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| 11/23 |
| 2005/8/11-15 [Reference/Religion] UID:39098 Activity:nil |
8/11 http://www.livescience.com/othernews/050811_scientists_god.html Do you NOT believe in God? 10% Americans at large (90% believe) 24% Doctors (76% believe) 31% Faculty members at top research universities (social sciences) 38% Faculty members at top research universities (natural sciences) \_ Why is this so interesting? I mean, yeah -- this country was founded around heavy Christian underpinnings (cf Pilgrims, etc) -- so why would it be a jaw dropper to learn that many Americans believe in god (on some form or another)....? \_ Erm, you read the results wrong. 31% "do not", 38% "do not". I don't understand why "The opposite had been expected".. Oh, perhaps because they're comparing "biologists" and "political scientists"... What a bogglingly stupid article. \_ Oops, corrected Anyway, the "opposite had been expected" is regarding: "Based on previous research, we thought that social scientists would be less likely to practice religion than natural scientists are, but our data showed just the opposite," Ecklund said. What happened was: (1) Ooh, early research (not specified) shows common sense wrong! (2) Wait, new research shows common sense was right! (3) Oh, we also see that the MAJORITY of faculty members at top research universities also believe in God -- they're not all atheists! Anyways, yeah, article is confusing. \_ I'm guessing this is the same Ecklund. http://www.chestertonhouse.org/ecklundbio.html I'm also guessing, in psb-speak, she's TOO SHORT. \_ Where does the 90% number come from? \_ Harris poll 2003. Fox News says 92%. \_ Liar. The Harris poll said 79%. The same poll said 90% of Protestants (which is fucking hilarious) believe in God. \_ http://csua.org/u/d0n http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99945,00.html I'm waiting for your apology \_ None will be forthcoming http://csua.org/u/d0o (harrisinteractive.com) I will retract "liar" in favor of "bad researcher" \_ http://csua.org/u/d0p (harrisinteractive.com) I still await your apology. Did it occur to you that there may have been more than one Harris poll in 2003? \_ Okay, I apologize to you, and fall back on my longstanding opinion that harris is one of the worst polling firms ever. \_ I'm not going to comment on the latter, but I will say the reason for the difference between 79% and 90% polls is that the 90% poll was binary (yes / no), and the 79% poll was (yes / not sure / no). Shrug. The best poll would be (yes / yes not sure / not sure / no not sure / no), probably / not sure / probably not / no), and it wouldn't be conducted online. \_ "The best lack all convictions, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity." \_ Ever worked with Harris? \_ The not sure lack conviction. The sure have conviction. \_ "Liar" -> "bad researcher" -> "Okay, I apologize." "The worst are full of passionate intensity." \_ In three motd posts he showed me I was wrong, and I admitted it. In motd terms, that's practically impassionate. \_ That doesn't happen often on motd, man. More power to ya! \_ Is it 90% general American believing, or 90% not believing? \_ Former. \_ What do you think? \_ Forget about the ID debate. This, from the same web site, is more interesting: "Surprise! 1-in-25 Dads Not the Real Father" http://www.livescience.com/othernews/050810_whose_child.html I'd think this means the ratio of cheating women is higher than 1 in 25. Perhaps we should spend more time on tracking our wives/gfs rather than on God/no-God debate. \_ or maybe you should find out if your father is your real father. hehe. \_ But I care much less about having a cheating mom (except being proof that she's a lier) than a cheating wife. \_ The smarter you are, the less you believe in fairy tales. Does this surprise you? \_ Why does this survey ask "Do you not believe in God?" instead of "Do you believe in God?" \_ They don't give the methodology in this report. Another reason it's a STUPID article. \_ to give a false impression that the opposite is 100% - n. That's not true. 90% doesn't believe doesn't mean 10% does. There is probably some percentage of don't cares or couldn't decide. \_ to give a false impression that the opposite is 100% - n. That's not true. 90% doesn't believe doesn't mean 10% does. There is probably some percentage of don't cares or couldn't decide. [ reformatted ] \_ Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. -Seneca \_ Rulers in Communist China think it's dangerous. \_ communist think just killing them off is more easier than using religion to control the common people. |
| 11/23 |
