Survey Results from Soc.Religion.Christian
In October of 1996 I began sending out surveys to soc.religion.christian in
an effort to determine "where Christians stand on the big issues". Fifty
people were kind enough to respond over the 3 month period that the survey
was being conducted, and the results have been tallied below. There were a
few gray areas during the interpretation of some of the responses, but I've
tried to group them as best I can.
Tallying these results was suprisingly difficult. Part of the reason for this
was the fairly open-ended manner in which I asked the questions. Several
respondents remarked on the vagueness of the questions, which was done
intentionally to compel people to explain there beliefs in more detail. I feel
that I've captured the gist of the major types of responses below, and if you
are interested the actual responses are available.
There are several sources of error in this survey. The first is that the
format is such that people can read the survey before deciding to respond. This
may result in preventing people who feel uncomfortable with the questions from
answering. Four-fifths of the respondents are male, and the majority of net
users have a high education, both of which also skew the results.
One person remarked a question of ethnic background should have included, and
another said that the version of the Bible, as well as the role of the Church
and authority in general should have been explored. I agree with these
sentiments, as well as the latter person's criticism of the somewhat vague term
"literal". One comment that I did not agree with was the need for questions on
who and what Christ is, primarily because I assumed that most Christians would
not differ in opinion on this subject. Also, about half-way through the survey
I changed "have you ever worked on Sunday" to "have you ever worked on the
Sabbath".
Each of the questions are below, along with any comments that I had, as well as
the number of responses. The original letter
is also available. Note that one atheist responded, which explains some of the
more nonstandard answers.
1) What is your sex?
2) What is your occupation?
- Engineer/Physicist/Computational Linguist: 11
- Graphic designer/publisher/Lawyer: 3
- Logic Designer/Budget Analyst: 2
- Computer programmer/technician/consultant/etc.: 11
- Teacher/Librarian: 4
- Student: 13
- Machinist/Waste Water Treatment Operator/Bridal designer/Youthworker/Airline employee: 5
- Unemployed/Housewife: 2
3) How old are you?
- younger than 14: 1
- 15-19: 3
- 20-24: 11
- 25-29: 7
- 30-34: 4
- 35-39: 9
- 40-44: 6
- 45-49: 4
- 50-54: 4
- over 55: 1
4) To what denomination, if any, do you subscribe?
One person said they were a United Methodist communicating member (?). Also
notice the large number of people who referred to themselves as
"nondenominational". I would also guess that several of the "nones" also fall
in this category.
- Anglican: 2
- Baptist: 4
- Catholic: 2
- Roman Catholic: 1
- Christian Church: 1
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints: 1
- Church of Christ, Reformed: 1
- United Church of Christ: 1
- Episcopalian: 2
- Episcopal Church USA: 1
- Evangelical Free: 1
- Independent Evangelical: 1
- Lutheran/Evangelical Lutheran Church of America: 2
- Mennonite: 1
- Methodist: 1
- Pentecostal: 1
- United Methodist: 3 (communicating member?)
- Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches: 1
- Unity School of Christianity: 1
- Wesleyen: 1
- Nondenominational: 12
- None: 8
- Atheist: 1
5) How often do you attend church?
- 5 times a week 1
- 3 times a week 1
- 2-3 times a week 4
- 2 times a week 4
- 1-2 times a week 8
- Weekly 14
- 2 times Sunday 3
- 3 times a month 2
- 2-4 times a month 1
- 2-3 times a month 2
- 1-2 times a month 1
- "Fairly Regularly" 1
- Once a month 2
- Once a Year/rarely 5
- Everyday (if you understand the definition of church) 1
6) Have you had a personal experience with God?
#40 said, "I used to think I had, on several occasions, but I have since
concluded that what I experienced was simply an emotional experience caused,
not by divine intervention, but by the overwhelming religious expectation of
an experience that had been instilled in me by the church environment." One
person said "common", whatever that means.
- Yes: 36
- Not sure: 1
- "knew God was keeping me on a certain path"/"feel God's presence": 3
- "not a spectacular one": 4
- "depends upon what is meant by `personal experience'": 1
- Thought they did: 1
- No: 2
- "common (ie nature, regeneration, etc)": 1
- No answer: 1
7) Are you active in church activities such as the choir, Sunday school,
youth groups, etc.?
- Yes: 32
- No: 14
- Was before: 4
8) Do you attend Bible studies or do daily devotions?
- Yes: 25
- Read it daily: 6
- "daily quiet times"/"regular personal bible study": 2
- Weekly Bible Study: 3
- home fellowship: 1
- On occasion: 3
- "Not in the `conventional' manner": 2
- No: 8
9) Do you pray before meals at home? at restaurants?
At home:
- Yes: 25
- Sometimes: 13
- No: 12
At restaurants:
- Yes: 20
- Sometimes: 13
- No: 17
10) Do you drink alcohol? swear?
Swear in this case meant foul language, not "Biblical swearing".
