The central problem I see concerning what has happened to Christianity in the United States is that it is much less about Jesus’ teachings and much more about Biblical interpretation particularly out of the Old Testament, and the belief in Biblical inerrancy. It is a weird fantasy because the Bible is a collection of stories, most written a century, or centuries after Jesus’ life, stories picked by clerical committees. The research study referenced in this article, a survey carried out by a Christian research organization, contains some very interesting insights. Here are some examples that collectively present a profile of what Christianity has become in the U.S.:
“Among the nine out of 10 who self-identify as Christian, the most common types of Christian church they attend most often were Catholic (31%), mainline Protestant (24%), evangelical (18%), independent or non-denominational (11%), and Pentecostal/ charismatic (7%). 88% of adult churchgoers believe it is important for Christians to have a biblical worldview. Only 6% believe it is not important. A majority of adults said they desire their church to offer additional worldview training on social and political responsibility (79%), abortion and the value of life (71%), and human sexuality (68%).”
One out of every six regular churchgoers in America say they have had, paid for or encouraged an abortion, according to a new study from the Family Research Council’s Center for Biblical Worldview and pollster George Barna.
Among the more than 1,000 interviews, 16 percent of survey respondents said they “admitted to having ever paid for, encouraged, or chosen to have an abortion.”
The survey, which looked at beliefs about abortion in relation to the Bible, also found that sixty-five percent of respondents said the Bible does identify when human life begins. About 20 percent disagreed with the statement, and 14 percent said they didn’t know, The Chrisitan Post reports.
Of those who said the Bible does identify when human life begins, 52 percent of respondents said life starts when the female egg is fertilized, seven percent said life begins when the unborn baby reaches viability, and six percent said it begins six weeks into a pregnancy.
Some 35 percent of respondents said the Bible teaches that abortion is unacceptable under any circumstances. In comparison, 19 percent said they believed the Bible […]
Aborrtion is not mentioned in the Bible. Moses, Jesus and Paul all spoke extesively about sexual mores, and did not mention abortion. It was considered women’s business, like handling menarche, menstruation, pregnancy, menopause. None of these are talked about in either testament- both are male-oriented. There is one OT story in which someone kills a pregnant woman, and her husband demands recompense for the fetus- his property. This is often pointed to, but is not about abortion.
PS I was baptized in the Foursquare Gospel Church, and know the Bible well.
Stephan Schwartz
on Sunday, September 3, 2023 at 4:59 pm
Aborrtion is not mentioned in the Bible. Moses, Jesus and Paul all spoke extesively about sexual mores, and did not mention abortion. It was considered women’s business, like handling menarche, menstruation, pregnancy, menopause. None of these are talked about in either testament- both are male-oriented. There is one OT story in which someone kills a pregnant woman, and her husband demands recompense for the fetus- his property. This is often pointed to, but is not about abortion.
PS I was baptized in the Foursquare Gospel Church, and know the Bible well.
Excellent and accurate points.