A new survey shows two-thirds of protestant pastors in the United States agree – at least in part – that Islam is a dangerous religion. The poll was conducted by the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention based in Nashville.
Pollsters say they weren’t shocked to hear a majority of preachers agree with the statement “Islam is a dangerous religion.” Ed Stetzer is director of LifeWay Research, which conducted the poll.
“To me, the surprise was the difference in opinion was so stark between evangelicals and mainline pastors.”
More than three-fourths of the evangelical ministers polled either somewhat or strongly agreeing Islam is dangerous. By comparison, less than half of the other protestant ministers felt the same way. And many more of them said they “strongly disagree” with the statement.
And the more educated a pastor is, the less likely he is to agree Islam is a dangerous religion.
Pollster Ed Stetzer says minister survey shows a need for follow up research.
“A strong majority would say that Islam is a dangerous religion, but you have to ask – and subsequent research can and should ask – why.”
Stetzer says the statement is open to interpretation and pastors may be answering based on the spiritual dangers of Islam, not the physical. For hard line denominations, Stetzer says any religion that doesn’t line up with Christian beliefs could be seen as “dangerous.”
As for the general public, a study by the Pew Research Center conducted in August found nearly 40% of Americans feel Islam is more likely to encourage violence than other faiths.
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