Survey says!
Family Feud Host: Name the most popular religion in the U.S.
The Nelson family responds: Roman Catholic?
Family Feud Host: Survey says: Roman Catholic! The Nelson family wins!
Gotta get religion!
From network news to the most insignificant religious blogger (me), the talk of the nation is all about religion today. A new survey from The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life indicates that the United States is on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country; the detailed research also turned up data revealing that a significant number of Americans switch religious affiliations over their lifetimes, and that one third of cradle Catholics no longer identify themselves as Catholic. The survey recognizes what most everyone already knew, Hispanic immigrants are raising the stats for the Catholic Church in the U.S. and filling the gap left by fallen away Catholics.
Sounds like good news to me.
The survey results seem to confirm other stats suggesting mainline Protestants are losing their congregations. Gee, I wonder why? I wonder if watered down doctrine has anything to do with it? Or ordaining homosexuals and women and blessing SS couples? Probably not.
The glass half full.
One thing the survey couldn’t document is the long venerable tradition of fallen away Catholics returning to the Church after doing whatever it is they do do that kept them from the sacraments in the first place. Of course, I haven’t read the survey results, therefore I’m unsure if the stats concerning Americans switching denominations, makes much of the increasing numbers of Protestants entering the Church.
After the Holy Father visits in April, Catholic stats should see another boost.
Links:
February 26th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
You make a good point about reverts, Terry.
I’m a big fan of Marcus Grodi’s “The Journey Home” program on EWTN, being a revert myself.
A significant percentage of his guests are reverts who even, like Jeff Cavins, went so far as to become protestant pastors and then after ten or twenty years, the Lord called them back.
And they become fabulous apologists, having become fluent in “protestant-talk.”
February 26th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
You are correct in expecting a rise in Catholic fervor when Pope Benedict visits in April.
A few days ago I added a link on my blog to Catholics Come Home, just in case some wayward soul should stumble upon it.
BTW, when the Holy Father comes in April, he will be allowed to pray at Ground Zero in New York, while Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran was denied that privilege during his last visit to the U.S.. Now, I KNOW why Pope Benedict is allowed to enter the site while the other SOB was not. It’s just really nice that other people - Catholic or not - also noted the differences between the two.