For instance, today's America has been called the most religiously diverse nation on Earth. What does that mean for those who believe theirs is the only way to salvation?
Rev. JAMES MERRITT (President, Southern Baptist Convention): As a Christian, believing that Christ is not just a good way to heaven, or the best way to heaven, or even the Baptist way to heaven; but he is the only way to heaven. We can't compromise that singular belief.
ABERNETHY: We reported the rapid growth of Evangelicals and Pentecostals, millions of Americans for whom the spiritual experience of worship is central to everything they do.
DANI BENTLE (Evangelical Protestant): It's daily things, daily situations where we bring God into it or we bring Christ into it. And that's how we live. I mean, every day.ABERNETHY: We also reported on the essence of being Roman Catholic.
EILEEN DURKIN (Roman Catholic): Catholicism is more than pronouncements for me. It's life. It's lived. It's the people I'm with. It's the experience of Jesus Christ in my life.
ABERNETHY: The emphasis on personal spiritual experience is also central to the large number of seekers outside traditional religion.
MARILYN MAGUIRE (Spiritual Seeker): If you want to hear the voice of God, or whatever a person wants to call this higher power, it's important to listen, to be still.ABERNETHY: With me to talk about some of the issues of American religious life are John Green, a political scientist at the University of Akron. And, joining us by satellite, Robert Franklin, president of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta; and Peter Steinfels, historian and writer of the Beliefs column in THE NEW YORK TIMES.
Welcome to each of you. Peter, we reported that Catholics to whom we spoke said that no matter how furious they are over the sex abuse scandal their fundamental faith has not changed. What do you see developing among American Catholics in response to this crisis?
PETER STEINFELS (THE NEW YORK TIMES): Well, there's certainly anger, there is a lot of confusion about what has happened in the sex abuse crisis, and I think there's a general desire for greater accountability beyond the issue of the sex abuse crisis. I wonder, however, how easy it will be to take any of these feelings and to translate them into practical, institutional changes, into organizational reform.
Simply because of the size of the Church, because of its diversity, because of the fact that many of the groups that had been most outspoken on this issue have high profiles as either conservative or liberal and they are distrusted by one another and by people in the middle of the road. But, I think we should remember that there are people very involved in church life, and priests as well as laity that have been extremely affected by this crisis, who may get the ball moving.Dr. JOHN GREEN (Political Scientist, University of Akron): I just had a question for Peter, if I might. Peter, there are some longstanding disputes in the Roman Catholic Church. What effect do you think these problems will have on those disputes?
Mr. STEINFELS: Well, I think that if questions like ordaining women or celibacy occupy the front burner in this issue -- in the way the Church addresses it -- it actually may delay action more than help it along. Because those are such large questions involving a global Church, that more intermediate steps that possibly could be achieved may be bypassed.
ABERNETHY: Robert Franklin in Atlanta, I was impressed in our survey and in our stories by how important religious experience is, to Protestants, to Catholics, and we see the same thing in seekers outside the churches. What message does that send in your judgement? What message does that send to the more formal, traditional, Protestant churches?
Dr. ROBERT FRANKLIN (President, Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta): I think that Americans want religion that is experienced and felt. They want a God that is imminent in their lives, that provides meaning and assurance to them as they face the challenges of the day. Rather than a more abstract, distant God who is somehow found in their creeds and hymns.
ABERNETHY: John Green, does the apparently growing importance of spiritual religious experience mean that there is a decline in the importance of beliefs and doctrines?
Dr. GREEN: Yes, I think it does -- particularly traditional beliefs and doctrines. We live in a consumer society. We have a lot of emphasis on individual choice, and I think we've seen many of those traditional beliefs be replaced by something that's more tangible, about which people have more choice and control over.
Dr. GREEN: That's a really interesting change. Conventional wisdom on this is that if you hold strong truths, then you tend to deny the truth of other religions and I think the poll shows that that doesn't seem to be the case as much.
Dr. FRANKLIN: I am pleased that interfaith dialogue is going on throughout the nation in the wake of 9-11. We all know that there has been negative expressions towards Islam and Muslims and yet responsible leaders in every community have invited and sponsored interfaith dialogue. I think that needs to continue and that's a good sign about the health of American religion.
