IN a disturbing new finding, it has been found that many born-again Christians have universalist ideas when it comes to the question of salvation.
This has been revealed in a new Barna analysis of trend data.
According to the analysis, 25 percent of born-again Christians said all people are eventually saved or accepted by God. A similar proportion, 26 percent, said a person’s religion does not matter because all faiths teach the same lessons.
And an even higher proportion, 40 percent, of born-again Christians said they believe Christians and Muslims worship the same God.
Universalism, Barna defined, as the belief that all human beings will eventually be saved after death. The US-based research and polling firm defines born-again Christians as people who have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today, and who believe they will go to heaven after death because they confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.
Know God! | Who is Jesus Christ? | How is Jesus unique?
Forty-three percent of Americans in general agreed with the survey statement that “it doesn’t matter what religious faith you follow because they all teach the same lessons,” while 54 percent disagreed.
Universalism, evangelical Christians believe, nullifies the need for Christ to die on the cross and the message of Jesus that he is the only way, truth and life.
This is not the first time research has found out the existence of universalist beliefs among born-again believers, particularly the evangelicals.
In a 2008 Pew Forum survey it was revealed that 57 percent of evangelicals agreed with the idea that other religions than their own can lead to eternal life.
According to a report, Barna’s analysis on beliefs regarding universalism and pluralism is based on data from telephone interviews conducted in the OmniPollSM and from Barna Group’s theolographic TM database from 2005 through 2011.
