New survey shows Protestants’ loyalty flagging

Phoenix, Jan 14, 2009 / 11:42 pm (CNA).- A new survey of denominational loyalty reports that churchgoing Catholics are significantly less likely than churchgoing Protestants to change denominations.

Six out of ten active Catholics would only consider attending a Catholic church, while about 30 percent would prefer attending a Catholic church but would consider others, the survey says. Eleven percent of churchgoing Catholics reportedly do not show a specific preference for attending a Catholic church.

By contrast, only 16 percent of Protestant churchgoers will only consider attending a church of their present denomination. About 51 percent express a preference for one denomination, while 33 percent do not have any preference for a specific denomination.

“The good news for the Catholic church is that six out of ten Catholics will not even consider attending church in any other denomination, which is far higher than for Protestants. The bad news, of course, is that four out of ten active Catholics would at least be open to another denomination, even though most would prefer to remain in the Catholic Church,” commented Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research.

The survey of a representative sample of 1,007 American adults included 471 respondents who regularly attend worship services at a church broadly considered to be in the Christian tradition, categorized into Protestant, Roman Catholic, Mormon, and Orthodox.

Respondents who attend worship services at least once a month were first asked the specific denomination of the church they attend most often. This distinguished “Southern Baptist” from “Free Will Baptist,” for example.

The respondents were then asked what role that denomination would play if they could no longer attend their current church, in the case it closed or the respondent moved.

Sellers explained that there may be additional factors affecting the difference between Catholic and Protestant denominational loyalty.

“It’s not as though there are two hundred different Roman Catholic denominations,” he said. “On the Protestant side, there are scores of different denominations, with some of them fairly similar in practice and theology.

“The story of this research is that many Protestants may not see a lot of difference among some of these denominations,” Sellers said.

For comparison, Ellison Research asked Americans about their loyalty to certain brands in more than 32 categories of products and services. Respondents expressed between about 10 to 20 percent exclusive loyalty to brands like automobiles or toothpaste, while between about 60 to 70 percent reported a brand preference.

Respondents were especially loyal to toothpaste, with 22 percent saying they use one brand exclusively.

“It may not be lack of loyalty so much as it is the presence of so many options that is causing Protestants to be about as loyal to a brand of toothpaste or bathroom tissue as they are to their church denomination,” Sellers remarked.

Among all churchgoing respondents, three out of ten said they would only consider attending one denomination, while 44 percent said they have one preferred denomination but would also consider others. Eleven percent reported a small number of denominations they would consider.

According to the survey results, denominational loyalty does not vary significantly by gender, household income, age, or type of community. It does vary by race or ethnicity and by region of the United States.

Hispanic churchgoers, who are majority Catholic, are the most intensely loyal to their denomination. African-Americans reportedly have the least denominational loyalty.

Denominational loyalty is highest in the Northeast U.S., where Catholicism is more common than elsewhere in the country. Such loyalty is lowest in the South, where Catholicism is less common.

People who report attending a non-denominational church, the Ellison Research survey says, are actually more committed to remaining non-denominational than churchgoers in Protestant denominations are to staying within their denomination. About 29 percent of non-denominational churchgoers will only consider a non-denominational church, while 32 percent express a preference for a non-denominational church.

Excommunication is a big deal now.

The fact is, any serious sin excommunicates just by its nature and therefore condemns the sinner to hell. In order to reenter into communion with the Church one needs to go to confession and repent of his sin.

Public excommunication is necessary when the sin is grave, the sinner is obstinate in his sin, and it is public. That is so because it then causes others to sin similarly. Typically, that is done to heretics, — people who teach stuff contrary to the dogmas of the Church.

Note that this is done for the benefit of the sinner as well as for the benefit of those he might lead into sin. The excommunication draws his attention tot he gravity of his offense and hopefully, will lead to him recanting of his error and restoring his communion.

Okay. What was a difference of opinion has now seen you start making rude comments. But, I’ll play one last time:

How about “No one comes to the Father but by me” — where’s the works? You come to the Father through Christ by faith.

Or, how about John 5:24 — “Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come to judgment, but has passed from death to life.” Where are the works there? Sounds like “hear”, “believe” — f-a-i-t-h.

Oh.. and here’s another little goodie:

John 6:37 ff: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Again, I ask: where are the works? This is Christ speaking!!! God the Son - he says NOTHING of works. Belief. Belief is an act of faith.

And a tad farther down in vv. 43-47: “Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me-not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.” God the Father draws those who will believe to Christ. Those who believe on Christ are saved — have eternal life. Again, where are the works required? Belief. Faith.

John 11:25-26 — “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Do you? If you do, you believe in Christ, you don’t do good works. Again, “believe”...not work. Faith

John 12:44 to the end of the chapter. Pretty straightforward.

All of John 17 — the High Priestly Prayer — of which, note vv. 20-21 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you that they also us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”’
—’...believe in me...” — where are the works??

So. Not that it will make any difference, although I hope and pray that the Lord will open your eyes, there are but a few of many, many scriptures that specify the Gospel — which we ALL need — that describes how we are saved. It is by grace of God the Father, through faith in Jesus Christ. Not through any works.

I hope you can see that one day.

I will not be responding to any further replies.

Hoss

Yes, like I said before on this thread, there are many verses that indicate that one who believes in Jesus in a profound way will be saved. The Church does not dispute that. The dispute is with the error of Luther: that faith alone saves. It doesn't: the scripture plainly contradicts that, -- I cited where, and what I quoted is specifically on the subject of salvation as it relates to both faith and works.

There are, by the way, several passages that refer to salvation and do not mention faith at all, but only mention works. For example, here Jesus specifically warns against the faith-alone mentality:

Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 7:21, many similar, esp. Luke 6:45-47)

In the parable of the rich ruler (Luke 18:18:30) the question "who can be saved?" is answred directly. Faith is not mentioned. The definitive passage on salvation is, of course, Matthew 25, where first a parable of the talents is told -- a direct call to good works -- and then the scene of judgement entirely based on good works is presented:

31 And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. 32 And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. 34 Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in:
36 Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. 37 Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? 39 Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? 40 And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.
41 Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. 44 Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? 45 Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.
46 And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.
(Matthew 25)

Faith is not mentioned at all.

So what is an honest student of scripture conclude of it? Follow Luther's example and start a work-salvation church of his own? That would be as much an error as Protestantism is an error. The scrpitural truth is what the Church always taught: that both faith and works of love are necessary for salvation. Works done for a temporal reward, or works done out of obligation, or works of Jewish law such as circumcision do not count for salvation. Works done out of kindness, in love of God and the neighbor contribute to salvation greatly. Likewise, faith that is purely declarative, proclaimed rather than fruit-producing does nothing for salvation, but faith well formed by the disciplines of obedience and self-denial contributes to salvation greatly as well. In fact, works reinforce faith and faith motivates works, -- the two are inseparable, and both are the result of divine Grace. That is the Catholic teaching, for all ages, contained in the Holy Scripture.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.