Survey Finds More Hispanic Americans Becoming Protestant (% of Hispanic Catholics has dropped)

Christian Post ^ | 7/6/2009 | Jennifer Riley

[SeekAndFind]

The percentage of Hispanic Catholics in America has dropped, while the proportion of born-again Hispanics has increased, a new survey by the Barna Group found.

Over the past 15 years, the proportion of Hispanics in America that is aligned with the Catholic Church has fallen by 25 percent. By comparison, the proportion of born-again Christians for this ethnic group has increased by 17 percent.

“You cannot help but notice the changing relationship between Hispanics and the Catholic Church,” commented George Barna, whose company conducted the research. “While many Hispanic immigrants come to the United States with ties to Catholicism, the research shows that many of them eventually connect with a Protestant church.”

Moreover, many second and third generation Hispanic Americans are leaving the Catholic tradition, he noted.

The latest Barna survey studies the growing Hispanic population in America in terms of their faith and how they compare to the general American population. It finds that in a surprising number of key aspects the Hispanic population mirrors that of the nation’s general population.

Some of the significant similarities between the Hispanic and the general American adult populations include nearly identical profiles on the perceived accuracy of the principles taught in the Bible; a personal sense of responsibility to share their faith with others; belief that the primary purpose of life is to love God fully; the likelihood of having read the Bible in the past week; and having made a personal commitment to Jesus that is important in their life.

“The study points out how significant faith is in the lives of Hispanics,” Barna commented. “Not only do most of them assert that importance, but the fact that so much is changing in their faith perspectives and practices underscores how much energy they devote to their spirituality.”

But the study also found significant differences that exist between Hispanic Americans and the general American adult population.

Hispanics are more likely to believe that a good person can earn his or her way into heaven than the overall American adult population. This growing group is also twice as likely to be aligned with the Catholic Church (44 percent vs. 22 percent).

The ethnic group was also found to be less likely than Americans overall to claim that they are "absolutely committed" to Christianity (46 percent vs. 58 percent).

But when it comes to the born-again segments, Hispanics and the general American adult population showed few differences.

According to the Barna report, a born-again Christian is not based on self-identification, but rather on certain qualifications as defined by the Barna Group.

Survey results are based on telephone interviews conducted by The Barna Group gathered from nine nationwide random samples of adults. In total, 9,232 interviews were conducted between January 2007 and November 2008. Respondents were asked during the interviews if they consider themselves to be Hispanics. Out of the more than 9,000 people interviewed, 1,195 adults fell into the Hispanic category.

[BillyBoy]

>> Liberals are comfortable in US Catholic churches because the hierarchy does litle to make them uncomfortable. They are not "called out" on their beliefs. They are not refused the Eucharist. The liberals see these teachings as quaint antiquities that can be ignored for the most part. In contrast, my experience in (conservative) protestant churches is that the congregation is homogenously conservative. Liberals truly do not feel comfortable there; they leave and find a liberal protestant denomination. <<

Even though Catholics has a single person (the Pope) as "head" of the church, I see no difference in Catholics and Protestants in that members within their denomination may have individual parishes that are very liberal and others that are "homogenously conservative".

We were just having a thread on FR about Lutherans. Some parishes in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod are extremely conservative and any liberal would be very uncomfortable there. But the church we were talking about what the Reformed Lutheran Church of Witchia, a member of the Evagelical Lutheran Church of America. They had a late term abortion doctor serve as one of their church ushers and apparently the congregation and minister were perfectly okay with that. Yet they too are members in good standing of the "Lutheran" denomination of Christianity.

Same thing with Baptists christians. In general, the "Southern Baptist Conference" is very conservative and the "National Baptist Conference" is more liberal. But you will find liberal and conservative parishes in both branches. There are ultra conservative baptist ministers, and there are some black baptists who ministers are hard-left. But they all identify as Baptists.

