Black Americans: Most Religious Ethnic Group

Humble_Disciple · Jun 20, 2021

Black people are the most religious ethnic group in the United States, yet news reporters would rather run a story on a black man robbing a liquor store than a black church feeding the homeless. May God have mercy on our suffering and divided nation. #blacklivesmatter

Roughly eight-in-ten (79%) African Americans self-identify as Christian, as do seven-in-ten whites and 77% of Latinos, according to Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study...

African Americans are more religious than whites and Latinos by many measures of religious commitment. For instance, three-quarters of black Americans say religion is very important in their lives, compared with smaller shares of whites (49%) and Hispanics (59%); African Americans also are more likely to attend services at least once a week and to pray regularly. Black Americans (83%) are more likely to say they believe in God with absolute certainty than whites (61%) and Latinos (59%).
5 facts about blacks and religion in America

Fully three-quarters of African Americans say religion is very important compared to 59 percent among Hispanics and 49 percent of whites. That statement is lived out by nearly half (47 percent) attending religious services at least once a week.

Seventy-three percent of black Americans pray daily while 58 percent of Hispanics and 52 percent of whites say they did so. In addition, 83 percent of African Americans say they believe in God “with absolute certainty.”
Studies reveal five facts about African Americans and religion - The Christian Index

Indeed, more than half of black people in the U.S. (54%) – both Christian and non-Christian – say they read the Bible or other holy scripture at least once a week outside of religious services, compared with 32% of whites and 38% of Hispanics, according to data from the 2014 Religious Landscape Study. Indeed, relatively few black people (24%) say they seldom or never read the Bible, compared with 50% of whites and 40% of Hispanics.
Black Americans and the Bible: Key findings

The researchers found that a higher percentage of black and Latino Americans— 58% and 57%, respectively — supported teaching creationism in the classroom instead of, but not alongside, evolution. Only 44% of whites and 42% of other races felt this way.
https://news.rice.edu/2019/10/31/ri...-than-whites-to-support-teaching-creationism/

There have been African Christians from the beginning of Christanity:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_eunuch

Christianity in Africa - Wikipedia

The concept of "race" didn't exist in ancient history like it does today. Inter-racial marriage was practiced throughout the Bible, including the genealogy of Jesus.

Matthew 1:1-14 - The genealogy of Jesus, in which four Afro-Asiatic women are included: Rahab, Tamar, Ruth, and Bathsheba.
https://bibleresources.americanbible.org/resource/blacks-in-biblical-antiquity

While it might seem easy to point the finger at black neighborhoods for having high crime rates, poor white neighborhoods are high-crime areas as well:
The Poverty-Crime Connection

While it might be easy to point the finger at the black community for its out of wedlock birthrate, this might have more to do with poverty than race:

Data revealed a significant link between income and out-of-wedlock births. Of women making less than $10,000 who gave birth in the previous year, 68.9 percent were not married. That statistic dropped progressively going up the household income ladder, with a 9 percent rate for households earning more than $200,000 a year.
https://www.usnews.com/news/newsgram/articles/2013/05/06/census-bureau-links-poverty-with-out-of-wedlock-births

setst777 · Jun 20, 2021

Humble_Disciple said:
Black people are the most religious ethnic group in the United States, yet news reporters would rather run a story on a black man robbing a liquor store than a black church feeding the homeless. May God have mercy on our suffering and divided nation. #blacklivesmatter

What I find troubling or perplexing about these figures about the faith of Black Americans is statistical data involving crime in the USA.

By far, the proportion of crime and violent acts in the USA are committed by black people, with Hispanics being second.
Race and crime in the United States - Wikipedia

In addition, black people make up only a minority of the entire US population (13.4%), making the crime rate, by population, extremely high.
Race and ethnicity in the United States - Wikipedia

Despite making up only 13.4% of the US population, the percent incarceration is is extremely high Black Americans by proportion of population.
BOP Statistics: Inmate Race

Therefore, I question the authenticity of the faith expressed in the figures.

Therefore, for many Black people, and Hispanics, I do not see this "faith" translating in to a New Life in Christ Jesus. This is unfortunate, showing us that much work needs to be done in promoting accurate and authentic evangelism to all ethnic populations.

Eftsoon · Jun 20, 2021

setst777 said:
What I find troubling or perplexing about these figures about the faith of Black Americans is statistical data involving crime in the USA.

