----- Original Message ----- From: "Russell Chapman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 4:35 PM Subject: Re: Brin: the new know nothings
> Warren Ockrassa wrote: > > > "Barna's results verified findings of earlier polls: that conservative > > Protestant Christians, on average, have the highest divorce rate, > > while mainline Christians have a much lower rate. They found some new > > information as well: that atheists and agnostics have the lowest > > divorce rate of all." > > It's not even vaguely surprising that these "conservative Protestant > Christians" (and they really do defy labelling...) have a higher divorce > rate, but it is IMHO a reach to suggest that their affiliation is more > likely to make their marriage go bad, just (again, IMHO) that they are > far more likely to go into an inappropriate marriage in the first place. I went to the CDC for some data. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/series/sr23/pre-1/pre-1.htm Here is what I found. In increasing likelihood of divorce, we have the following religious beliefs: All 43%+/- 0.9% All Religions 41%+/- 0.9% Catholic: 37%+/- 1.3% Evangelical Protestant: 40%+/- 2.9% Other Protestant: 44%+/- 1.2% Other Religions 40%+/- 3.1% Not Religious 56%+/- 2.7% So, we do not have any evidence for the claim that Evangelical Christians have a higher divorce rate than average. The CDC rate for Evangelical Christians is below the total rate, but within statistical uncertainty. Other Protestants are above the average, but within statistics. "Not Religious" is the only category that's several SD above average (4.5 SD). Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
