Black Women the Most Religious Group in America

Only 2% say religion is "not at all" important to them

It appears there's one group in America that can rightly be described as holier than thou: black women.

Newser informs us that in a recent survey of religious devotion in the US, it was African-American women who came out ahead in terms of how much value they placed on leading a pious life. 74% of black women told pollsters that "living a religious life" is very important to them, with 70% of black men, 57% of white women, and only 43% of white men saying the same.

What accounts for this relatively robust religiosity? According to a professor of ethics and society at Vanderbilt University, black women have been "scandalized and mistreated" in US society, which explains their seeking relief in faith.

But author and atheist Sikivu Hutchinson pushes back, asking, "What has religiosity and belief really achieved for African Americans in the 21st century, given our low socioeconomic position?"

Via Newser & The Washington Post.

What do you think explains the higher level of religiosity among African-American women?

[FRitzKlenner5]

Leave it to topix to showcase a divisive article such as this one. My answer would be the same regardless of race or gender: Fear and naïveté. People are free to worship as they choose in this country, and that's one of the things that makes it so great. Why there should ever be an article or pole devoted to it on a site devoted to American politics is beyond me.

[ded]

Spot on regarding fear and naivety. But, I don't understand what you're saying in the first and last sentence. Obviously religion is extremely relevant to US politics. This is the one major western nation in which superstitious religious beliefs are still common, and the various Christian churches are hugely important electoral forces.

[FRitzKlenner5]

...but it SHOULDN'T be relevant...and that should have been "polls", BTW... The article itself was meant to be divisive, and I suspect that it's inclusion here was done to attract ignorant comments from all sides.

[Bobolinsky]

I'm with Ded on this one Fritz. Anytime I say "should" the way you do? I try to stop and think. I'm an atheist. When discussing human populations, there are no "shoulds". There is only what "is". That, to my mind, is a conflict of reality and theory. Atheists who believe "shoulds" are possible are the one's who look to the "state" to make it reality. History tells me that's a mistake.

[Iamjim42]

@Bobolinsky:
I am an atheist as well. The "shoulds" of this world are the inovators and dreamers who change the world. If no one had the audacity to attempt to change the world, wonderful things like the Civil Rights Movement would have never happened. People need others to push them to change for the better. That is all we try to do, and it is far from unreasonable. What is undeniably unreasonable is to accept the status quo no matter how unfair it is.

[Bobolinsky]

You are confusing "should" in the theoretical sense of the word and "possible".

Learning to fly meant understanding gravity and aerodynamics. The Wright Brothers knew what they were discovering.

They did not however believe that man "should" be able to fly by flapping their arms. They accepted the reality that if man was ever going to fly, it would not be by flapping arms.

My comment was that Fritz was making a statement about whether religion "should" play a role in US politics.

The only way to make that "should" a reality is by force. Forcing the religious not to vote. My point is that deciding according to "shoulds" is dangerous. The Communists did a lot of that "should" business in the Soviet Union and China among other places like France under Robespierre and Spain under the Inquisition.

[Wilberhum]

When 'Reality' provides no relief 'Mythology' does.

[Bobolinsky]

Human nature.

[LogicNeeded]

Well, women are more religious than men and black people seem to be more religious than white people, so it'd make sense that black women would be the most religious.

[Bobolinsky]

lol... it really is that simple ain't it?... and look at all the comments lol... Even cynical, old atheist me had to comment.

ehh... it gave me a chance to show my soft side :)

[Keyjo]

Don't know, don't care. Everyone is free to believe, worship, what have you, in these United States.
If religion gives a person a better sense of serenity and well being or security, then more power to them.

[ded]

No, unfortunately it's not such a happy-clappy situation. Parents who force their children to be exposed to religion are handicapping their minds in various ways; principally by leading them to think that certain phenomena require no intelligent explanation, or even that intelligent explanations are inherently unavailable. Such children are less likely to become great explainers and controllers of their world. Bringing children up in a strongly religious fashion is a form of child abuse.

[Bobolinsky]

I see religion as similar to a parent answering their toddler child's "Why?" questions. Sometimes they know the answer but know it's way over the kids head (Why is the sky blue?) and sometimes they don't want to talk about it yet (Why can you and daddy jump on the bed but I can't?) Sometimes they don't want to argue.(Why can't I have a cookie?) And sometimes they don't have a clue.(Why are we here?)

Religion is a combination of the last two. It amounts to "Because God said so."

That's always gonna be around, to one degree or another, in any society. Human nature. It's the details of what "God said" and how the current believers put those words into practice that I care about.I think America is in a good place. Religion has influence but no actual power.

[noriboru]

Without regard to race I think women in general are the most religious group in America.

[Shauna]

I agree.I don't know were these people get there info from. White woman are just as much religious than blacks..

[Shauna]

Sorry as blacks

[ded]

I don't understand what you mean. It's a survey: to see where they got their information from, follow the link in the article.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/...

Source: This Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll was conducted by telephone Oct. 6 to Nov. 2, 2011, among a random national sample of 1,936 adults, including users of both conventional and cellular phones. The results from the full survey have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points; error margins are five points for African American women, eight points for African American men, 5.5 points for white women and 6.5 points for white men. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS) of Media, Pa. The Washington Post. Published Jan. 23, 2012. Updated Feb. 27, 2012.

