 times more likely to endorse abortion (46 percent of those without a biblical worldview believed it to be OK, compared to less than 1 percent of those with a biblical worldview).
-- Around 80 times more likely to say exposure to pornography is morally acceptable (39 percent vs. less than one-half of 1 percent).
-- 31 times more likely to believe living together before marriage is morally acceptable (62 percent vs. 2 percent).
-- 15 times more likely to believe homosexual sex is acceptable (31 percent vs. 2 percent versus).
-- 18 times more likely to endorse drunkenness (36 percent vs. 2 percent).
-- 12 times more likely to accept profanity (37 percent vs. 3 percent).
-- 11 times more likely to say adultery is OK (44 percent vs. 4 percent).
-- 8 times more likely to gamble by purchasing lottery tickets.
"The primary reason that people do not act like Jesus is because they do not think like Jesus," Barna said in a news release. "Behavior stems from what we think -- our attitudes, beliefs, values and opinions."
Barna's definition of a biblical worldview included a belief that absolutes exist and a belief that the Bible defines them. Additionally, the definition stipulated a belief that: Christ lived a sinless life; God is the "all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He stills rules it today"; salvation is by grace and not by works; Satan is a real being; Christians have a responsibility to witness; and the Bible is "accurate in all of its teachings."
The research found that those who attended college were more likely to have a biblical worldview than those who did not (6 percent versus 2 percent). Married adults also were more likely to have such a worldview (5 percent for married people versus 2 percent for singles). Also, 10 percent of Republicans but only 2 percent of independents and 1 percent of Democrats had a biblical worldview.
Respondents were not asked if they considered themselves to be born again, but instead were asked a series of specific questions. Born-again believers were defined as those who "said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior," according to a news release.
The most conservative and most religious states, having the greatest adherence to traditional social values: Oklahoma, Kentucky, Alabama (Roy Moore), Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia (Zell Miller), Louisiana.
The most socialist and most apostate states, having the greatest adherence to Gramscian social values: Massachusetts (Sodomites,Kennedy, Barney Frank), New York (Shillary & Schumer), Rhode Island, Washington, California (Arnold the Poser), Minnesota (Jesse the mindless Ventura), Vermont ( Jumping Jim the flip-flop frog Jeffords), Oregon, Maine.
There is one glaring anomaly - New Hampshire, godless, Gramscian, yet, conservative. West Virginia, another anomaly - religious, traditional and somewhat socialist (Byrd man of the Senate).
Texas & Arkansas are most religious, centrist/conservative, and in the middle on social values and so is BUSH!
Ohio & Indiana are centrist/conservative; have very traditional social values and Laodicean.
Connecticut & New Jersey are socialist, Gramsican and Laodicean.
FT October 2001: America Fifty/Fifty Secular voters favored Gore over Bush by an almost two-to-one margin.
Religion played a key role in determining both the partisan polarization and the disengagement that characterized the public in 2000. Proponents of the culture wars argument can certainly find some confirmation in the results. Religious traditionalists, including their Latter-day Saint allies, provided the core constituency for George Bush, while Al Gore depended heavily on religious modernists and secular voters. Religious traditions still matter, however, as Bush drew upon evangelical and mainline Protestants of all stripes and Gore gathered strength from black Protestants, Jews, and other religious minorities.
….when we control for the impact of education, income, age, gender, marital status, and region, the resulting vote distribution looks very much like that in the table. Indeed, education and income—prime indicators of social class—virtually drop out of a multivariate analysis when these religious measures are included. All this goes to confirm that, to borrow a title from an earlier First Things article, "It’s the Culture, Stupid" (April 1994).
The Avalon Project : Washington's Farewell Address 1796
Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice ? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who that is a sincere friend to it can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?
If you answered yes it proved you didn't know history and thus proved that Fox News watchers were more ill informed than most.
Post-modernism isn't a belief system. It's the absence of one.
Hmmm. They should define drunkeness
-- 12 times more likely to accept profanity (37 percent vs. 3 percent).
Well, I don't accept it but I give away my fair share.
-- 11 times more likely to say adultery is OK (44 percent vs. 4 percent).
It's according to who's wife we're talking about here.
-- 8 times more likely to gamble by purchasing lottery tickets.
? Lotto is evil?
Oh, the poor picked upon Christians! Wonder what Jesus would have thought of you of so little faith.
These are the same people who are defining religion down as well. Their guilt won't let them concede the moral ground to anyone else, even though they themselves have forsaken it.
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