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| www.livescience.com/othernews/050811_scientists_god.html About two-thirds of scientists believe in God, according to a new survey that uncovered stark differences based on the type of r esearch they do. The study, along with another one released in June, would appear to debun k the oft-held notion that science is incompatible with religion. Those in the social sciences are more likely to believe in God and attend religious services than researchers in the natural sciences, the study found. Nearly 38 percent of natural scientists -- people in disciplines like phy sics, chemistry and biology -- said they do not believe in God. Only 31 percent of the social scientists do not believe. In the new study, Rice University sociologist Elaine Howard Ecklund surve yed 1,646 faculty members at elite research universities, asking 36 ques tions about belief and spiritual practices. "Based on previous research, we thought that social scientists would be l ess likely to practice religion than natural scientists are, but our dat a showed just the opposite," Ecklund said. Some stand-out stats: 41 percent of the biologists don't believe, while t hat figure is just 27 percent among political scientists. In separate work at the University of Chicago, released in June, 76 perce nt of doctors said they believed in God and 59 percent believe in some s ort of afterlife. "Now we must examine the nature of these differences," Ecklund said today . "Many scientists see themselves as having a spirituality not attached to a particular religious tradition. Some scientists who don't believe i n God see themselves as very spiritual people. They have a way outside o f themselves that they use to understand the meaning of life." Ecklund and colleagues are now conducting longer interviews with some of the participants to try and figure it all out. |
| www.chestertonhouse.org/ecklundbio.html About GK Chesterton Elaine Howard Ecklund Elaine Howard Ecklund received her BS in Human Development in 1995 from Cornell University. While here she was a member of the InterVarsity Chr istian Fellowship and upon graduation took a position as InterVarsity st aff. After three years she returned to Cornell to begin her doctoral deg ree in Sociology. She received her MA in Sociology in 2001 for her wor k on feminism and women's leadership in the Catholic Church, and will de fend her dissertation, The "Good" American: Religion and Civic Adaptatio n Among Second-Generation Korean Americans this spring. Among her many awards she received Sage Fellowships in 1998-1999 and 2001 -2002, Teaching Awards in 2001 and 2003, and a 2003 Albert S Roe Gradua te Student Research Award. She was involved in the Pew Mentoring Program from 2000-2003 and continues to be an active member of the Graduate Chr istian Fellowship. "An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; |
| csua.org/u/d0n -> www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/release/2004/1216.asp PTC Study Finds Hollywood Slighting Americans' Overwhelming Belief in God Study Also Reveals NBC Leads in Negative Depictions of Faith LOS ANGELES - Today the Parents Television Council (PTC), the nation's mo st influential advocacy organization protecting children against sex, vi olence and profanity in entertainment, in conjunction with the National Religious Broadcasters, released the results of a new study entitled Fai th in a Box: Entertainment Television and Religion. The study found that television's treatment of religion has become increasingly negative and doesn't reflect the viewpoints of a majority of Americans. The study al so found that NBC by far leads the other major networks in terms of the number of negative depictions of faith. "Religion and the public expression of faith is a crucial element in the lives of most Americans. Our findings should challenge Hollywood to accu rately reflect this in television content," said L Brent Bozell, presid ent of the PTC. According to a 2003 Harris Poll, 90 percent of Americans believe in God a nd 80 percent of those polled believe in the resurrection of Jesus Chris t Though portrayals of religion have increased over the past six years, they still do not reflect the importance of the topic or the breadth of interest in it, as evidenced by the recent success of both films (The P assion) and books (The Purpose Driven Life) with religious subject matte r "This comprehensive study shows a clear disparity between the religious b eliefs of most Americans and how these beliefs are reflected in televisi on programming," said Dr. Frank Wright, president of the National Religi ous Broadcasters. A total of 2,385 hours of primetime entertainment programming on the seve n commercial broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, ITV, UPN, WB) were analyzed and contained 2,344 treatments of religion. In the PTC's last s tudy on religion, done in 1997, the PTC found only 551 treatments of rel igion in 1,800 hours of programming. Major findings: NBC was the decisive leader in broadcasting negative depictions of fait h and religion. NBC programming had 95 negative treatments for every po sitive treatment of faith. Fox followed with 24 negative depictions for each one that was positive. WB and ABC tied with 12 negative for each positive, followed by UPN with 1 negative for every 11 positive, CBS wi th 1 negative for every 2 positive and ITV which did not have a single n egative depiction. References to faith were the most common, (582 of the 2,344 treatments) , and also the most positive. Less common, and more likely to be shown i n a negative light, are more specific elements of religion, such as a pa rticular church and its teachings, devout laity, and the clergy. The treatment of religion in an institutional or doctrinal context (suc h as a reference to a church service, a particular denomination, or to S cripture) was strikingly negative. Negativity toward religion grew steadily with each passing hour of prim e time. "These findings lend credibility to the idea that Hollywood accepts spiri tuality, but shies away from endorsing, or even tolerating, organized re ligion," concluded Bozell. The Parents Television Council was founded in 1995 to ensure that childre n are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence and profanity on televis ion and in other media. This national grassroots organization has nearly one million members across the United States, and works with television producers, broadcasters, networks and sponsors in an effort to stem the flow of harmful and negative messages targeted to children. The PTC als o works with elected and appointed government officials to enforce broad cast decency standards. Most importantly, the PTC produces critical rese arch and publications documenting the dramatic increase in sex, violence and profanity in entertainment. This information is provided free of ch arge so parents can make informed viewing choices for their own families . |
