The Parade survey on “How Spiritual Are We?” published on October 4, 2009, asked still more questions that are of interest. One of those was: “What matters to you most about your own religion?”
40% – “I believe it is a source of truth.”
19% – Customs, traditions, and holidays
19% – It teaches morals and ethics to the children.
14% – It makes them feel safe and secure (4-5).
Not having seen the survey, we assume that multiple choice answers were provided which included the above choices and various others. At first glance, the 40% statistic seems impressive, but what does it truly indicate? Each person’s religion (whatever it is) is regarded as a source of truth? What are the other sources of truth—one’s own judgment, the National Council of Churches, or The New York Times? “Religion” is not the source of truth in the first place; the Bible is: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). Religion can only communicate the truth if it respects and honors it.
It is sad that nearly one person in five is attracted to traditions over truth, but it was so even in the days of Jesus. Even the most “religious” of all, the Pharisees, elevated their manmade traditions above the Word of God (Matt. 15:1-9). Many prefer pomp and pageantry to godly living and genuine faith, which means that, for them, superficial activities take precedence over substance. This would be analogous to visiting Goat Island at Niagara Falls and being entranced by the railing.
Another one in five see religion as teaching moral values and ethics, but some denominations are telling people that it is all right to live in fornication, practice homosexuality, gamble, imbibe alcoholic beverages, and in general live the way those who are worldly do—in fact, it would be difficult to determine those who are “religious” from those who claim no influence from God in their lives.
People enjoy feeling safe and secure, but how many fail to realize that their security system is not wired to the truth. They have permitted someone to install a “once saved, always saved” system that makes them feel secure, but it furnishes no protection. Instead of having a low battery, an erroneous religion has no battery in it. It is powerless to save. Many, like the rich man, will find themselves in torments. It was not that he did not have access to the truth; he neglected either to listen carefully to it or to judiciously apply it. Many today, rather than read the Bible for themselves, take someone else’s word that their soul is in grand shape. If only they would read the life of Christ for themselves, the book of Acts, and some of the letters of Peter and Paul (Philippians and Colossians), they would soon discover they have not been taught the ways of the Lord accurately. True security comes from knowledge of the truth—not a friend’s or relative’s assurances.
Fear of God
The presenter and interpreter of the data found in this Parade article is author Christine Wicker, whose current book is The Fall of the Evangelical Nation. She writes, with respect to certain data in the survey: “Fear of God is another staple of religious belief that is no longer as pervasive as it once was” (5). Most of us have already drawn that conclusion.
This irreverent attitude can be seen in the way people talk—as they take God’s name in vain, as well as the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although such speech is a strong clue, worse yet is the way that people flout what God defines as sin. Many are proud of the fact that they are living together outside of marriage and procreating illegitimate offspring. Many enjoy displaying the sin of homosexuality. They behave lasciviously in parades; some are adorned in hideous costumes. Such as these have no fear of God and are de-scribed in 2 Peter 2.
Some “comedians,” such as Stephen Colbert, have even begun mocking God and profaning what God regards as holy. And if these were not sufficiently evil, theologians and religious leaders, such as Bishop Spong, have taken it upon themselves to fight against what the Scriptures clearly teach. People who practice corruption already stand in danger of hell fire, but those who fiddle with, manipulate, and twist the Scriptures to provide a mechanism or rationale for others to sin are doing so to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16-17).
David, who was the anointed of God, as well as the sweet psalmist of Israel (2 Sam. 23:1), penned the following as his last words:
“The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue. The Rock of Israel spoke to me:
‘He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God’” (2 Sam. 23:2-3).
Those who govern nations (not excluding ours) should take these words to heart and try to pass laws that uphold what the Scriptures teach rather than contradict them. Courts would do well to follow the same advice, since all justices will one day face the Judge of all mankind. Those who free child molesters and give light sentences to dangerous criminals may escape answering to the American public, but they will not escape giving an account of their decisions to the One who regards such crimes as abhorrent (2 Cor. 5:10).
Christians have been granted no exemption to the consequences of sin, either. Paul wrote:
Therefore, having these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7:10).
Psalm 111:10 teaches: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (cf. Pr. 9:10) and Proverbs 1:7 tells us: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” No wonder foolishness and evil abound in this society. Many people possess no knowledge of the Word of God and no wisdom in discerning right from wrong or good from evil. The fear of God continues to dissipate and disappear.
“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil” (Pr. 8:13), and “by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil” (Pr. 16: 6), yet many in the entertainment media embrace wickedness. People in every country need to think seriously about making that departure because the results of fearing God cannot be matched. “The fear of the Lord tends to life” (Pr. 19:23). “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life” (Pr. 22:4). “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence” (Pr. 14:26). The confidence of many is due to their own abilities or the amount of friends they have—neither of which can sustain anyone before God. Finally, the “fear of the Lord is a fountain of life” (Pr. 14:27). Restoring the fear of the Lord to society will bring spiritual prosperity.
Prayer
About half of those who participated in the poll said that they prayed daily. Of this number, only 15% said that they prayed because God expects them to, which may not be a negative. It would be better if people prayed because they had the desire to do so. 67% said that they pray because it brings them comfort and hope, which makes sense. Those who know that God exists expect Him to listen and answer their requests.
