Posted on 05/18/2014 6:48:32 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
A study released Saturday found that Americans tend to exaggerate their religious beliefs—and that liberals are more guilty of it than conservatives.
The Public Religion Research Institute asked participants about their religious affiliation, their belief in God, how often they attend religious services and the importance of religion in their lives. Roughly half were interviewed over the phone and the other half answered an online questionnaire. Of the people interviewed over the phone, 43 percent said they attended religious ceremonies and 27 percent said religion is the most important thing in their lives. Among online respondents, those numbers dropped to 30 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
Why the difference in results? Talking to another human, even an anonymous one, can cause respondents to exaggerate the truth. “It is a rather unconscious cognitive bias,” says John R. Shook, a professor in the Science and the Public EdM online program at the University of Buffalo. “Even if you talk to a live human voice, someone you will never see, someone in Zaire, the brain rationalizes and tries to present itself in the most positive light possible. You can’t help it.”
But it seems that when it comes to worship attendance, liberals are more inclined to do so. PRRI found that over the phone, only 27 percent of self-identified liberals admitted that religion is not important to them; the number jumped to 40 percent of liberals who responded to an online questionnaire. Conservatives were much more consistent: Only 4 percent of telephone respondents and 6 percent of online respondents said the same.
This suggests that although religious affiliation is waning—in the past 20 years, the number of Americans claiming no affiliation has more than doubled to around 22 percent—religion is still seen as a good thing, or at least as socially desirable.
(Excerpt) Read more at newrepublic.com ...
Liberalism is a mental disorder.
That's not true.
But, yes, I am in fact very handsome.
Of course LIEberals LIE!
Dear Seek
Over the years, folks I know on the Left have more of a need to demonstrate to the world “all” their beliefs, opinions and brain farts. And it also comes with a moral superiority and a condescension with those who happen not to agree with them. I am not saying that folks on the Right can’t fall into the same trap, but in general I think folks have fallen less for the Oprah/Jerry Springer/Doctor Phil way of dealing with the world at large. They keep their own counsel a better degree.
BTW please educate me on blog/mag New Republic. It seems Center-Left. How would you classify it?
I don't think religious interest is waning. I think many people are sick and tired of the leftism and Democrat party line from the from the mainstream churches and are seeking other ways to worship.
The left’s god is government.
“Of the people interviewed over the phone, 43 percent said they attended religious ceremonies and 27 percent said religion is the most important thing in their lives. Among online respondents, those numbers dropped to 30 percent and 20 percent, respectively.”
What’s the average age of someone who lets themselves be interviewed over the phone? What’s the average age of ‘online respondents?’ Are they the same people, if not how do we know anyone is lying about it?
Freegards
I think many liberals want to push the narrative that socialism and gay marriage are compatible with Christianity, so they claim to be both.
But beginning with the 0bama years, the old guard, represented by people like Marty Peretz, were unceremoniously shuffled aside so the mag could join in with the sycophantic 0bama worshipers.
Needless to say, the quality of the magazine has suffered immensely, and I find it now unreadable. Sort of like the Nation, but with more Ivy League pretentiousness.
thanks that’s what I thought
well nothing is like the Nation
although you will find a good article
there once in a while
Why ask this question or did everyone forget?
The democrats kicked out any reference to God in their 2012 platform before they put Him back in (booing the decision).
They can’t sin...they don’t believe it exists. That’s why they lie so much...
The Left’s Church attendance always goes up during elections years (”my faith foundations provide comfort”).
RE: The democrats kicked out any reference to God in their 2012 platform before they put Him back in
We can’t even be sure of that. There was not head count, just AYE or NAY and the chairman DECLARING God’s return to the platform.
It seems rather odd to have the words “liberals” and “religious beliefs” in the same sentence, unless connected by the phrase “have absolutely no.”
In the Religion forum, on a thread titled Poll: Liberals Exaggerate Their Religious Beliefs More Than Conservatives Do, SeekAndFind wrote:
RE: The democrats kicked out any reference to God in their 2012 platform before they put Him back in
We can’t even be sure of that. There was not head count, just AYE or NAY and the chairman DECLARING God’s return to the platform.
And they jeered that decision
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