Barna: Libs vs. Cons in matters of Faith

This will come as little surprise to anyone, but a recent survey showed a significant difference in practice and concept in matters of faith between liberals and conservatives.  I’ll highlight a few important points.

 

Based upon an evaluation of more than a dozen religious beliefs of liberals and conservatives, consistent and significant differences are evident. Liberals are less than half as likely as conservatives to firmly believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches (27% versus 63%, respectively); to strongly believe that Satan is real (17% versus 36%); and to firmly contend that they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs with others (23% versus 48%).

The saying goes, there are lies, damned lies and statistics. However, this general conclusion seems to be fairly accurate as we see social values that used to be put into practice on a daily basis by Christians are being overwhelmed by the liberal mindset.

 

The Religious Practices of Liberals and Conservatives

The Barna study examined five specific religious practices and found that conservatives were more likely than liberals to engage in all five. In a typical week, the survey showed that conservatives were more likely than liberals to:

• read the Bible, other than at church events, during the past week (57% vs. 33%, respectively)
• attend a religious service during the past week (62% vs. 35%)
• pray to God, other than at a religious service, during the past week (91% vs. 76%)
• share their religious beliefs with others, during the past year (56% vs. 39%, among the born again Christians interviewed from each segment)
• have ever participated in a short-term missions trip, either within the U.S. or in another country (12% vs. 6%)

The research also revealed that liberals are twice as likely as conservatives to be categorized as “unchurched” (40% vs. 19%, respectively), while conservatives were twice as likely as liberals to be categorized as having an “active faith” (45% vs. 21%, respectively, defined as having read the Bible, attended a religious service and prayed to God during the past week).

I believe that when the rubber meets the road and its time to put up or shut up, liberals are just not as religiously inclined as conservatives are. This includes personal beliefs and in the practice of said religion. According to the survey something extraordinary occurs.

 

“Liberals appear to place a greater emphasis upon self-reliance and what they personally accomplish than upon faith alone or intense participation in a community of faith,” Barna explained. “They also seem less inclined to trust the Bible as a moral authority or source of truth, and have less involvement in some type of personal relationship with their god.”

When listening to the typical liberal rhetoric, they claim it is all about community when in fact, they appear to be the most selfish among us. A Biblically based and practiced Christianity is THE prime of example of community in our nation. My personal experience has been that when liberals talk about community, they are more inclined to talk about labor unions, left collectivism and so-called community co-ops.  My suggestion? Come to church on Sunday morning and see real community in action.