Pew survey on American religious practices

I'm catching up on some of the backlog from last week. There are no surprises in the report but it is interesting to have USA Today so prominently noting what scholars and preachers have been observing for the past few years.

• "Religion today in the USA is a salad bar where people heap on upbeat beliefs they like and often leave the veggies — like strict doctrines — behind..."

• "...the study's authors say there's a 'stunning' lack of alignment between people's beliefs or practices and their professed faiths."

• Rice University sociologist Michael Lindsay on the impact of Oprah: "After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the national memorial service was at Washington's National Cathedral, conducted by Episcopal clergy. After the 9/11 attack, Oprah organized the official memorial service at Yankee Stadium, and while clergy participated, she was the master of ceremonies.

"The impact of Oprah is seen throughout this survey. She uses the language of Bible and Christian traditions and yet includes other traditions to create a hodgepodge personalized faith. Exclusivism (one religion has the absolute and exclusive truth) has gotten a bad name in America today..."

~ Link