What is it that people are praying for? A rather large 72% are praying for the well-being of others, which is both Scriptural and thoughtful. While 60% are praying for forgiveness, what are the other 40% doing? Do they think they have no need of forgiveness? Possibly they do, since hardly anything is regarded as sinful any more. A hefty 27% pray for success (Joel Osteen does have a large audience), and 21% pray for money and other material things (5). This is not necessarily wrong, but people do need to be careful that they do not pray for such things to spend it on their own pleasures (James 4:3).
Church Attendance
Wicker writes: “As a concrete measure of religious commitment, nothing beats counting how many bodies show up at worship each week” (5). For many years church attendance on any given Sunday remained near 40%, but now only 30% attend once or more every week. Wicker adds a rather strange comment following the giving of this statistic:
But keep in mind that academic researchers who actually count the number of participants believe that only up to one-half of those who claim to be in their houses of worship are actually there (5).
What? Is she saying that half or more of religious folks are lying? Surely they would not! If the claim is true, the implication is—well, one of the options below:
a. The respondents are lying, which then makes suspect all of their other answers. Do they really only pray for others 36% of the time? Maybe 42% pray for money or material things for themselves.
b. They are forgetful. Every other week they are sick or out of town, but they felt like they were in worship anyway. Would not only having written 26 contribution checks at the end of the year serve as a clue to their absences?
c. The older members are suffering from dementia and just imagined they were present for worship.
d. Their spiritual self-esteem is so high that they just naturally rate themselves better than they are.
e. Either the church some people are worshiping with is on television, or they stay home during times of bad weather to watch a worship hour on television.
Nothing is known of the researchers, but surely in America we have more than 15% of the population worshiping each Sunday. If 15% were the case, we would be approaching the attendance level of Europe, which does not seem likely.
Organized Religion
On a related topic, of the 45% who referred to themselves religious, 70% said they participate in “organized religion sporadically or not at all” (5). Again, the majority has decided to trust in their own judgment rather than follow the Bible or even the manmade doctrines of religious denominations. “Organized religions” have been diminishing because in some cases they no longer uphold Biblical morality; some “religious” groups are leading the way into moral poverty. Many Americans can no longer support their own religious denomination. When those groups begin ordaining homosexuals as “priests” and performing homosexual marriages, they lose members. The message of many modern-day churches has nothing to do with sin or salvation; many are emphasizing social programs and entertainment. Few, however, can compete with the show business approach of the megachurches.
Only 17% of those surveyed said they would turn to a religious leader for guidance with their problems; 55% said they would lean on family members (5). It is good that family members can be close enough to handle most situations; this statistic is not necessarily a negative one. Sometimes, however, it is good to discuss a particular circumstance with someone who has had experience dealing with the same or similar conditions.
Religion and Politics
If ever the devil has been successful in getting a slogan accepted by the general public, it has been with this one: “Religion and politics don’t mix.” 58% of those polled affirmed that oft-repeated maxim (5). Has anyone ever asked, “Why?” Most of our founding fathers were religious men, and they recognized that government works best when it is undergirded by moral principles. What was so oppressive about our country when there was a greater influence of religion in the government? Was it not the adherence to Biblical principles that led to the end of the practice of slavery?
Are we really concerned that we will have a church-run state? Has some religious group threatened a forthcoming coup? We would all be opposed to such an atrocity; why are we not equally opposed to the fact that the religion of secular humanism insists on dominating the government? Would our founding fathers agree that the Bible should not be mentioned in public schools and that public prayers cannot be uttered? Everyone ought to know the answer to that question. Look what taking Biblical morality out of government has accomplished. Politicians know full well they are lying to the American people; what is worse is that we know they are lying, also, yet we choose not to hold them accountable. We ought to be demanding that the people we elect believe and uphold the Scriptures.
It would be refreshing to have someone in office who could speak the truth about what he believes. If he cannot speak on a matter of national security, all he needs to say is, “I cannot comment on this subject at this time.” Voters might appreciate knowing where a candidate actually stands, even if they disagree on a certain issue, over hearing continuous Doublespeak. Some politicians have discovered that they can use religion to manipulate people; we must beware of them since they are the most dangerous and evil of all.
Miscellaneous Matters
It is gratifying to know that two out of three people are not interested in mediums or “psychics.” Only 12% check their horoscopes on a daily basis (5). The public’s interest in such things flares up at times, but most realize they have no legitimacy.
Respondents were asked to select their favorite spiritual film; 25% selected The Ten Commandments; other choices were Ghost, The Sixth Sense, The Exorcist, The Omen, It’s a Wonderful Life, and The DaVinci Code. The next most popular movie of these came in only at 15% (5). It is odd that they did not provide as one of the choices Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.
Only 43% of those surveyed said that they “thought people go to heaven or hell depending on their actions on earth” (5). Since 62% think they will join loved ones after death, it probably would have been more instructive to ask two separate questions: “Do you believe in heaven?” and “Do you believe in hell?” Obviously, a place of eternal torment is not nearly so popular as a place of eternal life. What these responses reveal is that people believe what they want to believe rather than what the Bible teaches. This tendency further implies that people are using their own subjective feelings about spiritual matters rather than the objective Word, that is inspired of God.
The Questions Not Asked
Few doctrinal questions were asked, and it would be interesting to see what people might have answered. Below are a few topics of interest.
1. Do you believe that children are born depraved?
2. Do you believe that all people have sinned and are in need of salvation?
3. Do you believe that people are saved by “faith only” and that repentance, baptism, and faithfulness are not required?
4. Do you believe that once a person is saved, he cannot be lost, no matter what?
5. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?
These questions would indicate how much people really believe in the Bible as the Word of God.