Some very interesting trends being released by Pew Research this week:

"America remains an intensely religious nation and, if anything, the trend since the late 1980s has been toward stronger religious belief. Eight-in-ten Americans (81%) say that prayer is an important part of their daily lives, and just as many believe there will be a Judgment Day when people will be called before God to answer for their sins. Even more people (87%) agree with the statement "I never doubt the existence of God." ...

"While the way Protestants define their faith has changed, the broader religious landscape looks much as it did in the late 1980s. Most Americans (56%) continue to identify themselves as members of a Protestant faith, with a quarter saying they are Catholic. Fewer than one-in-ten (9%) say they have no religion, virtually unchanged from 15 years ago. Judaism, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Orthodox Christianity, Islam, and other religions remain much smaller denominations.

This aggregate stability masks some relevant and important changes within subgroups of the population. For example, 56% of Hispanic Americans identify themselves as Catholic today, down from 68% fifteen years ago. And the percentage of younger Americans (those under age 30) who identify themselves as Protestants has fallen from 52% to 45% over this same time period. The number of young people who say they have no religion has increased slightly (from 12% to 16%).

This slight shift away from a denominational identification among younger Americans does not necessarily mean they are becoming less religious and more secular, however. Americans under age 30 are just as likely to report regular church attendance today as fifteen years ago, and strong religious faith is at least as widespread among younger Americans today as it was in the late 1980s: 63% of young people agree with all three religious statements about prayer, God, and a Judgment Day, which is virtually unchanged from 1987-1988 (61%).

Moreover, younger generations are becoming much more religious as they age. Fifteen years ago, 61% of people in their late teens and twenties agreed with all three religious statements. Today, 71% of people in these generations ­ now in their thirties and forties ­ express this level of strong religious faith. Over the same period, the percentage of Protestants in this age group identifying themselves as born again or evangelical has risen from 41% in the late 1980s to 55% now. As a result of these gains, people in their 30s and 40s today are considerably more religious than their 30-to-49-year-old counterparts were in the late 1980s.

There also is a small but growing minority of younger people who express more secular views. In 1987 and 1998, just 5% of the public disagreed with all three religious statements, and there was no difference between those under age 30 and older Americans. Today, 12% of young people reject all three items ­ twice as many as among those age 30 and older (6%).

Over the past 15 years, religion and religious faith also have become more strongly aligned with partisan and ideological identification. Republicans and Democrats were equally likely to express strong personal religious attitudes in 1987 and 1988; the same percentage in both parties affirmed the importance of prayer, belief in Judgment Day and strong belief in God (71% in each). But over the past 15 years, Republicans have become increasingly united in these beliefs, opening up a seven-point gap between the parties (78% vs. 71% of Democrats).

...

In addition, white Catholics, once strongly Democratic, are now much more politically divided. In the late 1980s, a significantly greater percentage of white Catholics identified themselves as Democrats than Republicans (41% vs. 24%). Today, partisan identification among white Catholics is divided almost evenly (31% Democrat, 29% Republican).

And again, this shift is driven predominantly by more highly religious Catholics. Among white Catholics who attend Mass regularly an 18-point Democratic identification advantage in the late 1980s (42% Democrat, 24% Republican) has turned into a dead-heat today (30% Democrat, 32% Republican). (See table on page 4.)

Much to much to quote here, you need to read it for yourself:

http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=757

-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45@hotmail.com), December 19, 2003

Answers

-- (top@top.top), December 20, 2003.

I am very angry then Bill as to why you and some others are deliberately refuting the Holy Father very public statements in the way you are?? What I look for first in a so called Catholic's is obedience not wicked chauvinist statements!!

I indetend to refer uour disobedience to Rome!!!

-- Padraig Caughey (padraigcaughey@hotmail.com), December 20, 2003.

What is also scary is that in 1987 Catholics opposed stricter laws on abortion 46 - 48%. In 1993 it was 29 - 59% and in 2003 it was 37 - 56%. While there is good news that the 37% is an increase over 10 years ago; the 56%, even though down from '93, is still alarming.

-- Scott (papasquat10@hotmail.com), December 20, 2003.

When was the last time any of you heard a homily EXPLAINING WHY abortion, or contraception, or gay marriage, or sex outside of marriage is wrong?

Isn't it typically the case that the priest will presume we know the reasons and only make oblique, vague, non-committal references to "the Church teaching" without in any way illuminating or expounding on said teaching?

Now, why would that be? My theory of course is that most priests aged 40-60 went through seminary in a time of moral and intellectual upheaval and thus never learned the lessons they needed to have in order to a) understand "the church teaching" and b) explain it in biblical and theological ways.

They also never had any personal experience with the "pro-life" movement, Marian spirituality, and counter-culture. So they go soft and try above all else to not offend by being specific about anything. They will never, ever, conclude a homily with specific "therefore the Church commands in the name of Jesus Christ that you, Joe-six-pack Catholic must do X, Y, and Z in order to live a life of grace and thus be a candidate for heaven".

Most of the 30-40 year old priests fortunately have had personal experience of pro-life and Marian and counter-cultural training.

But our priests need lay support and feedback. They need to know when a topic is not being explained or when great teaching moments arrive and have to be seized. They need educated and informed lay people to help them with their dossiers and research. Helpful tips and suggestions of themes (based on real-life needs in the parish) can help too... and they need to know that there are many families willing to back them up when they do go specific about "what the Church teaches."

-- Joe (joestong@yahoo.com), December 29, 2003.