01: The sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church in the U.S. caused little decline Mass attendance and contributions to parishes, according to a study by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). The study, based on 10 polls of self-identified Catholics from 2001 to 2005, and found minimal downturns in attendance and […]

01: The effort to scientifically measure the effects of prayer on medical outcomes was complicated by a new study showing neutral and even negative effects from prayer on recovery from heart disease. The $2.4 million study supported by the John Templeton Foundation and presented in the American Heart Journal, randomly divided bypass patents from six hospitals into […]

01: Eight out of 10 professors consider themselves spiritual, while 64 percent say they are religious, according to recent UCLA study. The study, the most recent in a series on religion and academia, did not ask professors specific religious preferences, and found that the term “spirituality” was often referred to in a generic way that involved […]

01: Lay parish ministers in the Catholic Church in the U.S. have grown rapidly since the early 1990s and are increasingly viewed as a full-time ministry, according to a recent study. Lay ministers often work alongside clergy in local parishes, and usually take up the responsibilities of administration and teaching. A study by sociologist David DeLambo […]

01: Protestants still tend to harbor pro-market attitudes, “indicating the lasting legacy of the Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism,” according to a recent study. The study is based on a survey in the Detroit area conducted by sociologists Wane Baker and Melissa Forbes and published in Society magazine (January/February). The researchers found that overall, “moral absolutists” […]

01: A recent study suggesting that high levels of religiosity, such as in the U.S., may be correlated with high rates of social problems has become a lightning rod of controversy. The study, appearing in theJournal of Religion and Society (http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-11.html) and conducted by Gregory Paul, analyzed data from 18 nations and inferred that because the U.S. […]

01: The main factor in the growth of megachurches over the past three decades has more to do with economics than theology or even changing demographics, according to sociologist Mark Chaves. In a lecture at the early November meeting of the Religious Research Association in Rochester, N.Y., Chaves said that the standard accounts of megachurch growth […]

01: Coalitions of “unlikely bedfellows” on issues such as poverty and the environment do not generate much support among religious Americans, according to a recent study. There has been journalistic speculation that Americans can break free from rigid stereotypes of staunch antagonists locked in culture wars in order to join hands on common issues of concern. […]

01: Religion is aiding second generation immigrants in assimilating to American society, though sometimes in ways that lead them away from upward mobility, said Alejandro Portes, a prominent Princeton University scholar of immigration. Portes presented findings from a study of second generation Americans in the cities of Miami and San Diego at the August meeting of […]

01: A new study of church growth in the South and Southwest shows an unexpected and sharp increases of Catholics, as well as modest gains among mainline Protestants. The study, presented at the Association for the Sociology of Religion meeting in Philadelphia, reanalyzed data from the Glenmary Research Center that allow for comparison over a ten […]