American Beliefs
© Gary Sweeten, Ed. D.

Recent TV shows have featured people such as the radical leftist and secularist Barry Lynn who attack committed Christians at every opportunity. Now they are suing to stop government funds from going to Christian rescuers in the Gulf states. Why would Mr. Lynn and the People for the American Way want to prohibit Christians from helping the needy of the south?

What are the deepest beliefs of Americans? According to most polls the majority of us come from a Christian tradition. About 42% of Americans attend religious services weekly. This is far more than those who attend all professional sports in an entire year.

Some 95% of Americans believe in God. In 1985 George Gallup found that 72% stated: "My whole approach to life is based on my religion." We are the most religious western nation by far. This is especially shocking when we realize that the country is divided almost 50/50 in politics. America, for all her weaknesses, is a religious nation. As one wag noted, ”India is the most religious country in the world and Sweden the least. America is a bunch of Indians ruled by Swedes.”

Research shows that 91% of blacks, 93% of Hispanics and 88% of whites report a religious affiliation. Even more startling is the number for regular attendance:
51% of blacks, 48% of Hispanics and 43% of whites attend services weekly or more often.

Sixty four percent (64%) of blacks in the national sample were members of religious communities (churches) with 59% of whites and 43% of Hispanics. Participation in religious activities outside weekend services is also high with 47% blacks, 41% whites and 31% Hispanics saying they are in church during the week as well as on Sunday. (Social Capital http://www.cfsv.org/communitysurvey/results6.html)

In a nation obsessed with racial and cultural diversity the facts about minorities and religious faith have been strangely absent from the dialogue. There is one astounding statistic about African American longevity and church attendance that is rarely if ever mentioned in the debates about faith based organizations and health care. An article by Hummer et al in Demography Journal, 36:273-285 in 1999, Blacks who attend church live much longer than those who do not.

Attendance++++++++++White life +++++Black life expectancy
Never ++++++++++++++++77 Years +++++++67 = A 10 year difference
Less than weekly/weekly+++80 Years +++++++75 = A 5 year difference
Weekly or more +++++++++83 Years +++++++80 = A 3 year difference

Whites who attend services more than weekly gain an average of six years in longevity, and that is a lot. Church is good for us white folks. I finally believe my mother.

African Americans who attend services weekly or more gain a whopping 13 years in life expectancy. Their original difference in longevity is almost eclipsed by church attendance. In fact, attending church more often than weekly raises Blacks life expectancy to that of whites who attend weekly or less. Is there any behavior so inexpensive and so prevalent that does so much good for Black folks?

Is it not racist to fail to encourage religious commitment by Blacks? It is wrong not to encourage both Blacks and Whites to attend religious services. Are Barry Lynn and his People for the American Way not un-American and deeply hostile to Blacks when they promote secularism and sickness by attacking religious freedom? Shame on them for their racism.

Perhaps this makes it clear why those groups fail to set up charitable groups, go to rescue people in disasters and give less to charities. We certainly did not see massive numbers of wealthy atheist/secularists who promote abortion and attack Christianity at every turn setting up tents in Biloxi or New Orleans. The media did not interview a massive number of secularists who were taking in Black refugees to their homes and organizations but churches and synogogues were on every corner with truck loads of food, clothing and TLC helping poor Blacks get the help they needed.

Barry Lynn, however, is too busy suing Christian relief groups to actually offer any practical aid.