Then there's Catholicism. Contrary to what many non-Catholics think, the Catholic church is not a single monolithic entity. There are currently 23 Catholic churches ("Roman Catholic" being the biggest), but they are all under the umbrella of the Pope. And that's not counting Catholics not in communion in the Pope like Mel Gibon's group and the Palmarian Catholic Church. There are all kinds of factions of Catholics. Jesuits tend to be very liberal and nutty. Members of the Society of St. Pius X and Opus Dei tend to be extremely conservative, traditional, and fundamentalist. Yet they are all Catholic Chrisitans in good standing with their church.

I recently joined a new Catholic parish where the pastor is very conservative and quite open about it. He has openly spoken out against Catholics that voted for Obama on numerous occasions. He quite vocally opposed Notre Dame University letting Obama speak. Last Sunday he even gave a sermon against "good Catholic families" who let their teenage kids pierce their nose and tongue.

I can tell you that anyone politically liberal minded would be very uncomfortable at my new parish.

[BillyBoy]

>> Funny. This part probably can’t be credited solely to Protestants or Catholics. <<

Both Protestants and Catholics have had a profound influence on American culture, unlike countries that are heavily skewed towards a particular type of Christianity like Italy (Catholic), Greece (Orthodox), Finland (Protestant). One of the main reasons people settled the U.S. in the first place was to establish religious freedom, as England had a state religion (Church of England) that discriminated against anyone -- Catholic or Protestant -- who wasn't a member of the "official" church.

As Catholicism has more members than any other organized religion in America, I would say recent American culture has been heavily influenced by Catholicism, but since Catholics do not have an outright majority, there is also other religious denominations who are having an major impact on American culture -- particularly in bible belt where Protestants dominate, and in Utah where Mormons dominate.

But the idea that "tradition" of America is solidly WASP and that Catholics are a tiny fringe minority in the U.S. is simply a fairy tale. It was true in 1776, but it hasn't been the case for over 100 years.

[RFEngineer]

“But the idea that “tradition” of America is solidly WASP and that Catholics are a tiny fringe minority in the U.S. is simply a fairy tale. It was true in 1776, but it hasn’t been the case for over 100 years.”

I never claimed that.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Well, hopefully Hispanic born-agains will vote Republican.

[Zionist Conspirator]

Left-wing Pentecostalism?

Do they advocate socialized medicine for people bitten during snake-handling services or something?

[Zionist Conspirator]

West Virginia is United Methodist?

No wonder they always vote so liberal.

[Zionist Conspirator]

So basically, the more liberal the state, the more Catholics there are. That speaks volumes.

It do seem that way, do it not?

[Zionist Conspirator]

Liberals are comfortable in US Catholic churches because the hierarchy does litle to make them uncomfortable. They are not "called out" on their beliefs. They are not refused the Eucharist. The liberals see these teachings as quaint antiquities that can be ignored for the most part. In contrast, my experience in (conservative) protestant churches is that the congregation is homogenously conservative. Liberals truly do not feel comfortable there; they leave and find a liberal protestant denomination. That's fine with us.

So much for a hierarchy and one guy in charge leading to everyone having the same "faith."

I've long noted that the "chaotic" world of Fundamentalist Protestantism is far more solid on most issues than the theoretically "conservative" Catholic Church. Indeed, about the only purpose the Pope and bishops seem to serve is to give people permission to believe in evolution.

[kalee]

ping

[BillyBoy]

No, but wmfights and ConservativeMind have claimed that about Catholics in this thread. I wonder that denomination they're in? It seems every protestant that makes this claim turns out that they themselves are a tiny, minuscule Christian denomination that most Americans have never heard of. Yet they'd have us believe that 72 million Catholics in the United States are a little fringe group outside mainstream American culture. Again, it reminds me of Mikey Moore throwing stones at George W. Bush and claiming he lacks a mandate because “the majority of Americans voted against him”, while conveniently ignoring the fact that 98% of Americans voted against the candidate that preaches Moore's political views.

