Clergy/Leaders’ Mail-list No. 0-003

GOD: IMPORTANT, BUT NOT PRIMARY

“The world is religious, but not in love with God”

A worldwide poll of religious beliefs presents an intriguing snapshot of man and God at the end of the millennium.

God is important to many people, but not primary, the poll shows. Almost two-thirds of the world’s people say God is quite significant in their lives, but much of that belief appears to be nominal, a survey conducted in 60 countries by the London-based market research company Taylor Nelson Sofres and Gallup International Association found.

Worldwide, 87% of people consider themselves part of a religion and only 13% said they belong to none. Believers include Roman Catholics, Protestants, other Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and followers of other religions.

Religiosity varies greatly by location. In West Africa, where Muslims are the largest group and the Catholic Church has made inroads, 99% believe in God, 12 points above average. The least religious region is East Asia, which has 77% believers. In Hong Kong, 64% said they do not believe in any religion, as is the case for 55% in the Czech Republic, and 46% in South Korea.

Higher education correlates to lower levels of belief, the survey showed. Fifty-two percent of college graduates are religious compared with 54% of people with a high school education and 70% of those who completed only primary school.

Much of religion appears to be nominal. Although 87% of respondents say they are followers of some religion, just 32% practice their faith by attending services at least once a week, 35% every now and then, and 33% never or less than once a year. Women are more committed to attending than men, and people with only a primary level of education more so than others. The attendance rate at services is higher for those under 24 years old.

Among those who almost never go to church, the survey singled out people living in Western Europe (48%) and Eastern Europe (44%). By contrast, nine out of 10 West Africans and seven out of 10 Latin Americans attend church. Even though many people who say they are religious do not attend services, seven of 10 respondents say they regularly meditate or pray in solitude.

People in different cultures picture God in different ways, the survey showed. Forty-five percent say they think of God as a person, while 30% think of a force or spirit. About 14% had no image of God, 8% do not believe God exists, and 3% did not answer. Women, the elderly, and people with less education tend to see God as a person. More-educated people prefer the idea of a spiritual force, or reject the notion of a superior being. Men are more prone to deny God’s existence.

Forty-six percent of those surveyed said they believe there is more than one true religion, and 31% think theirs is the only true faith. Ten percent say there is no such thing as the one true religion and 13% don’t know or gave no answer. Those who are more attached to the idea of just one religion as valid are the elderly, women, and people with just a primary education, and are concentrated in West Africa and Latin America. North Americans are the most open-minded and Europeans the most agnostic.

Religion in the United States is a mile long and an inch deep, a recent book by pollster George Gallup, Jr., says. Surveying the Religious Landscape, which contains information and wisdom from 70 years of Gallup-family polling, says Americans are largely ignorant about doctrine and lack trust in God.

The challenge for churches is to evangelize those already attending church to help them grow deeper in the faith, Gallup and co-author D. Michael Lindsay said.