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Religious Activity
In general, the spiritual practices of
Hispanic adults are nearly identical to those of non-Hispanics. During a
typical week Hispanics are just as likely to attend church (40%), volunteer at
their church (24%), pray to God (81%), attend a Sunday school class (15%), and
attend a small group meeting for spiritual purposes (15%) as are non-Hispanic
adults. The only spiritual activity measured for which there was a significant
distinction related to Bible reading. Hispanic adults are less likely than
other adults to read the Bible during the week, other than during a church
service (33% versus 40%, respectively).
Church Affiliation
Throughout the world, an overwhelming
proportion of Hispanics are affiliated with the Catholic Church. While that
relationship persists in the
While many Hispanics are realigning
themselves with Protestant churches, they are not attracted to the churches
that often appeal to non-Hispanics. Baptist churches attract 20% of the
non-Hispanic adult population, while mainline churches (Episcopal, United
Church of Christ, United Methodist, Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., and
Evangelical Lutheran) draw another 20% of the non-Hispanic segment. However,
only 1% of all Hispanic adults attend either a Baptist or mainline church!
In fact, the presence of Hispanics greatly
affects the relative standing of the Catholic and Baptist churches in the U.S.
As matters currently stand, among the total adult population the Catholic
church has the largest number of adherents of any denomination (22% of all U.S.
adults attend a Catholic church). Among the non-Hispanic population of the
country, however, Baptist churches have the upper hand, attracting 20% compared
to 18% who associate with the Catholic Church.
There does not appear to be any single
Protestant denomination that has a grip on Hispanics; the group is spread among
dozens of evangelical and charismatic churches. There is a slightly above
average tendency for Hispanics to attend charismatic and Pentecostal churches.
Religious Beliefs
Almost nine out of ten Hispanics (87%)
consider themselves to be Christian. Although more than four out of five assert
that their religious faith is very important in their life, only one out of
four Hispanic adults (26%) also claims to be "absolutely committed"
to the Christian faith. Placed in context, that is substantially below the
level of "absolute commitment" reported among non-Hispanics: 44%.
While Hispanics and non-Hispanics share a
common perspective on God (70% describe Him as the all-knowing, all-powerful
Creator of the universe who still rules the world today), there are other
theological divergences that emerge. Hispanics are comparatively more likely to
contend that Satan is not real, that the Holy Spirit is merely a symbol of
God's presence or power, that Jesus Christ committed sins during His tenure on
earth, and that if a person does enough good things, he/she can earn a place in
Heaven.
Hispanic adults are much less likely than
others to be born again. Currently, just 25% of Hispanic adults are considered
to be born again, compared to 44% among non-Hispanic adults. Particularly
interesting is the fact that the born again proportion has remained unchanged
for Hispanics in the past decade, while there has been a small but
statistically significant increase among non-Hispanics (from 38% to 44%).
Potential Impact
George Barna, the researcher who directed
the study, noted that the theological differences between Hispanics and others
are very important. "Hispanics are struggling with the intersection of
faith and culture. At the moment, pop culture is affecting their faith views
more than their beliefs are impacting their lifestyle choices. The next five
years or so will see fascinating dynamics occur as many Hispanics leave the
Catholic church in favor of Protestant congregations. Those churches, in turn,
will have to address the theological perspectives of these newcomers that are
neither evangelical nor fundamentalist in nature. The tension between the
excitement of experiencing increased attendance and the challenge of biblically
discipling people who are not especially drawn to the Bible will reveal the
ministry priorities of those churches. Either the incoming Hispanics will
experience life transforming insights that reshape their theology and
lifestyle, or the congregations will experience marketing success bought at the
price of theological compromise."
Barna also noted that his research among
Hispanic teenagers suggests that growth within charismatic churches will
continue to outpace growth elsewhere, and that departing from the Catholic church
will be less of a struggle for many Hispanic teens than it has been for their
parents and grandparents.
Research Methodology
The data described in this report come from
a series of four nationwide telephone surveys conducted by the Barna Research
Group from its telephone facility in Ventura, California. In total, 4,038
adults were interviewed, including 468 who described themselves as Hispanic.
All of the survey respondents were 18 years of age or older, lived within the
48 continental states, and were selected for participation through use of a
Random-Digit Dial sample, which produces a probability sample of all adults.
The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is
plus or minus three percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The
distribution of the survey sample coincided with the geographic dispersion of
the U.S. adult population. Multiple callbacks were used to increase the
probability of obtaining a reliable distribution of adults.
"Born again Christians" were defined
in the surveys as people who said they had made a personal commitment to Jesus
Christ that is still important in their life today and who then indicated they
believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed
their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents were not
asked to if they considered themselves to be "born again."
The Barna Research Group, Ltd. is an
independent marketing research company located in southern California. Since
1984 it has been studying cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes
and behaviors. This research was funded solely by Barna Research as part of its
regular tracking of the faith, lifestyles, and perspectives of Americans.
If you would like to receive a bi-weekly update
on the latest research findings from the Barna Research Group, you may
subscribe to this free service at the top left-hand corner of this web site.
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