ONLY one in four Germans believes Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins.
That is shown by a survey from the Protestant press agency IDEA. On the other hand, 45 per cent of the respondents of the study say they do not think that Jesus atoned for the sins of His people.
The survey shows that Germans in the West are more likely to believe in Jesus’ death than Eastern Germans. In addition, the younger generations also more often think that the Biblical story of Jesus’ death is true.
In the age group of 18- to 29-year-olds, 31 per cent believes in Jesus’ atonement; in the group of 30- 39-year-olds, this figure rises to 43 per cent even. However, in the older age groups, the percentages decrease. Of the 40- 49-year-olds, 24 per cent believes; of the 50- 59-year-olds, only 15 per cent, and the oldest two age group, 19 and 22 per cent, respectively.
The level of education also seems to have an impact on beliefs. People with higher education are more likely to believe in Jesus’ death than those with a lower level of schooling.
Of the different religious denominations, members of the free churches are most likely to believe in Jesus’ sacrifice, namely 63 per cent. Of the Roman Catholic believers, 37 per cent share this view. The share of believers in the EKD decreases even to 27 per cent. That is even lower than the percentage of Muslims believing in Jesus’ death (37 per cent). Of people who do not belong to a religious denomination, 10 per cent believe Christ died on the cross.
The survey was carried out between March 31 and April 3. In it, 2,007 adults were interviewed on their views on the death of Christ.
