Assessment, Statistics, and Research

  It is no secret that the official position of the Catholic church opposes abortion. Many evangelicals groups also promote antiabortion positions. The subject of abortion continues to divide Americans as evident in survey data. This has been highlighted recently with the addition of Justice Barrett to the Supreme Court—a judge known for her prolife advocacy. In the summer, Justice Thomas famously attacked the court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade ( CNN ). In 2020, most Americans, the majority of whom are Christian, support abortion, though sizable percentages prefer laws that pose some limitations. Some important questions are not asked every year so, some data in the 2020 post refer to 2019, 2018, etc. The Gallup organization has looked at variations in opinions about abortion. This is helpful as advances in medical science make it possible for the unborn to live outside the womb at younger and younger ages. So, where do Americans stand on abortion? 79% support a legal abortion u

 T he Biblical Literalism Scale (BLS) is a 10-item scale found in an article by Andrew Village (2005). The content of the scale includes biblical events rated by participants on a scale as follows: ‘definitely happened’, ‘probably happened’, ‘not certain’, ‘probably a story’ or ‘definitely a story.’ High scores indicated a more literal belief. Findings : The survey sample consisted of 404 Christian participants. Scores ranged from 10 (all of the items were rated as stories) to 50 (all items rated as “definitely happened”). Old Testament items were rated as less literal than New Testament items. The average scores were highest in Evangelical churches and lowest in Anglo-Catholic churches. Correlation of scores with other variables BLS and frequent charismatic experience ( r = .51) (note a) BLS and frequent Bible reading ( r = .47) (note b) BLS and age ( r = -.17) BLS and education ( r = -.14) Women scored only slightly higher on (39.8) literalism than did men (3

There are a few scales that measure the Big Five Personality Traits. One acronym is the word OCEAN. Each letter refers to the first letter of a Big Five personality trait. Scientific studies by Paul Costa and Robert McCrae (1998) established a basis for the five factors known by the acronym OCEAN , which I refer to below. See Big Five Personality Theory for more details and references.   O- Openness to experience includes curiosity, imagination, and creativity. People high in this trait appreciate complexity and originality and enjoy new experiences.   C- Conscientiousness describes behavior patterns of self-control and acting in socially acceptable ways. People high in conscientiousness are dependable, work within rules, plan and organize effectively, and have a strong degree of gratification.    E- Extroversion   (aka extraversion) is often considered along with introversion. In a sense, the dimension identifies where a person finds their energy. Extroverts thrive in th