The recent Pew Forum study on religion, widely reported in the media, shows that the vast majority of Americans remains religious: 92 percent believe in God. This percentage has remained relatively stable for more than half a century.
Atheists remain a tiny proportion of the population with some interesting anomalies: 21 percent of self-identified atheists say they believe in God, with nearly 10 percent of them "absolutely sure" of it. What this means is that 21 percent of self-described atheists are highly confused and 10 percent are certified nut-cases.
What got the most attention, however, was Pew's discovery that a majority of religious Americans believe that other religions make valid claims about God and can lead to heaven. Around 80 percent of Catholics, Protestants and Jews, as well as 55 percent of Muslims, reject the idea that their religion is the only way.
These findings, however, hardly suggest that pluralism has overtaken truth as the defining feature of American religion. First of all, Christianity is the only religion to hold another religion to be wholly true. That religion is Judaism. Second, Catholics and Protestants have become increasingly convinced that it is fidelity to creedal Christianity--and not the denominational differences of past centuries--that is decisive for salvation. Finally many people don't realize that just as Christianity sees itself as succeeding and incorporating Judaism, so Islam sees itself as coming after and incorporating both Judaism and Christianity. Consequently I'm not surprised that most Muslims view Jews and Christians as fellow monotheists rather than hell-bound infidels.
Soon my Orange County debate with atheist Christopher Hitchens and Jewish radio host Dennis Prager will be up on the web and I'll link to it. The debate, amusingly billed as a Christian-Atheist-Jewish showdown, had some fiery and fascinating exchanges. At one point Hitchens sought to alienate me from the Jews in the audience by asking me if good and decent Jews can go to heaven. I said I believe they can. This is no denial of the central Christian proposition that Christ is the way to salvation. The Bible clearly specifies that there is salvation through Christ for his followers.
But Scripture and Christian teaching leave open the question of what happens to virtuous non-Christians who either lived before Christ or who have not had a chance to accept him. My hope and belief is that God's mercy can extend to them also, as it did to Moses and Abraham and the God-fearing Jews of the Old Testament. If so, they too would be saved through Christ's sacrifice on the cross, even if they did not consciously and explicitly embrace that sacrifice. As for atheists who reject God and affirm with Hitchens that they want nothing to do with heaven, we can be reasonably confident that God will respect their free will and reluctantly grant their wish.
There are two kinds of pluralism: the kind that holds that truth does not matter, and the kind that holds that truth matters greatly but as flawed human beings our reason and experience gives us only limited access to the truth. The first kind of pluralism is deadly for religion, and is typically embraced by flaccid people who are too lazy to think or who have been seduced by postmodernist flimflam. The second kind of pluralism is the shared ground of debate between intelligent believers and unbelievers. The stakes could not be higher.
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 69)
16. Where was this poll taken, Florida? Where are the real census takers who can get clean-cut numbers instead of self-contradictory flim-flam? I always look at polls with a liberal dash of salt. Afterall, they never asked me... who is their confused little subject group that they think can represent everyone?
Mokele Mbembe at 11:49AM on Jun 25th 2008
17. Well now. This is a refreshing bit of blather.
So it is possible for jews, who do not accept christ as the messiah nor recognize him as the son of god, to go to heaven? That seems to poke a hole in the notion of "Christianity or bust.
Here is my hypothetical. An atheist dies. Against all odds there is a god. He was a good person who helped all others regardless of their faith, did not judge or post to blog sites, and was in general a virtuous human being. He admits he was wrong. Does he get into heaven?
If yes, then it would mean the the reward doesn't hinge on identifying yourself as a member of faith X or praying to God Y but in your day to day actions and their conseqences with fellow humans. A humanistic judgement of salvation.
If not, then it would mean that god really doesn't care how you act. His critia is that of being in the appropriate club and personality would be meaningless next to obedience.
If 55% of Americans believe in the former then it is afreshing glimpse into the idea of spiritual meritocracy. Sure, you might be a gay atheist, but you are also a good person who cares and helps for fellow people. You get the reward. And God forgives you for trying to go it without beliving in God.
I also understand why 45% would reject this notion. After all, if membership is insufficient to merit salvation, if simply believing isn't enough to purge the sin and harm done to fellow human beings then they will feel themselves cheated. Those christian devotees of Roberts and phelps might be forced to ask why they gave money to these wealthy demogogues instead of giving it to the homeless guy at the street corner.
Ahh... the joys of presumption.
