Friday, December 19, 2003
Many Americans Still Wonder about Nature of Jesus
Who was Jesus?
Americans, for the most part, believe in the historical reality of the itinerate Jewish rabbi who nearly 2,000 years ago proclaimed the coming of the kingdom of God to his friends and neighbors in Judean towns along the Sea of Galilee.
A survey of 1,054 adult residents of the United States conducted by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University found that 75 percent "absolutely believe" that Jesus was a real person. Sixteen percent said they "mostly believe" in his historical reality, 5 percent "do not believe" and 4 percent were uncertain.
Nearly one out of five people don't believe that Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary, one of the central points in the traditional story but the most disputed idea in the survey. Sixty percent said they "absolutely believe" Jesus was born to a virgin, 16 percent mostly believe and 5 percent are uncertain.
Americans have slightly more confidence that Jesus "died and physically rose from the dead," with 63 percent saying they "absolutely believe" this central theme of the Easter story. But, surprisingly, adults in the poll were more likely to conclude that "Jesus was the son of God" and that "Jesus was divine" - for which absolute belief was at 69 percent and 67 percent, respectively - than to believe the biblical accounts of his birth and death.
"This shows a glaring inconsistency in the American mind to hold that Jesus was divine but that he did not rise from the dead or was born of a virgin," said the Rev. Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.
Marcus Borg - distinguished professor of religion and culture at Oregon State University - said the poll shows that many Americans are re-evaluating past, literal interpretations of Jesus.
"There are a growing number of Christians who understand the story of Jesus' birth and resurrection as metaphoric and symbolic," said Borg. "There are millions of Christians and former Christians who simply can't be biblical literalists or absolutists. They want to take the Bible seriously, but not literally."
Although many Americans discount some of the claims about Jesus, both liberal and conservative theologians point to the overall finding in the poll that most Americans still believe in Christianity's core traditions: that Jesus was the physical incarnation of God and that he experienced bodily resurrection following his crucifixion. Fifty-one percent said they believed all five attributes of Jesus that were tested in the study.
But liberal and conservative theologians also noted that a significant number do not strictly adhere to the Nicene Creed, the statement of faith first adopted by Christian bishops in 325 A.D. Most Americans have recited that famous creed beginning with: "We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. ..."
The survey found significant differences between a belief that "Jesus was the son of God" and that "Jesus was divine." More than 110 people in the poll reacted to the two statements differently, with many accepting that Jesus was God's son but less certain of his divinity.
"That's very interesting because it was once an enormous issue, the most divisive struggle in the church's early history," said Richard Rubenstein, professor of conflict resolution at George Mason University and author of "When Jesus Became God," about the tempestuous Council of Nicaea.
"I've given a lot of talks among church groups and I'm surprised by how many Christians have questions about this," said Rubenstein, who is Jewish. "People come up to me to say that they are still trying to figure it (the nature of Jesus) out. The mystery of the Trinity is not universally accepted today, which surprises me."
The survey was conducted at the Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University.
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