Alcohol:
- Yes: 17
- No: 17
- Occasionally: 11
- Rarely: 4
- No answer: 1
Swear:
- Yes: 13
- No: 19
- Occasionally: 13
- Rarely: 4
- No answer: 1
11) Do you consider the Bible to be literally inerrant? If not, to what
extent do you believe it to be the word of God? (inspired by God but
written by humans, the concepts are inerrant, the originals were
inerrant but have been mistranslated, etc.)
I got a range of answers for this one, which was expected given the complex
subject.
- Inerrant: 6
- Inerrant at the level of concepts: 1
- Inerrant but our interpretation may be wrong: 1
- Word of God: 4
- Word of God, written by humans: 2
- Minor scribal errors, no mistranslations: 1
- Not every word perfect, inerrant but written by biased humans: 4
- Inspired by God, but written by biased humans: 4
- Ok at conceptual level, inerrant but written by biased humans, originals
inspired: 1
- Originals inerrant: 3
- Originals inerrant, some mistranslations possible: 3
- Inerrant, some minor mistranslations: 2
- Inspired by God, some mistranslations: 1
- It does the job well, even though not literally inerrant: 4
- Not inerrant, word of God, possibly mistranslated: 1
- Literal, inspired, maybe not inerrant: 4
- Not inerrant, human attempt to document interactions with God: 5
- Antique collection of middle-eastern mythology: 1
- "God uses it to speak to us": 1
- No answer: 1
12) Have any of the original manuscripts for the books of the Bible
survived to this day? (yes, no, don't know)
The majority of people showed good knowledge on this one.
- Yes: 1
- Yes, parts of: 1
- Think so: 1
- Don't think so: 5
- No: 24
- Dead Sea Scrolls, 1st and 2nd century papers, etc.: 10
- Don't know: 5
- Don't know, not important: 2
- No answer: 1
13) Do you believe in a literal view of creation as described in Genesis
1-2? If not, what does this scripture mean to you? (days mean eons,
the account is allegorical, etc.)
People seemed split on this one. About 2/5 believed in a "literal" view
of Genesis, while the same number thought of the account as allegory or myth.
- Yes: 10
- Yes, literal, maybe gap theory: 10
- Yes, but there are historical influences: 1
- No, God is the author of evolution: 3
- No, but allegorical is too weak, more like a report: 1
- No, allegorical: 14
- No, insightful, poetic myths: 5
- No, study NT, OT has no place in Christianity: 1
- No: 2
- Doesn't matter: 2
- Don't know: 1
14) Did a global flood happen as described in Genesis 6-9?
- Yes: 27
- Yes, not "global": 4
- Maybe localized: 1
- Possible: 1
- Don't think so, probably not global: 4
- No: 10
- Don't know: 2
- Doesn't matter: 1
- No answer: 1
15) Is the popular "big bang" theory of the origin of the universe
valid? (yes, no, maybe)
Happily, about the same number of people who believed in a literal account
of Genesis do not think the big bang theory is valid
- Yes: 8
- Possible, but with God: 5
- Can be interpreted to coincide with creation account: 4
- God did it, don't know about "Big Bang": 3
- Probably: 3
- Perhaps: 8
- Valid only as a "theory": 3
- Probably not: 1
- No: 9
- No, theory has been disproven: 1
- Doesn't matter: 2
- Don't know/can not comment: 3
16) Is the earth less than 5,000 years old?
In hindsight, I should have raised the limit on the years.
- Yes: 0
- Maybe: 2
- Doubt it: 7
- No: 31
- No, around 6000: 4
- No, around 10-12000: 1
- Don't know/not an issue: 5
17) What is evolution?
By the way, biological evolution is defined as "any change in the frequency
of alleles within a gene pool from one generation to the next". This means that
evolution is a genetic phenomenon, not the result of better health. (In the
next question, people gave increased height and better teeth as examples of
microevolution.)
- Unprovable theory: 3
- Laughable theory: 7
- Change over time: 1
- God's way of creating and modifying species: 4
- Something that happens on earth, but God created the universe: 2
- Idea that humans developed from other life forms: 2
- A model for explaining the origin of the physical universe: 1
- Process of something getting better over a period of time: 1
- The current best explanation for the origins of life and species: 2
- Natural selection based on genetic and environmental changes, doesn't
discredit creation: 1
- An imperfect theory: 2
- Species don't change, slight mutations: 6
- Selection and adaptation of features of living animals to adjust to their
environment, (no mention of species): 8
- Selection and adaptation of features of living animals to adjust to their
environment, also new species: 8
- No answer: 2
18) Do you believe the theory of so-called "microevolution" -- that
small changes might occur in a species?
- Yes: 37
- Yes, under God's control: 2
- Yes, increasing height, better teeth e.g.: 3
- Guess so: 1
- Maybe: 2
- No: 1
- Don't know/doesn't matter: 4
19) Do you believe the theory of "macroevolution" -- that one type of
creature may radically change its characteristics over time?
Nearly everyone believes in microevolution, but people seem to be divided
on macroevolution. If I had the time, it would be interesting to see if there
is a correlation with age or level of education on this one.
- Yes: 15
- Yes, under God's control: 1
- Possibly: 7
- Possibly, under God's control: 1
- Not so sure: 1
- No: 19
- Don't know/doesn't matter: 4
- No answer: 2
20) Do you consider the theories of evolution and the big bang to be
contrary to Christianity?