[Real4WheelDrv]

The "easy" answer would be that it's a holdover from slavery, when their faith, tribal, voodoo, etc. which was usurped by christianity was literally all they had. I imagine nowadays when there are still so many single and poverty stricken mothers the same rule applies.

[Bobolinsky]

Few things are more comforting, inspiring or American... than a black Southern Baptist church choir singing.

Even a cynical, old atheist like me feels the love. I like that :)

[CanadianIndy]

Gotta give you this. Once visited a gospel church in NC with my family. We were the only white folk in the building, but I've rarely felt so welcome.

And even though I vehemently hate religion, I'd still go back there.

[Shauna]

Yea for sure they can sure sing..

[BrainSmashR666]

I'd rather hear a metal rake on concrete...

[ACTSmom]

Yet 72% of black babies are born to unwed mothers. I guess they don't consider sex outside of marriage as a problem, but unfortunately, it leads to even more problems. Perhaps their churches should teach some practical Biblical standards. "Children of unmarried mothers of any race are more likely to perform poorly in school, go to prison, use drugs, be poor as adults, and have their own children out of wedlock."
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/72-blacks-bo...

[BrainSmashR666]

Most folks like to avoid these issues because of race, but you just hit the hypocricy nail square on the head. The claim to be Christian but CLEARLY they are not....

[Ohio]

There is a large majority of people who claim to be christian and clearly are not. What does that have to do with being religious? People's mistakes in life and shortcomings dont exclude them from religion. So was that supposed to be an attack on people of color? Most people dont marry before they have kids anyway in this world. So an article that was a positive you turn into a negative because?

[ACTSmom]

@Ohio: If you don't get my meaning, perhaps you should re-read the statement. Look at the results of so many children without fathers in the home! Re-read: "Perhaps their churches should teach some practical Biblical standards." Rather than ignoring the cause, wouldn't it be better to prevent those consequences?

[Ohio]

And the majority of those black women going to church are older women. Not saying young women dont go but the majority arent teens that can be told to wait for marriage.

[BrainSmashR666]

I wonder if they're also the least educated group in our country....

[Bobolinsky]

And the question after that is whether we should draw a connection between the two. I don't think they are necessarily related. Religiosity and education level I mean.

There may be a corollary connection, but I don't buy a cause-and effect-relationship between the two.

[BrainSmashR666]

I have to disagree. Like most parents, I was exposed to my Mother's religious beliefs, more or less from the moment of birth, whereas I wasn't exposed to anything above basic science until Jr. high or so. You say there no direct connection, I say it's because religion has a 13 year head start on most kids. You teach them evolution from birth and then creationism more than a decade later and you'll see the exact opposite outcome.

[Bobolinsky]

I understand your point. And to a degree I'm with you. But you're focused on the one issue that religion and science are butting heads on and saying using that as proof that religious people are less educated.

I don't care if they're stubborn about Creationism. The science community has left them behind. Plenty of biologists and astronomers believe in evolution but ultimately believe in Intelligent Design. Creationism is one of those things that the kook religious fringe has been able to thrust into the national debate. And liberal sites like politix.topix.com are more than willing to help keep it there.

Religion teaches morality. Agree or disagree with the morality but like it or not, religion is what humans have come up with to teach morality to the masses that are not going to be interested enough in their own search to come up with a good one their own. Religion is here to stay. That's what the Communists in Latin America learned from the Soviet Union.

It doesn't matter to me whether individual people believe that man was created in God's image or the other way around. I believe the latter, but that doesn't mean I don't think it doesn't have its place. I like how it is in America. Influence with little actual power. Separation of Church (religion) and State (Government) Government = Force

[BrainSmashR666]

I CAN definitely say they are less intelligent for beLIEving without proof just like I can say it about a 5 year old child that believes Santas travels to every house in the world once a year. This overwhelming lack of evidence has existed, not for 2012 years, but since since the dawn of time. There has never been 1 shred of evidence to support the existence of an omnipotent God in any religion that has ever existed. The Bible isn't even first-hand stories....

[autiger]

The author is "Athiest" and she's doing a study on religion.. lol What result do think she's going to come up with??
I'm an Auburn fan.. I need to do some "studies" on Alabama.. I promise I'll be fare.. Ya .. Right WDE

[BrainSmashR666]

It's "fair", and I fail to see how the author's religious beliefs have tainted the results unless you're going to imply she's racist too.

[Wilberhum]

Obviously you believe that no one can take an honest non bias look at something.
Believe me, there are many of us who can honestly look at facts and come to a valid conclusion .

[ded]

+1 to Wilberhum. We'll know not to listen to you in the future since you've just implied that you're incapable of being objective about anything you have an opinion on. Sort of makes you wonder what the point in speaking is.

[autiger]

Why does it even have to mention she's atheist? Ya.. Sorry.... Does make a difference?

[FollowTheMoney]

So...

[Waynestew]

There is an old saying in the black church: "If I never had a problem I would never know God could solve them" Like people especially black women tend to struggle more in life, therefore there is a greater need to turn to a higher power to deal with issues. I know this sounds like a very atheist answer but I am not atheist I am a Christian. I don't understand why this is of any relevance in a political debate.

[1adam2]

being religious, does not mean being true to G-D. and by the way, there is no such thing, as a non-religious person or critter. even trees and other plants, have a religion. otherwise there would be no difference, between an oak tree, and a turnip.