By Bill Fancher
July 10, 2001

(AgapePress) - The United States of America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. The national motto is "In God We Trust." And most Americans claim they believe in God. But is America today truly a religious nation?

Polls indicate that at least 80% of Americans claim to have a believing faith in God. However, Lee Edwards of the Heritage Foundation says the 80% may not be as devout as they imply they are.

"They are believers in God; I think they're church-goers. I think they do think that there is a heaven, that there are angels," Edwards says, "but I don't think that [the majority of them] always apply ... some of that feeling to their day-to-day circumstances. But I think they basically are good people who do believe in God and who do try to get to church on Sunday."

Edwards says the religious make-up of America is like a bell curve -- secular socialists on the left, devout believers on the right, and the majority of the nation composed of believers who are varied in their commitment.

Media Distraction?
So what distracts Americans from deeper commitment to God? Edwards believes one of the church's rivals in society today is none other than the media. "I do think that the media have an enormous influence on the way that people think," he says. "We have the weakening [of] what we used to call the 'mediating institutions' -- like the church, like family, like community. In the absence of those [and] in that vacuum which has developed, media have moved in and have taken over," addressing ideas on what is right and wrong, and what is good and bad.

According to Edwards, most people are unaware of just how their beliefs and feelings are being shaped by the media, which is such a huge part of their lives.

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