01: Vocations to the Catholic priesthood are often encouraged in parishes with at least one assistant pastor and with elementary schools, according to a study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), a Georgetown University-based Catholic research center. The survey found that among pastors who reported multiple vocations in their parishes, 58 percent […]

01: It is assumed that immigration changes congregations in the U.S., but the same patterns of departure and arrival also affect the religious life of these newcomers’ “host” countries, according to recent research among Dominican immigrants. Harvard University sociologist Peggy Levitt studied the ties Dominican immigrants have to the Catholic church both in the U.S. and […]

01: While the computer and the Internet does not seem to have taken the place of  real life congregations, the possibility of “virtual faith” is popular among youth, according to a Barna Poll. A survey of American teenagers by the Barna Research Group  (as reported in the group’s April 20th news release) finds that one out of […]

01: A new study on the religious attitudes and beliefs of baby busters confirms that they are a lot like baby boomers in their individualism and few attachments to institutions — only more so. The study, conducted by Jackson Carroll and Wade Clark Roof, surveyed 1,150 people in North Carolina and southern California about their […]

01: A major study by the Gallup Poll shows significant ambivalence among American believers in their attitudes towards dying and death. Sponsored by the Nathan Cummings Foundation and the Fetzer Institute, the report of the attitudes of l,200 randomly selected adults found that only 36 percent of the respondents were sure that a member of the […]

01: More than a quarter of American Mormons claim an evangelical, “born-again” experience, according to a Barna Poll. Pollster George Barna has recently been finding large groups of believers outside of the evangelical mainstream–such as Roman Catholics. Now he finds that 26 percent of Mormons surveyed say they are born again by the following definition: […]

01: The phenomena of people seeing visions of Jesus have taken place throughout history and are more complex than scientific and psychological explanations, according to a recent study. The new book Visions of Jesus (Oxford University Press, $30) by Phillip  H.Wiebe,  examines apparitions of  Jesus throughout history and in contemporary times  and finds as much diversity as similarities in such experiences. Wiebe, […]

01: The college years  are often viewed as  a period when many  young adults lose or minimize their faith, but college can  also serve to strengthen religious life, particularly for evangelicals and Catholics, according to recent research. At the recent annual meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion in  Toronto, M. Richard Cramer of the University of North Carolina  (UNC) […]

01: Recent sociological and attitudinal research shows that in at least three areas of religious life, American fundamentalists are continuing their commitment to traditional teachings despite major society changes creating pressures for adaption ad compromise. In their attitude towards pornography, sexually explicit materials, in their beliefs about premarital sexual intercourse, and in their suspicion of secular […]

01: There appears to be a growing disbelief in the Devil, according to a recent poll by the Barna Research Group. The survey shows that nearly two out of three adults — 62 percent — agreed that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” While this response has remained consistent throughout […]