| www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99945,00.html ARCHIVE More Americans believe in God than in angels, miracles, and even heaven. And while half attend worship services on a regular basis, a majority th inks religion plays too small a role in peoples lives today. Fully 92 percent of Americans say they believe in God, 85 percent in heav en and 82 percent in miracles, according to the latest FOX News poll. Th ough belief in God has remained at about the same level, belief in the d evil has increased slightly over the last few years from 63 percent in 1997 to 71 percent today. Women are more likely th an men to believe in almost all topics asked about in the poll, includin g 12 percentage points more likely to believe in miracles and eight poin ts more likely to trust there is a heaven. The one significant exception is UFOs, with 39 percent of men compared to 30 percent of women saying they accept the existence of unidentified flying objects. Young people are much more likely than older Americans to believe in both hell and the devil. An 86 percent majority of adults between the ages o f 18 to 34 believe in hell, but that drops to 68 percent for those over age 70. Similarly, 79 percent of young people believe in the devil compa red to 67 percent of the over-70 age group. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say they believe in God (by eight percentage points), in heaven (by 10 points), in hell (by 15 poin ts), and considerably more likely to believe in the devil (by 17 points) . Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say they believe in rein carnation (by 14 percentage points), in astrology (by 14 points), in gho sts (by eight points) and UFOs (by five points). Overall, most Americans think religion plays too small a role in peoples lives today (69 percent), with only 15 percent saying it plays too larg e a role and seven percent saying about right. The poll finds over a third (37 percent) say they attend church, synagogu e or other place of worship at least once a week, 13 percent almost ever y week, 12 percent about once a month and 19 percent seldom attend. Thre e percent attend on holidays and 15 percent never attend. Polling was conducted by telephone September 23-24, 2003 in the evenings. The sample is 900 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error o f 3 percentage points. Results are of registered voters, unless otherwi se noted. NA = national adult 1 I'm going to read the names of some people and groups. Please tell me whether you have a generally favorable or unfavorable opinion of each. SCALE: 1 Too large 2 Too small 3 (About right) 4 (Not sure) Too Large Too Small (About Right) (NS) 23-24 Sep 03 15% 69 7 9 24-25 Jan 01 10% 68 9 13 24-25 Mar 99 10% 73 6 11 12-13 Jun 96 14% 70 4 11 3 How often do you attend church, synagogue or other place of worship? SCALE: 1 At least once a week 2 Almost every week 3 About once a month 4 Seldom 5 Never 6 (On holidays/holy days) 7 (Not sure) Once Week Almst Wkly Once Month Seldom Never (Holidays/ holy days) (Not sure) 23-24 Sep 03 37% 13 12 19 15 3 1 24-25 Mar 99 35% 11 12 27 13 1 1 4 Do you personally believe in the existence of each of the following? |
| csua.org/u/d0o -> www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=693 Harris Interactive While Most Americans Believe in God, Only 36% Attend a Religious Service Onc e a Month or More Often Belief and attendance vary greatly among different segments of the popula tion, according to national poll Rochester, NYOctober 15, 2003 Americans are far more likely to believe in God and to attend religious s ervices than people in most other developed countries particularly count ries in Europe where philosophers have written that "God is dead." Howev er this new Harris Poll finds that underneath a broad consensus, belief in God varies quite widely among different segments of the American publ ic. And most people attend a religious service less often than once a mo nth. These are some of the results of a survey by Harris Interactive^ based o n a nationwide sample of 2,306 adults surveyed online between September 16 and 23, 2003. Belief in God and Attendance of Religious Services This survey found that 79% of Americans believe there is a God, and that 66% are absolutely certain this is true. Only 9% do not believe in God, while a further 12% are not sure. While most people (55%) attend a religious service a few times a year or more often, only a minority of the public (36%) attends a religious serv ice once a month or more often, with about a quarter (26%) attending eve ry week. Reducing "Social Desirability" Bias These numbers for belief in God and for attendance at churches, synagogue s and mosques are lower than those reported in many other surveys, we be lieve, because of the