These numbers are not good. Or surprising.

From a column by Terry Mattingly titled "Sex, sin, and surveys" (notice to the clever mimicry of a certain television show that I have never watched):

Right now, the gay-marriage issue is making headlines. But for millions of traditional believers in Christianity, Judaism, Islam and many other faiths, this issue is linked to a question rooted in religious doctrine, not modern politics. In a spring LifeWay survey, researchers asked: "Do you believe homosexual behavior is a sin?"

The results showed a culture torn in half, with 48 percent of American adults saying that homosexual acts are sinful and 45 percent disagreeing. Considering the margin for error, this is a virtual tie.

The numbers were radically different in different pews, with only 39 percent of Roman Catholics believing that homosexual acts are sinful, as opposed to 61 percent of Protestants and 79 percent of those who identified as evangelical, "born again" or fundamentalist Christians.

A similar pattern emerged from a hot-button question in the latest results reported from the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Researchers in this massive effort asked participants which of the following statements "comes closer to your own views -- even if neither is exactly right. 1 -- Homosexuality is a way of life that should be accepted by society, OR 2 -- Homosexuality is a way of life that should be discouraged by society."

The question was not stated in strictly political or religious terms. However, with that powerful, more official word "discouraged" in the question, 50 percent of the adults surveyed said that "homosexuality" in general, as opposed to homosexual behavior, should be accepted by society.

Once again, there were sharp differences in various religious groups, with 79 percent of American Jews, 58 percent of Catholics and 56 percent of mainline Protestants calling for acceptance of homosexuality. Meanwhile, only 39 percent of the members of historically black churches, 27 percent of Muslims and 26 percent of the evangelical Protestants affirmed the public acceptance of homosexuality.

Read the entire column.

Here is the June 4, 2008, LifeWay survey mentioned by Mattingly.

And here is the Pew Forum link.

Comments

[LJ]

"The numbers were radically different in different pews, with only 39 percent of Roman Catholics believing that homosexual acts are sinful, as opposed to 61 percent of Protestants and 79 percent of those who identified as evangelical, "born again" or fundamentalist Christians."

This is an illustration once again of what such surveys normally illustrate, which has little to do with the subject matter of the survey. It demonstrates the difference between criterion for religious identification.

That is why the extremes of the results show the polar opposites as being Catholic and 'Born Again.' Any person who was baptized in the Catholic Church and knows it, will likely identify as Catholic whether or not they have been there in the past 30 years, or if they remotely believe anything the Catholic Church teaches or even know anything the Catholic Church teaches. However, if a person self-identifies as 'born again', the chances are he was in Church last Sunday and likely at Wednesday's prayer meeting.

So, in that sense there is an 'apples and oranges' factor to the results that we at least need to bear in mind.

[Dan Deeny]

L.J. makes some good observations. It would be interesting to know what Catholics who go to church and those who don't think on this subject. Is it like the abortion business? Prominent Catholics attend church and receive communion while supporting the abortion business. Again the rules seem clear: Sodomy is sinful.

[Roberta Young]

When I was an agnostic, fallen-away Catholic, had I been asked for my opinion about moral issues on a survey, I would have certainly have identified myself as Catholic, because I saw it as part of my cultural heritage (Irish Catholic). I would also have done so in order to to register my disagreement with the Catholic Church, and to try to pressure the Church to "change with the times". So I am skeptical about how "Catholic" these self-identified Catholics are. I do know some Church-going pro-choice, pro-same-sex marriage Catholics, but I still think there numbers are less than the media would have us believe.