Commentary by Aisha | Archives

According to a recent study, people of different faiths in America are wavering in their beliefs. However, there are major discrepancies with the survey, as the numbers do not add up to account for America's entire population.

The study states there is a small decline in Christians, due to an older generation of Baptists having passed away since the last survey.

However, it does not take into account a new move of the faith. Christian pastors such as John Hagee, Joel Osteen, TD Jakes and Rod Parsley, among many others, preside over what is now referred to as “mega-churches.” These are churches all over the country, with tens of thousands of members in each location, totaling millions of people.

Many of the members of these mega-churches, refer to themselves as Evangelicals, while others state they are nondenominational Christians.

Additionally, America has many illegal immigrants, which the study does not include, the majority of whom are Hispanic Catholics. That’s right - Christians again.

Hispanics are projected to be the majority in America by the year 2050. In light of this fact, it is not possible that the number of Christians has decreased. I would state it is the very opposite.

ARTICLE:

Related to that, the percentage of Baptists who are widowed is 12 percent, twice the national average. One demographic in which Baptists have far less than their share is among never-married singles -- who make up 13 percent of Baptists, but a full 25 percent of the general population.

Baptists have gained members in the last 18 years, but comprise a smaller percentage of the population than they did when the study first compiled statistics. In 1990 there were 33.9 million Baptists, 19 percent of the population. In 2008 they numbered 36.1 million but declined to 15.8 percent of the population.

Baptists are still less educated than the general population and most denominations, but the percentage of Baptists who are college graduates increased from 11 percent in 1990 to 16 percent in 2008.

The survey defines "Baptist" in a broad sense, including Southern Baptist, American Baptist, Free Will, Missionary and African-American denominations.

In general the survey found that the American population self-identifies as predominantly Christian, but Christianity's share of the population is decreasing. Ten percent fewer Americans self-identified as Christians in 2008 (76 percent) than in 1990 (86 percent.) ...

http://www.abpnews.com