Posted on 07/06/2009 7:43:52 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The percentage of Hispanic Catholics in America has dropped, while the proportion of born-again Hispanics has increased, a new survey by the Barna Group found.
Over the past 15 years, the proportion of Hispanics in America that is aligned with the Catholic Church has fallen by 25 percent. By comparison, the proportion of born-again Christians for this ethnic group has increased by 17 percent.
“You cannot help but notice the changing relationship between Hispanics and the Catholic Church,” commented George Barna, whose company conducted the research. “While many Hispanic immigrants come to the United States with ties to Catholicism, the research shows that many of them eventually connect with a Protestant church.”
Moreover, many second and third generation Hispanic Americans are leaving the Catholic tradition, he noted.
The latest Barna survey studies the growing Hispanic population in America in terms of their faith and how they compare to the general American population. It finds that in a surprising number of key aspects the Hispanic population mirrors that of the nation’s general population.
Some of the significant similarities between the Hispanic and the general American adult populations include nearly identical profiles on the perceived accuracy of the principles taught in the Bible; a personal sense of responsibility to share their faith with others; belief that the primary purpose of life is to love God fully; the likelihood of having read the Bible in the past week; and having made a personal commitment to Jesus that is important in their life.
“The study points out how significant faith is in the lives of Hispanics,” Barna commented. “Not only do most of them assert that importance, but the fact that so much is changing in their faith perspectives and practices underscores how much energy they devote to their spirituality.”
But the study also found significant differences that exist between Hispanic Americans and the general American adult population.
Hispanics are more likely to believe that a good person can earn his or her way into heaven than the overall American adult population. This growing group is also twice as likely to be aligned with the Catholic Church (44 percent vs. 22 percent).
The ethnic group was also found to be less likely than Americans overall to claim that they are "absolutely committed" to Christianity (46 percent vs. 58 percent).
But when it comes to the born-again segments, Hispanics and the general American adult population showed few differences.
According to the Barna report, a born-again Christian is not based on self-identification, but rather on certain qualifications as defined by the Barna Group.
Survey results are based on telephone interviews conducted by The Barna Group gathered from nine nationwide random samples of adults. In total, 9,232 interviews were conducted between January 2007 and November 2008. Respondents were asked during the interviews if they consider themselves to be Hispanics. Out of the more than 9,000 people interviewed, 1,195 adults fell into the Hispanic category.
Excuse me, are you kidding. The so called protestant faithful came running over to this land discovered by Catholics because they were being persecuted by that fat King Henry the VIII and his nasty looking daughter Elizabeth I. Henry VIII took over all of our Catholic Cathedrals and Colleges in England. They couldn't even build their own stuff. Give us our stuff back!
One wonders why they'd go through so much effort to join a church that teaches abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell use, human cloning and homosexual relations are all "intrinsically evil actions" and opposes artifical birth control, divorce, ordaining woman, etc., etc. Doesn't sound to me like anyone who is liberal or moderate in their political thinking would be too happy in a church like that. Assuming what you say is true, the only possible reason they switched denominations might be because the married a Catholic and did so to please him/her. Perhaps you could introduce me to some these political "liberal/moderates" who switched from Protestant to Catholic, they seem to be confused. Whenever I hear about someone well known switching from protestant to Catholic (Jane Roe, Clarence Thomas, Sam Brownback, etc.), it's because they've moved right-ward politically and are not happy with their protestant churches "values"
“Excuse me, are you kidding. The so called protestant faithful came running over to this land discovered by Catholics because they were being persecuted by that fat King Henry the VIII and his nasty looking daughter Elizabeth I. Henry VIII took over all of our Catholic Cathedrals and Colleges in England. They couldn’t even build their own stuff. Give us our stuff back!”
Here I thought that WASP’s had something to do with America - now come to find out it was everybody ELSE who built it, and WASP’s are the interlopers.
Boy, I almost feel guilty now.
I've known of more Catholics (albeit, bad ones) that have had abortions than I do of Protestants, and I know many more Protestants.
Divorce is allowed in the Catholic church, you just have to get it annulled or simply get it done outside of the Catholic church. Also, money buys a divorce pass, as with the current leader of Italy or the Kennedy family.
How you can be married for over a dozen years and have it “annulled” is beyond me, but it isn't beyond the Catholic church. Besides, “annulment” is not a concept ever mentioned in the Bible—even the Catholic Bible.
I guess starting a new Christian denomination for the sole purpose of getting a new wife didn't work out that well over the centuries.
And again, most of the founding fathers of the U.S. were Anglican/Episcopalian, due to the influence of the "mother country" of England at that time. Since Anglicianism is 90% similar to Catholicism (same doctrines, sacraments, understanding of Christ, etc.), the religious culture of the U.S. has always maintained Catholic traditions much more than most of western Europe. (today Anglicians are only 1.5% of the population, due to their members defecting in droves) Protestants as a whole might be 50% of the population in the U.S., but the only thing they agree on is Catholics suck. As a result, the largest Christian faith in the United States, Catholicism, dominates religious thought in the U.S., aided by protestant churches that agree with Catholic doctrines (Lutherans, Episcopalians) or Catholic moral values (baptists).
