Fundamentalists Losing Favor with Public <barf alert>

The Data Lounge ^ | Friday, 6 December 2002 | -- C. Barillas, Editor

[doc30]

Fundamentalists Losing Favor with Public
Friday, 6 December 2002

WASHINGTON -- The American Family Association, a far right lobbying group in Washington, released results from a recent survey that shows mainstream Americans see evangelical Christians as one of the least likeable groups in the country.

Small wonder

Researchers from the Barna survey asked respondents how they felt about evangelicals, born-again Christians, ministers, and other groups of people in society. According to the survey, evangelicals came in tenth out of eleven, narrowly beating out prostitutes.

---

Below lawyers and just above prostitutes.

---

Overview of this issue
>	Far Right - National Strategies
Web Sites
>	Christian Coalition
>	GayVote.com
Other Data Lounge stories
>	Washington DC
Send this article to a friend

Fellow evangelical George Barna, president of the Barna Research Group, said religious conservatives "have a lot of work to do" in combating the general public's negative views.

Speaking to distressed members of the AFA, he said, "We may not be 'evil' people, we may not be 'bad' people -- we may be completely loving and wonderful. But somehow we are being perceived by non-Christians in America as a group of people who are not particularly loving [and] not particularly generous, kind, or understanding."

Particularly galling to the AFA constituency was the country's more open embrace of gay men and lesbians. Gay people, a group conservatives frequently slander and oppose politically, ranked significantly higher in the survey than evangelicals.

"Whether that's because the media portray evangelicals in a negative light or because [religious conservatives have] earned that 'badge of dishonor,' if you will, we've got to figure that out," said Barna, "we have to address that."

Affirming results from other studies, the Barna survey also found the more highly educated non-evangelicals are, the less likely they are to have a positive view of fundamentalist Christians.

-- C. Barillas, Editor

[doc30]

An old college buddy e-mailed this to me. Has anybody ever seen such leftist drool before?

[Izzy Dunne]

Has anybody ever seen such leftist drool before?

If it's "leftist drool", then why is the AFA publishing it?

[LibertarianInExile]

Yeah, this is another example of a study that didn't need to happen. Everyone knows prostitutes blow.

[Phantom Lord]

People like you do not help, and are primarily the reason for the negative, hateful, and fearful vision people have of conservative christians.

[Phantom Lord]

Take a look at the posting history of FF578 and some of his buddies. Right Wing, extremist religious bigots abound and people rightfully do and should oppose them.

[Quix]

I think these results are largely self evident if one will either poll or just think about any random 10 or 100 of one's own non-evangelical friends.

GIVEN 8 YEARS OF DILLDO AND SHIRLLERY as well as 50 years or so of leftist's death grips on Universities and media . . . it's not surprising.

Worse, too many so called evangelicals behave in a way affirming the leftist conclusions.

Thankfully, all that goes by the label "evangelical" are no more authentically Christ-like than the Pharisees et all of Jesus' day.

Personally, this survey by a solid researcher should be a SCREAMING HEAVENLY ALARM to all who seriously want to call Jesus Lord and submit to His priorities.

[general_re]

Awww, crap - now you've done it. Now this thread is gonna get that same tired old screed posted to it, chock-full of court decisions handed down in the year 1173 to "prove" his point...

:^)

[beardog]

The American Family Association is a gay group.

[general_re]

Awww, crap - now you've done it. Now this thread is gonna get that same tired old screed posted to it, chock-full of court decisions handed down in the year 1173 to "prove" his point...

:^)

[general_re]

Dang it. FR hiccup causes double-posting - film at 11...

[maeng]

And...what about the far left anti-American, bible hating, moral deficient lefty liberals and their evil ideas?????

[RAT Patrol]

That is not a fair thing to say. I don't respect this "attact the people I disagree with on a personal level" garbage that takes place here in FR from time to time.

[RAT Patrol]

I appreciate the things you have to say.

[Phantom Lord]

I didn't and don't attack him on a personal level. I attack his ideas, thoughts, and the government he wants to impose on America.

[Phantom Lord]

I attack their ideas just as strongly.

[maeng]

What is wrong with strong Christian beliefs? This country was founded on such beliefs.

[doc30]

Sorry, but this article is a measure of non-Christian views. Christians were not surveyed for this article. The article is a serious misrepresentation of the Barna research group. I tracked down the original survey and article and found the Data Lounge version to have been seriously spin-doctored.

The survey was of non-Christians and was performed by a Christian group. Even though evangelicals ranked above prostitutes, the actual values were 22% favorable for evangelicals and 5% for prostitutes. The top three favorable groups were military officers, ministers, then born again Christians (in that order).

Here's the abstract for the article:

How do people with no connection to the Christian faith feel about evangelicals, born again Christians, ministers and other types of people? We asked a national sample of adults who are not associated with Christian churches and found the following:
- Of the people groups whose image was evaluated, ministers ranked second and born again Christians ranked third, but evangelicals came in tenth out of the eleven - beating out prostitutes
- Only one-third of those who have no connection with Christianity have a favorable impression of born again Christians; just one-fifth feel positively towards evangelicals
- The more highly educated a person without a Christian connection is, the less likely he is to have a positive impression of Christians

Link: http://www.barna.org/cgi-bin/home.asp

[Meletus]

The AFA is certainly not a gay group. It is one of the strongest groups standing for Christian family values.

[timm22]

What is wrong with strong Christian beliefs? This country was founded on such beliefs.

Nothing at all, as long as you respect the rights of other people not to share or practice all of those beliefs.

[Brookhaven]

This poll is interesting because it is the exact opposite of what is happening when people are choosing a church. The "nicer" moderate churches are losing members, and closing churches. OTOH, the "mean" conservative churches are growing. In fact, the more conservative a church is, the faster it seems to grow.

This poll is more indicitive of what the world at large thinks of christianity, than then the type of church someone that is seeking out God might be attracted to (or how someone rejecting God might be repelled by someone they sense God in. )

For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. 2 Cor. 15-16