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Two thirds of US Christians experience spiritual doubt, says poll

Barna SpiritualDoubt charts v4

GRAPHIC: Barna Group.

About two-thirds of US Christians have experienced a time of spiritual doubt during which they have questioned what they believed about religion or God, according to new data from the Barna Group.

Based on a poll of 888 people self-identified as Christians or past Christians taken in early June, the survey found 26 per cent said they still experienced spiritual doubt while 40 per cent said they had in the past but had worked through it. Even among those described as practicing Christians, 19 per cent said they experienced doubt – but they are also one of the groups most likely to have worked through their doubt (42 per cent).

The poll also revealed that about twice as many Millennials experienced doubt as any other generational group – 38 per cent compared with 23 per cent of Gen-Xers, for example – and that men were more likely than women to do so – 32 per cent compared to 20 per cent. Perhaps not surprisingly, those who have been through college are twice as likely to experience doubt as those with a high school education or less – 37 per cent compared to 19 per cent.

The most common response for those who experienced doubt was to leave their church or worship gatherings (45 per cent) – even among those who described themselves as practicing Christians (36 per cent) and regular churchgoers (33 per cent). Three in 10 adults stopped reading the Bible in response to doubts – a similar proportion who said they stopped praying – while a quarter said they stopped talking with family or friends about spirituality, God or religion.

Some 40 per cent of those who experienced doubt said they went to family or friends to help find answers, 19 per cent turned to their spouse, 22 per cent to their church and 29 per cent to the Bible. More than half of those who had wrestled with doubt – 53 per cent – said it had made their faith stronger.

Roxanne Stone, editor-in-chief of Barna Group, said that spiritual doubt has “been a reality of the Christian journey since the disciples – and today is no different”.

“Just like first century Christians, their twenty-first century counterparts question aspects of their theology, doubt the existence of God and mourn his seeming absence during hard times. Doubt remains a flip side on the same coin as faith. For the majority of Christians, this inevitable doubt is a catalyst to spiritual growth.”

 

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