Compass Point
A new “Faith in America” survey was conducted by the folks at the Marist College Poll recently…the numbers, released yesterday, show that 72 percent of Americans believe the nation’s moral compass is pointed in the wrong direction…only 22 percent said it was headed in the right direction.
Nearly three-quarters of us believe our nation’s moral compass is in need of fixing. That’s a pretty stunning number.
Some folks got out of the habit of going to church during COVID, but that was simply adding on to a trend—fewer people attending church each week—that has been on-going for a decade. But merely showing up in a pew is not a barometer of faith; more than half of Americans say they believe in God as described in the Bible, or pray daily.
The poll also showed that younger age groups are less likely to attend religious services…and are less likely than their older counterparts to believe that being religious is necessary in order to live a moral life.
Obviously, you can have deep faith without having perfect attendance on Saturday nights or Sunday mornings. Seven of 10 Americans surveyed consider themselves spiritual, regardless of religious affiliation, after all. But here’s a statistic that was interesting, transcending all generations.
The poll found that Americans look first to family, then friends, then the rule of law before looking to religious teachings for guidance. To be fair, family was well out in front, with the others clumped together closely.
Finally, to politics…70 percent of Republicans say someone’s politics should be influenced by their religion. Only 28 percent of Democrats believe that.