[BillyBoy]

>> So basically, the more liberal the state, the more Catholics there are. That speaks volumes. <<

If you want to pretend that heavily Catholic Arizona, Texas, Nebraska, etc., are "liberal" states, sure. Seems to me those southwest states and great plains are often more conservative than the bible belt in dixie. >>

West Virginia is United Methodist? No wonder they always vote so liberal. <<

Ah, West Virgina, another state that has one of the least Catholic presence in the U.S. I believe Catholics there are 4% of the population, and last time I checked, Methodists one of the more popular protestant denominations in the U.S. George W. Bush is United Methodist.

I agree they are pretty liberal as a whole though. One time I went to a Methodist church for Ash Weds. They had a big sign out from noting how they welcome people of all "sexual orientations" (pedophiles and polygamists are welcome?). The minister who gave the Ash Weds. ceremony was a female "reverend" who seemed to be her in mid 30s, dressed in plain clothes. I found it rather strange.

With the exception of the southern baptist convention, seems to me the protestant churches with the largest memberships in the U.S. are much more liberal than the Catholic church.

[lmc12]

the 30 Years War is only a keyboard away on the good old FR Religion Forum. You’ll know we are Christians by our Love, yeah right.

[ConservativeMind]

“Among 2,252 priests serving over four decades, only one abuser could be termed a pedophile under the strict, clinical definition of the word - meaning the victim was prepubescent.”

Wow, that one pedophile sure got around. Rlmorel, do you have any insights for BillyBoy?

[RFEngineer]

Take it up with them. It’s absurd to claim that, and is equally absurd to claim we owe the country/prosperity to Catholicism, when a large number of folks ran away from religious oppression in Europe to form this country in the first place.

America is the best place in the world to be Jewish, does that make it a Jewish America?

[Zionist Conspirator]

With the exception of the southern baptist convention, seems to me the protestant churches with the largest memberships in the U.S. are much more liberal than the Catholic church.

True, though the Catholic Church is still awfully liberal. If American Catholics actually voted their theology we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.

Of course, I believe in the Torah, and American Jews have about the worst voting record of anyone--including traditionally the Orthodox, who have always been "yellow dog Democrats." I believe it is changing, but it is a shame that it ever had to change at all.

Of course Jews are an ethnic community rather than a universal body, so they have traditionally made a lot of decisions based on this criterion--one which, historically, their survival depended on at one time (though those days are long since over).

[sionnsar]

Hispanics are more likely to believe that a good person can earn his or her way into heaven than the overall American adult population. This growing group is also twice as likely to be aligned with the Catholic Church (44 percent vs. 22 percent).

"Salvation by works" rears its ugly head again?!? Sigh.

Lots of the usual sectarian haughtiness/nastiness and massive historical ignorance is present on this thread. Visit it, if you will, with discretion and please pray for the disparate members of the Bride of Christ -- Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant.

In Anglican tradition all Christians, Orthodox/RC and Protestant, are (potentially) part of the Bride of Christ: the ears are not eyes, the fingers are not toes, but not a one of them embodies our being as a whole. YMMV.

Thanks to kalee for the ping.

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Speak the truth in love. Eph 4:15

[wmfights]

No, but wmfights...

If you are going to reference something I may have posted please ping me so at least I can respond.

[A.A. Cunningham]

The ignorant are easily swayed.

[GinaLolaB]

Billy: you are awesome and right!

CoserervativeMind: The funny thing is that my own father was a 1st. Presbyterian and his heritage was English. My mother is a Irish Roman Catholic. So believe me I have been around anti-Catholic bigotry all of my life. My father was a very good person but he was steeped in anti-Catholic bigotry. My mother, although very strict, believed that a person should never say anything against any one else's religion. At my father's funeral (Catholic because we are all Catholic), all of his siblings got up and walked out because a priest was saying the Our Father. Actually, I was not offended at all because I have been around anti-Catholic bigotry all of my life. It is ok with me but if you are able to dish it out, you should be able to take it.

[chris_bdba]

True onbce born Catholic and baptised that never changes no matter what you call yourself.