Summary of Religion Findings since Spring 2000

Spring 2003

Strong support for gay job and housing rights, not marriage. Fully 80% of Tennesseans believe that gay men and lesbians should be guaranteed equal housing rights, and nearly as many (78%) support equal employment rights. But less than one-third (30%) think that gays should have full marital rights.

Majority of believers think Columbia astronauts in heaven. Fewer than half of Tennesseans (42%) believe, as President Bush implied, that the Columbia astronauts are in heaven. But of the 74% who believe in the afterlife at all, more than half (53%) think they are in heaven, while one-third said they don’t know. The Baptist astronaut received the highest in-heaven percentage (85%), while the Hindu received the lowest (65%).

Fall 2002

“God bless America” no cliché. The phrase “God bless America” is held dear by most Tennesseans, but only one in five ever speaks or writes it. More Tennesseans believe President Bush means something patriotic when he says, “God Bless America” than believe he means something religious. Most say they began using the phrase before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington. About one in four have purchased a product with the phrase on it.

Spring 2002

God bless America” means … lots of things. The phrase “God bless America” has no single meaning for Tennesseans despite its frequent use in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Most say the phrase has a patriotic meaning, but many say it has a religious meaning, and about as many others say it means something else entirely. Some say they have no idea what it means.

Fall 2001

“Turn other cheek” not applicable to terrorism; Muslims may worship different God. When self-described Christians are reminded that Jesus tells followers to turn the other cheek, only about one fourth (28%) say it means that the U.S. should not retaliate against terrorists. Just over half (55%) believe that Christians and Muslims pray to the same God.

Other terrorism topics: America not God’s chosen nation, but deity backs U.S. terrorism campaign ·

Spring 2000

“Bible Belt” may buckle elsewhere. Despite its reputation as the “buckle” of the Bible Belt, Middle Tennessee looks surprisingly like the rest of the country on several common measures of religious belief and practice. Many Middle Tennesseans are religious, but in many ways they are no more religious than the rest of the nation. Nearly nine in 10 consider themselves Christians. But devotion to religious practices varies substantially.

A majority holds beliefs that might be considered “conservative.” About half (53%) off Middle Tennesseans believe non-Christians will be excluded from heaven after death, and 59% say Hell is a real place where non-Christians will live in torment after death. About the same proportion (56%) say they believe God created the universe in six, 24-hour days. Among those who call themselves Christians, a majority (57%) consider themselves “born again.”