{"id":1403,"date":"2013-05-31T21:57:00","date_gmt":"2013-05-31T21:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2013\/05\/what-do-religious-people-really-believe.html"},"modified":"2013-05-31T21:57:00","modified_gmt":"2013-05-31T21:57:00","slug":"what-do-religious-people-really-believe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2013\/05\/what-do-religious-people-really-believe.html","title":{"rendered":"What Do Religious People Really Believe?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
Few topics are more contentious than religion. Our culture has been so deeply immersed in religion for so long that we can\u2019t avoid its presence and its influence, and therefore we all seem to have strong opinions \u2014 whether in defense of our own religion, criticism of religion as an institution, or even condemnation of other people\u2019s beliefs. But the messages that we receive about religion all too often come from the loudest voices of extremists (from both supporters and detractors), and through the media\u2019s distorted attention. And so, few topics are more subject to stereotyping and misconceptions than religion. We are left asking, then, what do religious people really believe, and what is the position of those who don\u2019t?<\/span><\/div>\n
In 2008, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life conducted an extensive study on religion in America to find out what members of different religions believe. The study asked respondents such questions as:<\/span><\/div>\n