By far, the proportion of crime and violent acts in the USA are committed by black people, with Hispanics being second.
Race and crime in the United States - Wikipedia

In addition, black people make up only a minority of the entire US population (13.4%), making the crime rate, by population, extremely high.
Race and ethnicity in the United States - Wikipedia

Despite making up only 13.4% of the US population, the percent incarceration is is extremely high Black Americans by proportion of population.
BOP Statistics: Inmate Race

Therefore, I question the authenticity of the faith expressed in the figures.

Therefore, for many Black people, and Hispanics, I do not see this "faith" translating in to a New Life in Christ Jesus. This is unfortunate, showing us that much work needs to be done in promoting accurate and authentic evangelism to all ethnic populations.

Please consider the role of policing in the disproportiante figures.

A_Thinker · Jun 20, 2021

setst777 said:
What I find troubling or perplexing about these figures about the faith of Black Americans is statistical data involving crime in the USA.

By far, the proportion of crime and violent acts in the USA are committed by black people, with Hispanics being second.
Race and crime in the United States - Wikipedia

In addition, black people make up only a minority of the entire US population (13.4%), making the crime rate, by population, extremely high.
Race and ethnicity in the United States - Wikipedia

Despite making up only 13.4% of the US population, the percent incarceration is is extremely high Black Americans by proportion of population.
BOP Statistics: Inmate Race

Therefore, I question the authenticity of the faith expressed in the figures.

Therefore, for many Black people, and Hispanics, I do not see this "faith" translating in to a New Life in Christ Jesus. This is unfortunate, showing us that much work needs to be done in promoting accurate and authentic evangelism to all ethnic populations.

Here are the FBI's 2019 crime stats ... which doesn't quite bear out your conclusions ...

Table 43

dqhall · Jun 20, 2021

Humble_Disciple said:
Black people are the most religious ethnic group in the United States, yet news reporters would rather run a story on a black man robbing a liquor store than a black church feeding the homeless. May God have mercy on our suffering and divided nation. #blacklivesmatter

What religion is that? Although fewer in number, blacks murder more people than any other ethnic group.
Murder in the U.S.: victims by race/ethnicity and gender 2019 | Statista

A_Thinker · Jun 20, 2021

setst777 said:
Despite making up only 13.4% of the US population, the percent incarceration is is extremely high Black Americans by proportion of population.
BOP Statistics: Inmate Race

I wondered how the majority of the prison population was white ... if the majority of crime was committed by blacks, but, as it turns out, the majority of crime is committed by whites ... as this companion chart from the FBI bears out ...

Table 43

A_Thinker · Jun 20, 2021

dqhall said:
What religion is that? Although fewer in number, blacks murder more people than any other ethnic group.
Murder in the U.S.: victims by race/ethnicity and gender 2019 | Statista

If one considers "crime" in the US, perhaps.

If one considers the totality of deaths worldwide (from wars, conquest, holocaust, etc.), ... that is another matter ...

List of wars by death toll - Wikipedia

setst777 · Jun 20, 2021

A_Thinker said:
Here are the FBI's 2019 crime stats ... which doesn't quite bear out your conclusions ...

Table 43

Compare the crime rates per ethnicity by the total population of each ethnicity living in the USA.

Considering that Black Americans make up only 13.4% of the US population, we see the significance of the rates of crime by population.

setst777 · Jun 20, 2021

A_Thinker said:
I wondered how the majority of the prison population was white ... if the majority of crime was committed by blacks, but, as it turns out, the majority of crime is committed by whites ... as this companion chart from the FBI bears out ...

Table 43

Only by a small margin. But when you consider that Black Americans make up only 13.4% of the US population, you begin to see the significance of the numbers.

Eftsoon · Jun 20, 2021

setst777 said:
Only by a small margin. But when you consider that Black Americans make up only 13.4% of the US population, you begin to see the significance of the numbers.

Proportion is not the only element to take into consideration. You also have to consdier economic disparities and the reality of 400 years of slavery followed by lynchings and segregation. African American survival and resilience is a miracle in and of itself.

dqhall · Jun 20, 2021

setst777 said:
Only by a small margin. But when you consider that Black Americans make up only 13.4% of the US population, you begin to see the significance of the numbers.

It shows a higher proportion of crimes committed by blacks compared to their percent of the population. I did not see any column for incarcerations, only for arrests. The Hispanics have fewer arrests than blacks, but are a greater proportion of the population. For sure there are problems in any race or ethnic group.

setst777 · Jun 20, 2021

Eftsoon said:
Proportion is not the only element to take into consideration. You also have to consdier economic disparities and the reality of 400 years of slavery followed by lynchings and segregation. African American survival and resilience is a miracle in and of itself.