Somber at 11:49AM on Jun 25th 2008
18. Ryan-
Clearly you recognize the inflammatory tactics by now? Buzzwords such as "flaccid" vs. "intelligent" and so forth.
Not being able to formulate a single intellegent comment, Dinesh looks to his fly, sees his wanker, thinks- "flaccid". Then lifts said wanker, thinks- "intelligent". Then writes blog backwards to justify his epiphany.
Upon completion, gently (I can't say it-) while thinking of his one true love, the one who got away- the lovely Ann Coulter.
Finally, wipes off keyboard and screen, and begins to formulate self-satisfied responses under a variety of guises- the start of another day.
Hannah- I blame YOU for this little missive. And can't thank you enough.
Aloha!
Robert at 11:51AM on Jun 25th 2008
19. "According to Pew, of the 92% that believe in God, only 71% are certain about it. That means 34% of the population is to some degree of Agnostic"
Your reading is off. The data says that 71% of ALL people fully believe in God. And another 17% are fairly certain they believe in God (which is to say, not agnostic).
There was no section for atheists though. Just "Unaffiliated" which is a bit vague, but doesn't necessarily mean atheist.
Hunter at 11:51AM on Jun 25th 2008
20. Somber,
Spiritual meritocracy - Spiritual mediocrity - same thing.
Mokele Mbembe at 12:07PM on Jun 25th 2008
21. Once again, double dope, you insult me, so, in the biblical eye for an eye tradition, I will insult you back, you asshole. It is condescending and insulting for your justification of how Jews can go to heaven. I am sure you don't see it that way, seeing as how your article is named "Is christianity the only way?" Obviously you think it is, ultimately, and those who have not had a chance to accept YOUR savior (jesus, i mean...not money and power in this instance, you asshole) will go to hell.
What you fail to realize is that if your belief system is actually true, then you too will go to hell; as your championing of the religion, and your going to church will not outweigh all of this insulting, non-accepting garbage which you spew.
America's Most Gangsta at 12:16PM on Jun 25th 2008
22. MM,
I think double dope's polling sample for this study, were the 5 dentists that were surveyed years ago regarding trident gum.
America's Most Gangsta at 12:16PM on Jun 25th 2008
23.
It's this blather that makes religion into the scam it is.
Every religion screams it's sole authenticity. Every one lists what you have to do, and what you can't do. Christianity has many passages that state you can't get in unless you believe in Jesus - period. Yet, this too, is "open to interpretation." Here's a few examples...
John 3:18: "...whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
Acts 3:23: "And it shall be, that every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed from among the people."
1 John 5:12: "...he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."
So, if the book says this, and you believe something else, What the fuck is the book there for?
You can hand pick your quotes for anything. It's the "literal word of god," yet it's wrong, let me tell you why....
ex-christian at 12:13PM on Jun 25th 2008
24. Hunter,
DD said the poll was of Americans, not "ALL people". I can't trust a poll taken without the pretense of understanding the ambiguity of what believing in "god" means. I say I believe in God, just not the popular connotation of "God". I want to see better-conceived polls, so that the numbers would mean something instead of being a quagmire of semantic confusion.
Mokele Mbembe at 12:14PM on Jun 25th 2008
25. AMG,
I'm not interested in their opinions. Does that make me a rabid antidentite?
Mokele Mbembe at 12:20PM on Jun 25th 2008
26. Where's TJG, our resident whipping boy. It brings out the worst in me, but least my worst is better than his best.
Mokele Mbembe at 12:24PM on Jun 25th 2008
27.
The pope says catholosism is the only true path to salvation - he said that a year ago.
Jesus,(who is god, if I'm not mistaken) said that he was the only path to salvation.
Somebody's lying, which one? On what grounds does the pope trump god? According to him, catholic priests trace their "roots" back to the time of the apostles....
So, by his Martin Scorsese-Mafia bullshit, his tracing his religious roots back to the old country give him the authority to call Jesus a liar.
ex-christian at 12:33PM on Jun 25th 2008
28. Q-IS CHRISTIANITY THE ONLY WAY?
A-No, there are many other ways of dumbing yourself down; however christianity is generally considered one of the BEST ways to do it.
Godless Heathen Brian at 1:03PM on Jun 25th 2008
29. Christians,
http://www.local6.com/health/16704078/detail.html
This is the nonsense that makes the rest of the educated world laugh at you, not with you.
K at 1:04PM on Jun 25th 2008
30. XC,
Reminds me of FF Coppola's Godfather III, where the church is just another gang.
Mokele Mbembe at 1:06PM on Jun 25th 2008