- Yes: 13
- Evolution is, but not the big bang: 2
- Not necessarily, depends on scientist/interpretation: 6
- No: 27
- Not sure: 1
- Too soon to tell: 1
21) Do you think that science is at odds with religion in general, and
Christianity in particular?
One person wrote, "I have not checked but I suspect that the share of
believing Christians among great scientists is neither extraordinarily low nor
high." In the academic circles that I've been in, the number of Christians
seems lower. If there is enough interest, maybe this could be another survey...
- Yes: 4
- Sometimes: 1
- Probably: 1
- Yes, not with the NT though: 1
- No: 32
- No, just some scientists: 10
- No, just evolution: 1
22) Do you consider the New Testament accounts of Jesus to be literal?
If not, to what extent do you accept them? (Jesus' words are literal but the
miracles aren't, the virgin birth is doubtful, etc.)
Again, I should have used the phrase "historically accurate" instead of
literal.
- Yes: 29
- Yes, in the originals: 1
- Yes, but culturally influenced: 2
- Very close to literal: 3
- Pretty much, not sure of some smaller miracles: 1
- Not exactly literal, but reliable overall: 5
- Don't believe virgin birth and some miracles, Jesus' words pretty
accurate: 1
- Jesus' words not literal (Greek), some miracles could be untrue, not sure
about virgin birth: 1
- Don't believe virgin birth or miracles, culturally influenced: 1
- Maybe: 1
- Only in historical Jesus: 1
- Hard to say, gospels not written to tell history, but to tell a story to
win converts: 1
- Hard to say, if he existed was probably much different: 1
- No: 2
23) Did Moses write the first five books of the Old Testament? (yes, no, it
is not known, I don't know)
- Yes: 13
- Yes, he was involved with most of them, along with others: 9
- Ascribed to him, but doesn't matter: 1
- Probably: 4
- Unlikely: 5
- No: 9
- Don't know: 6
- It is not known: 3
24) Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, John write the first four books of the New
Testament? (yes, no, it is not known, I don't know)
On this question and the previous, some people mentioned the JEDP theories
of the writers of the Old Testament put forth by biblical scholars. Most,
however, accept the traditional authors.
- Yes: 19
- Yes, as far as we know: 7
- Probably: 5
- Some of the books: 4
- Maybe: 1
- They aren't named as authors, so we can't know: 4
- Highly unlikely: 2
- No: 7
- Don't know: 1
25) Do you believe divorce acceptable in cases other than adultery?
- Yes: 9
- Yes, but not remarriage: 2
- Yes, for a christian and nonchristian marriage and the nonchristian wants
out: 1
- Yes for abandonment, abuse, etc.: 15
- It is a fact, and can be forgiven: 2
- No: 20
- No comment: 1
26) To what extent is homosexuality a sin? (being a homosexual, practicing
homosexuality, etc.)
There was a suprisingly open attitude toward homosexuality. The first
group of people equivocated being homosexual with practicing homosexuality.
Some people held homosexual behavior to the same standards as heterosexual
behavior, and some said flat out that it was not a sin.
- Homosexuality itself is a sin -- there is no distinction: 7
- Practicing: 16
- Both: 8
- Any sex outside marriage is wrong, don't believe in same sex marriage: 1
- Any sex outside marriage is wrong: 1
- Neither, same as heterosexual love (same standards): 4
- Being homosexual isn't a sin, any sex outside marriage is wrong: 1
- Being homosexual isn't a sin, don't know about practicing: 2
- Bible frowns upon it, but no comment: 2
- Not a sin: 5
- Don't know: 3
27) Do you consider marriages between Christians and Non-christians to be
morally wrong?
- Yes: 3
- No, but shouldn't knowingly marry (ok after marriage): 5
- No, but a bad idea: 23
- Not necessarily, depends on the people: 2
- Morally no, Biblically yes: 2
- No: 15
28) Have you ever worked on the Sabbath?
- Yes: 35
- Yes, but not scheduled shifts: 1
- Yes, nothing strenuous or for pay: 3
- A few times: 2
- Not like my Monday through Friday job: 2
- Try to avoid it, but have to sometimes: 3
- Try to avoid it, treat it as a day of rest: 1
- Hardly ever: 2
- No: 1
29) Do you consider the Bible to be the ultimate reference on all issues of
morality?
- Yes: 26
- Yes, Bible, Koran, etc.: 1
- Mostly: 2
- New Testament, but there are open issues: 1
- One of the references: 9
- No: 11
30) Do you believe that it is possible for people of other religions to go
to heaven? Atheists?
- Yes: 12
- God's decision, hope so: 1
- Don't know, God's decision: 5
- No according to the scriptures, God's decision: 3
- Non-christian yes, atheists no: 4
- Non-christians possible, atheists don't know: 1
- Don't know about non-christians, atheists no: 2
- Depends on their religion, atheists no: 1
- Not if they've heard the gospel and rejected it: 6
- Probably not: 1
- No: 12
- Don't think there's a heaven: 2
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