methods we use to measure them more accurately. One of the problems with surveys where people are interviewed by people, whether face-to-face or by telephone, is that they may not tell the trut h to an interviewer, if the truth is embarrassing or if another answer i s more "socially desirable." This "social desirability" bias means that many surveys underreport the number of people who are homosexual, who do nt bathe or clean their teeth, who drink alcohol, or whose children are not immunized, for example. Socially desirable behavior, such as giving to charity, voting in elections and going to church are usually over rep orted. Because our online surveys, such as this one, do not involve talking to i nterviewers, we regularly record lower levels of behavior (and belief) o n topics where there is a "socially desirable" answer. We believe that t he lower levels of belief in God, and the lower levels of church-going f ound in this survey are more accurate than the higher levels reported in telephone and in-person surveys. Differences in the Replies of Catholics, Protestants and Jews Protestants (90%) are more likely than Roman Catholics (79%) and much mor e likely than Jews (48%) to believe in God. Religious affiliation here i ncludes many people raised as members of a religion or religious group, regardless of what they practice or believe now. Protestants (47%) are also more likely than Catholics (35%) to attend chu rch once a month or more often. Only 16% of Jews go to synagogues once a month or more often. Other differences Belief in God is higher in the Midwest (82%) and in the South (82%) than in the East (7 5%) and the West (75%). It tends to increase with age from 71% of those aged 25 to 29 to more than 80% for the three age groups of people over 4 0, including 83% of those aged 65 and over. Women are more likely than men to believe in God (84% versus 73%). Africa n Americans (91%) are more likely to believe in God than Hispanics (81%) and whites (78%). Republicans (87%) are more likely to believe in God t han Democrats (78%) and Independents (75%). Those with no college educat ion (82%) are more likely to believe in God than those with postgraduate education (73%). Church attendance (every month or more often) is higher in the Midwest (45%) and the South (40%) than in the East (30%) and the West (27%). It is lowest among peop le aged 25 to 29 (24%) and highest among those aged 65 and over (43%). A nd it is higher among women (41%) than among men (31%). PID=408 Methodology The Harris Poll ^ was conducted online within the United States between September 16 and 23, 2003 among a nationwide cross section of 2,306 adults. Figures for age, sex, race, education and number of adults in the household were wei ghted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proporti ons in the population. "Propensity score" weighting was also used to adj ust for respondents propensity to be online. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 p ercent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus o r minus three percentage points of what they would be if the entire adul t population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, ther e are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys th at are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling e rror. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question w ording and question order, and weighting. It is impossible to quantify t he errors that may result from these factors. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. com) is a worldwide market research and consulting firm best known for The Harris Poll^,^ and for pioneering the Internet method to conduct scientifically accurate market research. Headquartere d in Rochester, New York, USA, Harris Interactive combines proprietar y methodologies and technology with expertise in predictive, custom and strategic research. com) and T okyo-based Harris Interactive Japanas well as through the Harris Interac tive Global Network of local market- and opinion-research firms, and var ious US offices. |
| csua.org/u/d0p -> www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=359 Harris Interactive The Harris Poll ^ #11, February 26, 2003 The Religious and Other Beliefs of Americans 2003 Many people believe in miracles (89%), the devil (68%), hell (69%), ghost s (51%), astrology (31%) and reincarnation (27%) by Humphrey Taylor That very large majorities of the American public, and almost all (but no t all) Christians believe in God, the survival of the soul after death, miracles, heaven, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the Virgin birth will come as no great surprise. What may be more surprising is that hal f of all adults believe in ghosts, almost a third believe in astrology, and more than a quarter believe in reincarnation that they were themselv es reincarnated from other people. Majorities of about two-thirds of all adults believe in hell and the devil, but hardly anybody expects that t hey will go to hell themselves. These are some of the findings of a Harris Poll of 2,201 US adults surv eyed online between January 21 and 27, 2003, using the same methods used by Harris Interactive^ to forecast the 2000 elections with great accur acy. The survey also found that women are more likely than men to hold both Ch ristian and non-Christian beliefs. African-Americans are more likely tha n whites and Hispanics to hold Christian beliefs, as are Republicans. Th e