Archive for the ‘youth’ Category
May 23 2013  |
What does it mean when someone says, “My prayers are with you.” More than one might imagine, it turns out, particularly when the pledge comes from someone near to the person suffering, new research suggests. One national study found that people who were prayed for by someone close to them were the most optimistic about their future – even though individuals receiving prayer were more likely to be facing adversity such as mental or physical health issues or unemployment.
[Read Full Column...]Apr 3 2013 |
From youth travel teams to big-time national festivals such as the Final Four, sports have been making increasing inroads in the busy lives of many Americans. And it is having an impact on religious groups, which report increasing difficulty convincing families that are willing to spend half a day traveling to a 9-year-old’s softball or soccer game to make time for worship services. Some congregations have opted out of the competition, while others are adapting by offering alternative service times and their own sports programs.
[Read Full Column...]Dec 10 2012 |
There is only one U.S. religious group, propelled in part by an enthusiastic group of young followers, that is expected to grow to 100 million adherents by the middle of the century. Yet to hear some critics focus on generational shfts showing declining Mass attendance and doctrinal commitment among white Catholics, one might think the Catholic Church is slowly sinking in the U.S. religious landscape. So which is it for the nation’s largest religious group, growth or decline? The answer is some of both, researchers say.
[Read Full Column...]Oct 27 2012 |
Even as more people appear to be turning away from organized religion, a new study finds that the number of Americans who definitely believe in religious miracles increased 22 percent in the past two decades, The increased belief in miracles crosses all religious traditions, with the strongest gains reported by those who attend services infrequently.
[Read Full Column...]Apr 23 2012 |
The average social media user may face some challenging questions in deciding how much of their personal faith to disclose online. Will sharing my religious life make me more or less likely to get a date? Make new friends? Expand professional networks? New research indicates that merely disclosing one’s religious identity is considered socially acceptable. But the costs and the benefits can rise the more online users share about their religious lives.
[Read Full Column...]Feb 29 2012 |
U.S. Cardinal Edward Egan recently generated controversy by expressing regret for issuing an apology for the church’s handling of clergy sexual abuse. Yet no matter how much individuals such as the cardinal would like to put the abuse scandal behind them, they can no longer appeal to an obedient laity to ignore or downplay the crimes, according to new research. Many Catholics are still mad as heck, and they are not going to take it anymore. The enduring consequences include continuing defections, lower collections, ruptures in pastoral relationships and a loss of moral influence by church leaders, research indicates.
[Read Full Column...]Feb 16 2012 |
The growing number of Americans reporting no religious affiliation are at the center of a debate over whether the United States is inevitably moving toward becoming a more secular nation or is experiencing shifts in the religious marketplace but stability in basic beliefs and behaviors. There are no easy answers. A growing body of evidence reveals a complex portrait of Americans who do not identify with a particular religious group. Many “nones,” some scholars say, find themselves “betwixt and between the religious and the secular, but they are not necessarily on the path to being one or the other.”
[Read Full Column...]Jan 31 2012 |
The success of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow and his personal expressions of faith – including the addition of a prayer posture now known as Tebowing – has reignited conversation about the relationship between sports and religion. As Super Bowl XLVI approaches, research provides evidence that for both athlete and fan, prayer may serve to help them cope with the pressures of sports, and help them keep in perspective that, in the end, it is just a game.
[Read Full Column...]Oct 25 2011 |
New research shows a sharp decline in the percentage of U.S.congreations reporting high spiritual vitality and a drop in the number of churches empasizing spiritual practices such as prayer and Scripture reading. These trends conflict with growing evidence showing the importance of congregations cultivating the spiritual lives of the faithful. The reasons for the disconnect arre varied, but it is not because religious leaders can say they don’t know any better.
[Read Full Column...]May 25 2011 |
Date-setting for the end of the world has never worked out too well for biblical prophets. Some social scientists, however, say increasingly sophisticated demographic tools can provide vauable insight into the future of religion. Under one scenario for the U.S., Hispanic Catholics and non-Christian religions will be big winners, while predominantly white religious groups will lag behind. Other researchers, however, are skeptical of such attempts to predict the future.
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