As the largest ethnic group in the U.S., Hispanics are "assimilating the faith of the Caucasian population faster than anyone would have predicted," according to a new report by The Barna Group.

In the last 15 years, changes in Hispanic "faith dimensions" include a 25% drop in alignment with the Catholic Church, a 17% increase in being identified as a "born again" Christian and a 10% increase in regular church attendance.

Though born-again Hispanics compared closely to the nation's born-again population at large in most areas, there were some notable differences:

Born-again Hispanics were more likely to believe that though their salvation was based on confession of sin and accepting Christ as savior, it was also possible for someone to earn their way into heaven through good behavior.

Hispanics identified as being born again (by assessment of their answers to questions of belief on Bible doctrine, not personal identification) were more likely than all born-again Americans to say they had been greatly transformed by their faith.
Born-again Hispanics were less likely than the others to claim to be "absolutely committed" to Christianity.

The Barna Group founder George Barna said the study also revealed "the changing relationship between Hispanics and the Catholic Church." He added: "While many Hispanic immigrants come to the United States with ties to Catholicism, the research shows that many of them eventually connect with a Protestant church.

"Even more significant is the departure of many second- and third-generation Hispanics from their Catholic tradition."

Source: The Barna Group

To read the report in full, go to
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/284-survey-shows-how-the-faith-of-americas-hispanics-has-changed