level of belief is generally highest among people without a college ed ucation and lowest among those with postgraduate degrees. On almost all the beliefs that are central to Christianity, there is a ge neral pattern with: * Higher levels of belief among women than among men. Other interesting findings include: * 68% of the public believes in the devil, and 69% believe in hell. Thi s includes 40% of people aged 25 to 29 but only 14% of people aged 65 and over. What Christians and Non-Christians Believe One of the more intriguing findings is that not all people who call thems elves Christians believe all the conventional Christian beliefs. For exa mple, one percent of Christians do not believe in God, 8% do not believe in the survival of the soul after death, 7% do not believe in miracles, 5% do not believe in heaven, 7% do not believe in the Virgin birth and 18% do not believe in hell. Even more surprising is that some people who say they are not Christian b elieve in the resurrection of Christ (26%) and the Virgin birth, Jesus b orn of Mary (27%). Life After Death Most of the 84% of the public who believe in the survival of the soul aft er death are optimists. Almost two-thirds (63%), including 75% of Christ ians, expect to go to heaven. Six percent expect to go to purgatory while 11% expect to go somewhere else and 18% dont know. Humphrey Taylor is the chairman of The Harris Poll ^, Harris Interactive. TABLE 1 ELEVEN BELIEFS BY SEX AND AGE "Please indicate for each one if you believe in it, or not." All Adults Sex Age Male Female 18 24 25 29 30 29 40 49 50 64 65+ % % % % % % % % % God 90 86 93 84 82 91 90 91 95 Survival of the soul after death 84 78 89 85 88 81 86 82 84 Miracles 84 77 90 86 85 82 85 83 82 Heaven 82 75 89 83 71 83 84 80 85 The resurrection of Christ 80 73 86 76 68 81 82 81 84 The Virgin birth (Jesus born of Mary) 77 70 83 76 60 79 80 78 80 Hell 69 65 73 74 63 69 72 66 68 The devil 68 64 73 68 62 72 72 68 62 Ghosts 51 45 58 58 65 55 57 48 27 Astrology 31 25 36 37 43 37 23 32 17 Reincarnation 27 23 30 30 40 30 25 26 14 TABLE 2 ELEVEN BELIEFS BY EDUCATION, RACE AND PARTY "Please indicate for each one if you believe in it, or not." Total Christian Non-Christian % % % God 90 99 58 Survival of the soul after death 84 92 63 Miracles 84 93 54 Heaven 82 95 44 The resurrection of Christ 80 96 26 The Virgin birth (Jesus born of Mary) 77 93 27 Hell 69 82 30 The devil 68 82 26 Ghosts 51 50 48 Astrology 31 27 35 Reincarnation that you were once another person 27 21 40 TABLE 4 WHERE WILL YOU GO AFTER DEATH? "When you die, where do you think you will go heaven, hell, purgatory or somewhere else?" Base: Those who believe in survival of soul after death Total Christian Non-Christian % % % Heaven 63 75 29 Hell 1 1 2 Purgatory 6 6 5 Somewhere else 11 6 32 Dont know 18 12 33 Methodology The Harris Poll ^ was conducted online within the United States between January 21 and 2 7, 2003 among a nationwide cross section of 2,201 adults. Figures for ag e, sex, race, education and number of adults in the household were weigh ted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportion s in the population. "Propensity score" weighting was also used to adjus t for respondents propensity to be online. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 pe rcent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus two percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult p opulation had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there a re several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling erro r They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question word ing and question order, interviewer bias, weighting by demographic contr ol data and screening (eg, for likely voters). It is impossible to qua ntify the errors that may result from these factors. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. Reproduction prohibit ed without the express written permission of Harris Interactive. |
| www.livescience.com/othernews/050810_whose_child.html About 4 percent of men may unknowingly be raising a chil d that really belongs to the mailman or some other guy, researchers spec ulate in a new study. Here's the real news: With modern methods, the truth will become known mo re frequently. Researchers pawed through a host of scientific articles published around the world from 1950 through last year. The perceived "paternal discrepan cy rate," as it is called, ranges from less than 1 percent to as high as 30 percent in the various studies. Most researchers believe the rate is less than 10 percent. The author's settled on four percent -- one in 25 families -- in a new ar ticle in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The actual figure will likely become clearer as more people undergo DNA p rofiling and genetic testing, the researchers say. In the United States, rates of paternity testing alone more than doubled to 310,490 between 1 991 and 2001, they note. But there are other tests on the rise that could have the unintended effe ct of revealing a child to belong to another man. DNA testing is becoming more common in courts, health care systems and in cases of organ transplants. Perhaps the most widespread use on the hori zon is to diagnose susceptibility to hereditary diseases. Medicine promises to one day let you know, should you want to. Eventually, the researchers argue, there will be a greater need for suppo rt services and guidance on how to disclose paternal discrepancy. |