I am only concerned with the topic, which is the religion of the black people. For many Black people, and Hispanics, I do not see this "faith" translating in to a New Life in Christ Jesus. This is unfortunate, showing us that much work needs to be done in promoting accurate and authentic evangelism to all ethnic populations.

True faith and salvation should transcend any conditions. We cannot hide behind the difficulties we, or our ancestors, may have experienced. Each of us is responsible before God for our faith in Him.

setst777 · Jun 20, 2021

dqhall said:
It shows a higher proportion of crimes committed by blacks compared to their percent of the population. I did not see any column for incarcerations, only for arrests. The Hispanics have fewer arrests than blacks, but are a greater proportion of the population. For sure there are problems in any race or ethnic group.

Yes, and I believe a new life by faith in Lord Jesus can overcome all difficulties in this life.

HIM · Jun 20, 2021

Humble_Disciple said:
Black people are the most religious ethnic group in the United States, yet news reporters would rather run a story on a black man robbing a liquor store than a black church feeding the homeless. May God have mercy on our suffering and divided nation. #blacklivesmatter

Religious, depends on what you mean.

Humility, discretion and promiscuity are serious issues within the church.

SummerMadness · Jun 20, 2021

How long before someone brings up the racist "black-on-black" crime argument, an argument that has been made since Reconstruction to argue that Black people are inferior? The fact that most crime is intraracial, yet there is a focus on "black crime" demonstrates this clearly. Citizens killing each other is no more special or different because Black people do it. Moreover, most people do not commit crimes, so talking about the crime of a minority percentage while ignoring the faith of a broader group is an extremely racist idea. Judging an entire civilian population by the actions of a few is quite odd.

FireDragon76 · Jun 20, 2021

dqhall said:
It shows a higher proportion of crimes committed by blacks compared to their percent of the population.

Not necessarily true. Incarceration rates do not necessarily reflect crime rates, since many crimes are unreported, and there is more policing of black neighborhoods. Blacks are also more likely to be convicted of crimes if they are arrested.

SummerMadness · Jun 20, 2021

setst777 said:
I am only concerned with the topic, which is the religion of the black people. For many Black people, and Hispanics, I do not see this "faith" translating in to a New Life in Christ Jesus. This is unfortunate, showing us that much work needs to be done in promoting accurate and authentic evangelism to all ethnic populations.

I do not see faith translating into a New Life in Christ Jesus when someone ignores most of a population and then judges the broader population as somehow lesser or unworthy.

setst777 said:
True faith and salvation should transcend any conditions. We cannot hide behind the difficulties we, or our ancestors, may have experienced. Each of us is responsible before God for our faith in Him.

Those that who stand in judgment and make pronouncements about a group of people based on their inherent traits do not demonstrate the teachings in the New Testament.

Matthew 7:1-6
Romans 2:1
Romans 14:4

Eftsoon · Jun 20, 2021

setst777 said:
I am only concerned with the topic, which is the religion of the black people. For many Black people, and Hispanics, I do not see this "faith" translating in to a New Life in Christ Jesus. This is unfortunate, showing us that much work needs to be done in promoting accurate and authentic evangelism to all ethnic populations.

True faith and salvation should transcend any conditions. We cannot hide behind the difficulties we, or our ancestors, may have experienced. Each of us is responsible before God for our faith in Him.

It sounds like you expect all African Americans to be radically transformed overnight. This is a long process. Slavery ended very recently, and the wounds are passed from generation to generation. It was legal to kill blacks until very recently. Racism is still a burning reality for people of colour.
To people reading, I think the tone sounds very judgemental and prejudiced. It is a little surprising that the African diaspora are being singled out for their lack of faith. The same could be said for every single major church!

A_Thinker · Jun 20, 2021

setst777 said:
Yes, and I believe a new life by faith in Lord Jesus can overcome all difficulties in this life.

Yes, ... and that new life is distributed among all of the tribes of humanity ... though not every representative of each tribe has accepted that new life ...

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Humble_Disciple · Jun 20, 2021

Poor people, regardless of ethnicity, are more likely to commit crimes than well-off people. Instead of condemning black people as criminals, why not invest in black neighborhoods?

Black Americans: Most Religious Ethnic Group

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