American Public not so attached to Religious Dogma

PaulSpoerry | June 24, 2008

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It’s often trumped in the media just how powerful the “religious right” is, as well as how fervent they are in their beliefs. We’ve come to know our country as this highly Christianized version of America. However, a recent Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life study released yesterday indicates that many are contradicting the teachings of their own faiths, saying that truth comes in many forms. Large majorities of Americans say that many religions – not just their own – can lead to eternal life, and that there is more than one way to interpret religious teachings.

“As Americans rub shoulders with people of other religious traditions, they are less judgmental, and less likely to offer pronouncements about other people’s eternal life,” said Rice University sociologist D. Michael Lindsay.

Personally, I think this says volumes for people being open minded and not constrained by religious dogma. Humans have had religions since we’ve existed, obviously there is something fundamental about it that we need… crave. But I’ve always been afraid of those who say “ours is right, yours is wrong”. How many people have died in the name of their religious beliefs? Too many if you ask me.