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This is probably naive of me, but I’ve long thought of people of faith as a pretty optimistic bunch. I figure they benefit from social connections gained at their house of worship — I know I have — and from the sense that they have a higher power on their side.
But two new surveys show that people of faith are dealing with some pretty negative emotions these days, at least when they mix religion with politics.
The first, from Pew Research Center, showed that around two-thirds of members of most major faith groups feel like they’re “losing more often than winning” in the political realm.
More than three-quarters of white Catholics (76%) feel that way today, compared to 68% in 2016. Over the same time period, the share of Black Protestants who feel like their “side” is on a losing streak has jumped from 49% to 62%, Pew found.
The second survey, from Public Religion Research Institute, showed that majorities of all the measured faith groups believe that “things in (the United States) are going in the wrong direction.”
More than 9 in 10 white evangelicals (93%) feel that way, as well as around two-thirds of non-Christian people of faith (65%).
These findings and others forced me to accept that people of faith are no more hopeful about the current state of political affairs than other Americans. And the situation’s probably only going to get worse after another contentious set of elections next week.
What I’m wondering now is what it will take to bring about more positive survey results the next time Pew Research Center and Public Religion Research Institute asks these questions. And is there anything individual people can do to help?
I’d love to hear stories of what religion or politics-related developments have brought you hope lately. What happened that made you feel like the country is actually headed in the right direction?
Fresh off the press
45% of Americans say the U.S. should be a Christian nation. But what does that actually mean?
A Christian baker wouldn’t serve a lesbian couple. Here’s why a judge just ruled in her favor
Term of the week: Natural burial
Natural burial is a way of burying deceased loved ones with no chemical intervention. Rather than featuring embalming fluid and a sealed casket, it involves wrapping the body in a cotton, wool or silk shroud or placing it in an untreated wood casket and then burying it in the ground.
“The body is simply returned to the soil, and the natural biological processes proceed,” America magazine reported in a recent story on burial trends.
As that article notes, natural burial has long been practiced by Indigenous communities, as well as many minority faith groups, like Jews and Muslims. It’s now becoming more popular as awareness grows about the environmental impacts of other burial habits.
What I’m reading ...
Here’s a story that’s perfect for Halloween week: “How to live with a ghost.” The New York Times looked at belief in supernatural forces, noting that declining interest in organized religion may help explain growing interest in ghosts.
Do U.S. Christians have too much power? Or not enough? Answers vary widely depending on whom you ask. FiveThirtyEight investigated the intense conflict over Christian power as part of their “Invisible Divides” series.
Election Day is quickly approaching, a fact that’s prompted interesting articles about the voting habits of various faith groups. Data expert Ryan Burge recently dug into the behavior of atheists and agnostics for The Conversation, arguing that they’re a fast-growing force in American politics.
Speaking of Election Day, a rumor circulated online last week that a Latter-day Saint congregation in Tuscon, Arizona had asked members to bring their ballots to church and fill them out together under the supervision of church leaders. The Deseret News investigated this claim and found no evidence that the rumor is true.
I often stumble on guides to making new friends as an adult, and I feel like the one recently released by The New York Times was particularly helpful.
Odds and ends
As part of my work on the sports beat, I wrote last week about what Americans should expect if they travel to Qatar for the World Cup. The story reviewed the safety and security guidelines put together by the U.S. Embassy in Qatar, which included some details about restrictions on religious activities. “Religious proselytizing or advocacy of atheism and speech critical of the government of Qatar or the religion of Islam may be criminally prosecuted in Qatar,” the embassy’s guide explains.
The BBC recently highlighted five ancient sacred sites to visit around the world, and Utah’s petroglyphs made the list!