A new Pew Research study found that most Catholics and mainline Protestant Christians believe that those who don't believe in God still have a shot at entering Heaven despite their beliefs, or lack thereof.
The study was conducted among 6,485 American adults between September 20 to 26, in which they were asked about their views on suffering, the reason why people have bad experiences, and the afterlife.
According to the Christian Headlines, the study found that 73% of respondents believed in the existence of Heaven, while 62% said they believed in the existence of Hell. Interestingly, a small percent of respondents said that one's belief in God is a requirement to reach Heaven, versus the majority that believed that faith in God is not a requirement to enter Heaven.
The Pew survey results revealed that only 39% of American adults believe that one must believe in God in order to go to Heaven. Furthermore, results showed that 68% of Catholics and 56% of mainline Protestant Christians said that a person may go to Heaven without having to believe in God, while 21% of evangelicals and 31% of Christians from historically Black churches reported believing the same.
Moreover, the survey found that most people do not attribute suffering to God, despite the strife caused by the COVID pandemic. Among the 91% of respondents said they believe in God or a higher power, up to 80% said that human suffering was caused by people's actions and not caused by God.
In terms of suffering, 44% of Americans believe that Satan has a hand in the rate of suffering humans experience, while 69% of respondents from historically black churches and 73% of evangelicals shared the same views. Only 47% of mainline Protestant Christians and 43% of Christians thought the same.
According to the Christian Post, results showed that a majority of Americans or 86% however, believed that suffering was, at least partially, attributed to random chance, while 44% of respondents said that the phrase "sometimes bad things just happen" sums up their perspective on suffering. Meanwhile, 42% said that the phrase somewhat reflected their views.
In addition, a majority of respondents did not view suffering as something negative. 68% of them said that "everything in life happens for a reason" and that suffering provides "an opportunity for people to come out stronger."
The Brunswick News published previous writings of the late evangelist Billy Graham, in which he explained that "evil is a mystery" and that while "God is real," "so are evil and suffering." Graham wrote, "They aren't just an illusion, nor can we banish them by thinking positive thoughts or optimistically telling ourselves everything will be all right."
"Evil and suffering are real, and we see them everywhere we look. Our headlines scream it; our experience confirms it; our own hearts and minds know it," Graham wrote. He said, however, that by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, people can also "accept by faith that even in the face of great evil, God is still sovereign, and He is still loving and merciful and compassionate," and that is how suffering is overcome.
