Only 9% of American Catholics believe in the existence and influence of the Holy Trinity, according to a shocking new report released by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University last Wednesday.
The alarming statistics, published by eminent cultural analyst Dr. George Barna, also highlights a significant departure from foundational Christian beliefs by Mainline Protestants, those who theologically identify as “born-again” Christians, and others who self-identify as Christians.
According to Barna’s findings, 20% of Protestants, 24% of “born-again” Christians, and 16% of self-identified Christians adopt the fundamental tenet of Christianity “that God exists in three unique, equal, and indivisible persons.”
While only one of out every 10 American adults espouses a trinitarian faith, the highest number of Christians (62%) who uphold the doctrine of the Trinity are “Integrated Disciples,” a term Barna uses to designate Christians “who possess a biblical worldview” or a “biblical theism.”
Integrated Disciples Outrank Other Christians
Statistically, “Integrated Disciples” have a “demonstrated ability to assimilate their beliefs into their lifestyle.” Therefore “this group consistently — albeit imperfectly — comes closest to reflecting biblical principles into their opinions, beliefs, behaviors, and preferences,” Barna explained.
“Not surprisingly, nearly two-thirds of adults who possess a biblical worldview (62%) believe in the Trinity,” he noted. “What is surprising is they are the only population segment identified for which more than 40% believe in the existence and influence of all three persons of the Trinity.” (emphasis added)
But “even the statistics for the groups that are most in tune with biblical teachings, such as belief in the nature and impact of the Trinity, are shockingly low for a nation in which most people claim to be Christian,” Barna acknowledged.
Confusion regarding the trinity persists today, although an overwhelming majority of Christian churches — including almost all Protestant, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox communities of faith — embrace the Trinity as a mainstream doctrinal foundation.
The survey revealed that one out of four people who attend an evangelical church (25%) or a Pentecostal church (24%) are trinitarian. Slightly fewer Mainline Protestants (20%) espouse belief in the Trinity. But “less than half as many Catholics (9%) are trinitarians.”
Celebrities Are “Primary Theologians” Influencing Americans
The demographic groups most accepting of the Trinity are Baby Boomers (18%), people from households with a gross annual income above $200,000 (14%), white people (13%), people who attended or graduated from college (13%), and adults who prefer capitalism over socialism (13%).
Conversely, those least likely to espouse a trinitarian faith are people who are under 45 years of age, live in the Northeast, have never been married, homosexuals, and Asians.
“It could be argued that the primary theologians influencing the spiritual views of America these days are figures such as Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, Russell Brand, Jordan Peterson, Megyn Kelly, and Bill Maher,” Barna noted. “They mix practical and sometimes unbiblical theology and philosophical points of view into their commentary on life and world events.
Meanwhile, many Christian churches are focused on delivering multi-part series that are not effectively developing or bolstering an integrated, biblical worldview that congregants can rely upon to counteract popular, secular takes on reality.
Downgrading the Holy Spirit
Of all Christian traditions, Catholics also have the lowest belief in the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. Only 22% of Catholics embrace the Holy Spirit, compared to 42% of “born-again” Christians, 35% of Protestants, and 30% of self-identified Christians.
The highest percentage of Christians with a robust belief in the Holy Spirit, is, again, the “Integrated Disciples” (69%).
Most Catholics tended to place their faith in the person of Jesus Christ (78%) while a smaller number of Catholics (44%) focus their devotion on the Father. In comparison, 100% of the “Integrated Disciples” respondents affirmed their faith in the Father, while 89% focused on Jesus Christ.
“Individuals who are the most active in religious pursuits, and those who are most in tune with biblical teachings and principles, are more likely than their religious counterparts to believe in the Trinity,” Barna wrote. Catholics rank lowest on the scale in all categories.
Moreover, Christians who are significantly more inclined to affirm the Trinity include weekly churchgoers; those who read the Bible daily ; those who express gratitude, adoration, and worship to God each day; those who confess their sins and seek God’s forgiveness daily; and those who dedicate themselves to discovering and acting upon God’s will each day.
When asked how much influence God has on their lives, Catholics also ranked lowest (28%) compared to Protestants (40%), self-identified Christians (35%), “born-again” Christians (45%) and “Integrated Disciples” (62%).
Catholic Church Faces Precipitous Decline
The Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study (RLS),Center published in late February, highlighted a precipitous decline in the Catholic Church, even though the decades-long decline in Christianity across the U.S. has stalled, The Stream reported.
“For every U.S. adult who has become a Catholic after being raised in some other religion or without a religion, there are 8.4 adults who say they were raised in the Catholic faith but who no longer describe themselves as Catholics,” the RLS report stated.
In contrast, only 1.8 people have left Protestantism for every person who converted to it after having been raised in another religious group or in no religion, Pew reported. The survey elaborated on the nosedive in the Catholic population:
Catholics have experienced the greatest net losses due to switching. About 30% of American Catholics say they were raised Catholic. But 43% of the people raised Catholic no longer identify as Catholic, meaning that 12.8% of all U.S. adults are former Catholics.
Conversely, only 1.5% of U.S. adults converted to Catholicism after being raised in another denomination or no religion, bringing the Catholic population among U.S. adults to 18.9%.
Catholics Flagrantly Defy Church Teachings on Sexuality
A trailblazing 2024 study using geodata from smartphones revealed that U.S. Protestants are eclipsing Catholics at weekly church attendance, even though the Catholic Church obliges the faithful to attend Sunday Mass on the pain of mortal sin.
According to the survey by Dr. Devin G. Pope, a researcher at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, only 3.9% of Protestants attend Sunday services each week, while a tiny percentage of Catholics (0.26%) attend Sunday Mass each week.
Most American Catholics want the Church to allow couples to use contraception, priests to get married, women to be ordained as priests, and to recognize the marriages of homosexual couples, an April 2024 Pew Research Center survey revealed.
In a radical departure from Catholic moral teaching, 75% said the Church should allow Catholics to receive Holy Communion even if they are living in mortal sin by cohabiting with a sexual partner, a nationally representative sample of 12,693 respondents found.
While 54% of Catholics wanted the Church to recognize “homosexual marriage,” 83% of the respondents insisted on dropping the prohibition on artificial birth control.
Regarding the priesthood, 69% of Catholics said priests should be allowed to get married, while 64% said women should be allowed to become priests.
In 2019, a Pew survey found that just one-third of U.S. Catholics believed in transubstantiation — the idea that the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Jesus Christ during Mass. Meanwhile, 69% say they believe the bread and wine used in Communion “are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.”
Dr. Jules Gomes, (BA, BD, MTh, PhD), has a doctorate in biblical studies from the University of Cambridge. Currently a Vatican-accredited journalist based in Rome, he is the author of five books and several academic articles. Gomes lectured at Catholic and Protestant seminaries and universities and was canon theologian and artistic director at Liverpool Cathedral.
The post U.S. Catholic Belief in Holy Trinity Hits Bottom appeared first on The Stream.
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