Do you believe:
1) that absolute moral truth exists?
2) the Bible is completely accurate in all of the principles it teaches?
3) Satan is a real being or force, not merely symbolic?
4) a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works?
5) Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth?
6) God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today?
If you answered “yes” to each question, you have a Biblical worldview, as defined by a recent study. The study found that less than 1/2 of 1% of American adults age 18-23, and less than 10% of all American adults, hold this view.
Those numbers don’t shock me. (They do concern me, though, as a parent of two young children.)
But here are two numbers that do: 47% of “born again Christians” believe that it is impossible to earn your way into heaven through good works / behavior, and 62% of the same group believe that Jesus lived a sinless life. The survey defines a “born again Christian” as a person who has “made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today and that they are sure they will go to Heaven after they die only because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior.” What shocks me (as one who falls within the definition) is that over half of all born-again Christians believe they will go to Heaven “only because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior” and yet believe that it is possible to “earn” a ticket to heaven through good works / behavior. Isn’t there a disconnect between those two views? And why would anyone make a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and accept Him as savior if they believed that Jesus was not sinless? Yet almost 40% of born-again Christians do.
Shocking.
And disappointing.
See story here.
I don't understand why you think the fact that less than 10% of all Americans agree with all of those statements is concerning for your children. Have we really reached such an age of religious intolerance in this country that, say, believing that the devil is a symbolic rather than an actual figure is a cause for grave concern? The second part of your posting aptly demonstrates more about human psychology than it does about religion. Yes, people can comfortably hold mutually contradictory ideas on any variety of topics, including religion. Furthermore, the fact that only 47% of born-again Christians believe that it is impossible to earn your way into Heavan through good works most certainly DOES NOT mean that "over half" believe it is possible to "earn" a ticket to heaven. Note the survey did not give breakdowns for "not sure" or "I don't know."
Personally, speaking as one who considers himself a Christian, I think the world would be a much better place if more people spent MORE time trying to "earn" a ticket to heaven instead of just praying for one and assuming it will all work out. Salvation through faith alone is a selfish, misguided philosophy that does no good for anyone, including the person who holds it.
Another problem is that the survey questions are a little simplistic. Many Christians who might call themselves "evangelical" or "born-again" hold nuanced views on such theological questions that wouldn't admit simple "yes or no" answers to these survey questions. Believe it or not, some of us religious folk ain't entirely stupit.