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2287409/posts?page=143#143
>> Here I thought that WASP’s had something to do with America - now come to find out it was everybody ELSE who built it, and WASP’s are the interlopers.Boy, I almost feel guilty now. <<
I don't see what Gina's post about Catholics building up England and then being overthrown by Protestant insurgents has to do with WASPs founding America (of course WASPs founded America, since the formally Catholic England became Protestant in the 1600s, and England was the one that colonized the U.S.) Catholicism really was a small, marginalized religion in the U.S., back in 1776.
Of course for over 100 years, including since the industrial revolution, this is not the case. The U.S. has been dominated by Catholic thought during its rise to become a world superpower.
Since you seem to like hurling stones at the Catholic church so much, why don't you tell us what Christian denomination you are? Probably cuz the vast majority of Americans wouldn't agree with your denomination, I bet. Michael Moore loved to hurl stones at George W. Bush for losing the "popular vote", while being strangely silent on the fact that the guy he wanted for President (Ralph Nader), lost the "popular vote" of 98% of Americans.
Alot of you protest ants come from a denomination that only 0.5% of Americans agree with, and then knock Catholicism as a marginal branch of Christianity when 25% of Americans agree with it.
Well, let’s try this. How many multi-million dollar judgments have been thrown at Protestant churches?
I rest my case.
I am part of a non-denominational, fundamentalist church.
"There are no real scientific data" on Protestants, he said. Since 1974, his Walk-In Counseling Center has been consulted on more than 2,000 cases of clergy sexual misconduct of all types, two-thirds of them with Protestants.
He finds that sex with adult women or teen-age girls is the most frequent Protestant problem.
In a typical Protestant case, a jury awarded $10 million in February to relatives of the late Deborah Yardley of Columbus, Ohio.
The suit charged that the Rev. Steven Colliflower, a United Methodist, had an affair with Yardley when she sought his help with alcohol and emotional problems. He left the ministry shortly after she made the allegation. She later died of liver disease.
The conservative World magazine says Protestantism faces a "severe problem" of clergy involvement with people the ministers are counseling, calling this "an egregious abuse of power."
Schoener said that clergy having sex with prepubescent victims is "very rare" in all Christian denominations.
A study of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), covering eight states over six years, found 17 cases filed against clergy with 31 victims, all female, with one case involving a minor.
“A lot of you protestants come from a denomination that only 0.5% of Americans agree with, and then knock Catholicism as a marginal branch of Christianity when 25% of Americans agree with it.”
+++++++++
How many Catholics or Protestants actually go to their local church? How many support their local church? Supposedly 90% of Americans believe in God - yet look at our moral state...I think for people that are devoted believers in Jesus Christ, we need to unite along the essentials - that Jesus Christ was given by the Father as a sacrifice for our sins and that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
They are just becoming BOTH. More free stuff.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paedophile_priests#Compensation_payouts
How much have Protestant churches paid out in sex abuse cases, in total, remembering that there are 100% more Protestants in the US than Catholics?
Well, I’ll suggest all you historical debaters wind down the religious war the way I do after my Baptist nephew and I go at it about religion:
pray for me and I’ll pray for you. And may the Holy Spirit move all of us ever closer to the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
So in real world terms, that's like the maker of generic ALDI brand Cola knocking the Coca-Cola corporation for not having as many sales as Pepsi in the U.S., even though Coca-Cola enjoys far more name recognition world wide... and while everyone notices the Pepsi vs. Coke dispute, nobody has ever heard of ALDI's generic labeled version except people who shop there.
Christ wasn’t a “name-brand,” nor was His message.
I have no problems with this. There were no denominations in the Bible, and, in fact, when there was a person who said they followed on Apostle, they were chastised and corrected.
In any case here's the answer to your question:
"Among 2,252 priests serving over four decades, only one abuser could be termed a pedophile under the strict, clinical definition of the word - meaning the victim was prepubescent."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/659629/posts
So there's your answer. 1 priest out of 2,252 committed an act on par with "raping little boys"
Unfortunately we don't have data of all 3,000 or so protestant denominations in the U.S., but I have no doubt you could find plenty of "Sexual misconduct" among their ministers, and probably at least 1 person that actually fits the correct definition of a "pedophile"
“Of course for over 100 years, including since the industrial revolution, this is not the case. The U.S. has been dominated by Catholic thought during its rise to become a world superpower.”
Funny. This part probably can’t be credited solely to Protestants or Catholics.
Still I’d like some honest Catholics to show up on this thread, like all the Catholics I know. I don’t know where some of the crazies come from.
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.