Research Sometimes Belies The Truth

The headline above says it all – research sometimes belies the truth. The highly respected Pew Research Organization recently provided a perfect example.

The Message Twitter feed recently included a graphic that quickly reported the results of Pew research into religion. Its headline read, “U.S. is in (the) middle of the pack when it comes to (the) importance of religion in people’s lives.”

The graphic then illustrated the percentage of people from countries across the world “who say religion is very important in their lives.” Ethiopia is at the top of the Pew list at 98 percent; China is at the bottom at three percent. America is, indeed, in the middle of the list at 53 percent.

I take issue with the U.S. number, and I refer you to the Merriam-Webster dictionary for the basis of my disagreement. One way that Webster defines religion is, “an interest, a belief or an activity that is very important to a person or group.”

Ha!

There is no way that roughly half of Americans don’t have an interest, belief or activity that is very important to them. The problem is that, for many, those interests, beliefs and/or activities don’t involve God or salvation.

I don’t have enough space to list all the things that are very important to me. Ask yourself … “what kinds of things do I consider important?” You probably couldn’t list everything that comes to mind in a “short list.”

I don’t mention any of this to be critical.

I’m jus’ sayin’….

This Jubilee of Mercy is a perfect time for you, me – all of us – to take a hard look at ourselves. What interests, beliefs and activities have we elevated to “religious levels” – regardless of whether we intended to? From here, that last part is the most important.

Seriously … have you ever paused to consider that there may be some things in life that you (inadvertently or not) treat as more important than your relationship with God and your inevitable needs for His mercy, forgiveness and love? We’re all guilty of that; it’s ingrained in our sinful, human nature.

Like many Americans, my TV seems “locked” onto football during fall and winter Sundays. On a certain Sunday in April, it’s the Masters golf tournament; on a certain Sunday in February, the Daytona 500; on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekends, the Indy 500. You get the picture.

Last Sunday, I turned the TV off during the 3 o’clock hour to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet. It has become a personal habit; I pray the chaplet daily, and do so during the traditionally recognized “hour of mercy” whenever possible.

Don’t think for a minute that this is a major sacrifice. If you have ever prayed the chaplet, you know it takes maybe 10 minutes. But that’s not the point.

I try daily to use this small step as a reminder of what truly is important here and now … and every day. Maybe you can do something to grow your relationship with God for the same reason.