By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer

A new study has found that substantially different spiritual beliefs motivate people’s political choices and affiliations. It also found that more Catholics consider themselves to be liberal rather than conservative in their political outlook.

The Barna Group conducted a telephone survey of more than 3,000 people between August and November of 2008 and found that people who classify themselves as liberal (17% of the population) and those who consider themselves to be conservative (32% of the population) have markedly different opinions about God, the Bible, and the importance of faith.

For instance, the study found that liberals are far less likely than conservatives to strongly believe each of the following:

? their religious faith is very important in their life (54% of liberals vs. 82% of conservatives);
? a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by doing good deeds or being a good person (23% vs. 37%);
? their faith is becoming an increasingly important moral guide in their life (38% vs. 70%);
? the church they currently attend is very important in helping them find direction and fulfillment in life (37% vs. 62%);
? their primary purpose in life is to love God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul (43% vs. 76%);
? Jesus Christ did not commit sins during His time on earth (33% vs. 55%).

The research also discovered that liberals were more likely than conservatives to develop their own set of religious beliefs rather than adopt those proposed by a church or other entity. A greater percentage of liberals also indicated they are very open to accepting different moral views than those they presently possess.

Conservatives, on the other hand, were more likely than liberals to:

? read the Bible, other than at church events, during the past week (57% vs. 33%, respectively)
? attend a religious service during the past week (62% vs. 35%)
? pray to God, other than at a religious service, during the past week (91% vs. 76%)
? share their religious beliefs with others, during the past year (56% vs. 39%, among the born again Christians interviewed from each segment)
? have ever participated in a short-term missions trip, either within the U.S. or in another country (12% vs. 6%)

The survey found that most liberals and conservatives consider themselves to be Christian. However, the proportion of adults in each group who embrace that identity differs significantly: 94% of conservatives call themselves Christians, while just 74% of liberals do so.

There were other distinctions regarding the faith groups with which these ideological opposites were aligned. For instance:

? 2% of conservatives and 11% of liberals were atheist or agnostic
? 15% of conservatives and 2% of liberals were Christian evangelicals
? conservatives were twice as likely as liberals to be categorized as born again, based on their theological views about salvation (63% vs. 32%)
? 21% of conservatives were associated with the Catholic Church, compared to 30% among the liberals.

Moderates are people who place themselves somewhere between the liberal and conservative viewpoint and comprise 51 percent of the population.

In reviewing the findings, lead researcher George Barna noted the different tendencies of each ideological segment.

“Liberals appear to place a greater emphasis upon self-reliance and what they personally accomplish than upon faith alone or intense participation in a community of faith,” Barna explained. “They also seem less inclined to trust the Bible as a moral authority or source of truth, and have less involvement in some type of personal relationship with their god.

“Conservatives are more active in a wide range of religious behaviors, both individual and corporate,” the researcher continued. “They are also more connected to their deity, seeing God as more personal, interactive and involved in their lives than do liberals.”

Barna, who has authored more 40 research-based books on matters of religion and culture further discussed the importance of these distinctions. “Every person’s central choices in life are driven by their worldview, and everyone’s worldview is greatly influenced by their spiritual inclinations. The social and political preferences of people are closely tied to their spiritual beliefs and practices. One of the great challenges to our nation’s leaders is to help people of different spiritual and ideological perspectives maintain dialogue and an appreciation of each other’s innate value despite those divergent points of view.”

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