The First Amendment Center conducted a national telephone survey between July 28 and Aug. 6, and some of the results may surprise you. The survey, which involved over 1,000 adults of various backgrounds, was performed by the national polling firm The Pert Group and is an annual process for the First Amendment Center. Here's what respondent had to say:
On a slightly more disturbing note, I'd be a little concerned if half of my neighbors believed that the Constitution established this country as a Christian nation. I'd be even more concerned if a quarter of them thought that freedom to worship applied to them but not to me. Both of these indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of the laws of this country, and of how those laws are applied to everyone, not just those whose beliefs you approve of.
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- 75% of those polled said students should be able to speak about their faith at public school events.
- 76% support the proclaiming of a National Day of Prayer by Congress or the president.
- 53% said the U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation.
- 28% said freedom to worship never was intended to apply to groups "most people would consider fringe or extreme.
On a slightly more disturbing note, I'd be a little concerned if half of my neighbors believed that the Constitution established this country as a Christian nation. I'd be even more concerned if a quarter of them thought that freedom to worship applied to them but not to me. Both of these indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of the laws of this country, and of how those laws are applied to everyone, not just those whose beliefs you approve of.
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Yes, that 53% is a very scary number
I find it difficult to define what constitutes a “fringe or extreme” religious view from what can be defined as a cult (e.g. Scientology, WBC, “Mormon Fundamentalist”), so I’m not surprised that many people aren’t willing to give those views the same First Amendment protections.
That over half view the USA as a Christian nation? Yeah, definitely scary. Only 222 years (since ratification) and most of us forgot what the Constitution actually stands for. It’s disheartening.
To be honest, I’m surprised the number for a Christian nation isn’t bigger than it is. As a pagan in the middle of the bible belt (Texas) I can definitely claim that the percentage here is much higher than 53%. I don’t actively hide my religion, but I’m also very careful with who I bring it up around…having one discussion about pagan doesn’t mean devil-worshiping against a bible-thumper was more than enough.
I just wish more people would remember that this country was founded to get away from religious persecution. Who cares what deity you worship, or rites you perform…so long as it doesn’t harm yourself or others, leave them in peace.
The Christian Nation would love to scrap the Constitution altogether. Fortunately for the rest of us that has not happened. No matter what we personally think of the government and the continuing drama in politics, the document still protects the rest of us from the Blue Meanies. For those not old enough, the reference goes back to the Beatles and The Yellow Submarine.
There are several problems with telephone polls, two of which are:
1. They usually call during the day, and the people who will be reached are usually either stay-at-home-moms or seniors. These groups are usually more conservative than the average.
2. The phones that are called are landlines, which means that many of us who primarily use cell phones will not be called.
Telephone polls are notoriously inaccurate and skew to the right wing.