US White Evangelicals: 67% believe natural disasters are evidence of the end times
Fascinating research conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute in partnership with Religion News Service, following the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan:
7-in-10 Americans see God as a person with whom one can have a relationship, and a majority (56%) say God is in control of everything that happens in the world.
However, less than 4-in-10 (38%) believe earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters are a sign from God; and even fewer (29%) believe that God sometimes punishes nations for the sins of some of its citizens.
The one exception to this pattern is found among white evangelical Protestants.
Nearly 6-in-10 (59%) white evangelicals also believe that natural disasters are a sign from God. Only about one-third of Catholics (31%) and white mainline Protestants (34%) believe natural disasters are a sign from God.
A majority (53%) of white evangelicals believe that God punishes nations for the sins of its citizens–a view held by just 1-in-5 white mainline Protestants and Catholics.
Nearly 6-in-10 (58%) Americans say that the severity of recent natural disasters is evidence of global climate change, compared to 44% of Americans who say that the severity of recent natural disasters is evidence of what the Bible calls the ‘end times.’ White evangelical Protestants and Republicans are an exception to this pattern:
Among White evangelicals, 67% believe that natural disasters are evidence of what the Bible calls the ‘end times’ compared to 52% who see it as evidence of global climate change.
Among Republicans, 52% believe that natural disasters are evidence of what the Bible calls the ‘end times’ compared to 41% who see it as evidence of global climate change.
Tags: Christianity, Religion Society
March 25th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
There is no fool like a religious fool, I say.
Perhaps God was bringing down the shutters at the advent of the last Ice Age? Perhaps God was calling time at the bar when the dinosaurs were squashed out of existence. End Times Schmend Times
I am happy to do a deal. If US White Evangelicals are wrong and my kids see the turn of the next century, then they can give their countless millions of dollars to charity, call it a day and become incense swinging catholic types. If the world ends tomorrow, I shall apologise in person and state that I was wrong.
Though I guess this works if you plonk your argument into a ‘celestial timescale’ where the “end times” take 11 billion years to work themselves out. Anyone can win an argument like that.
I know I am a strange fool, but at least I don’t feel alone any more
Thanks for this Stuart!
March 27th, 2011 at 12:09 am
My sentiments on the matter entirely David