Almost half of the respondents to last week’s caycompass.com online poll say they never go to church.
This was the first online poll ever conducted by Cayman Free Press which asked all respondents to state their nationality. For this poll, 52.7 per cent of the respondents were non-Caymanian and 47.3 per cent were Caymanian.
Of the 692 total respondents, 342 of them – 49.4 per cent – said they never go to church. However, a smaller total percentage of Caymanians (37.9 per cent) said they never went to church than non-Caymanians (59.7 per cent).
“Christianity is from the heart,” said one non-Caymanians. “You don’t need to go to a church to be a Christian.”
“I stopped supporting organised religion a long time ago,” said another non-Caymanian.
“I was brought up Catholic, but education and reality has won out,” said one non-Caymanian.
“I am a huge believer in Karma,” said another non-Caymanian who never goes to church. “Always do the right thing and right things will happen to you.”
“Sadly, churches in Cayman can be very judgmental and hypocritical, so attending just leaves one feeling sad and discouraged,” said another non-Caymanian.
Disenchanted
One Caymanian who never goes to church said: “I used to go, but the churches are too full of phoney people.”
“I grew up going to church my whole life,” said another Caymanian. “I became a born-again Christian and was baptised when I was 12. I married a Caymanian in 1990 and we attended church several times a week and we were very involved. Our beloved church split and it felt like a divorce. We have not been to church since.
“We love God very much, but cannot handle the pain of what happened in the split.”
“I never go to church, but it is none of your business or the government’s either,” said one Caymanian.
Another 175 people or 25.3 per cent of respondents – 31.5 per cent of total Caymanians and 19.7 per cent of non-Caymanians – said they got to church occasionally.
“More like rarely,” said one Caymanian.
“You need another option for spirituality that does not necessarily embody a church, but does acknowledge God,” said another Caymanian.
Only one
The only non-Caymanian who goes to church occasionally to leave a comment said they go to church mainly when they are on the Island.
The exact same number of total people as who went to church occasionally said they went regularly, although a higher total percentage of Caymanians (30.6 per cent) go regularly than non-Caymanians (20.6 per cent).
“I am Caymanian and go to worship God regularly, on Sabbath (Saturday),” said one Caymanian.
“What kind of poll is this?” asked another Caymanian. “It seems like the continuation of propaganda.”
“Temple would be accurate,” said one non-Caymanian. “But if you look at both as a house of worship, then the answer is correct.”
“Attending church has changed my life in ways I could never have imagined before I moved to Cayman,” said another non-Caymanian. “Despite all the challenges I face living here, I will always be thankful for the people of this Island who helped me discover formal religious worship.”
Next week’s poll question
Which of Cayman’s dual-carriage roundabouts do you think is prettiest?
Cayman National (Elgin Ave/Thomas Russell Way/Huldah Ave)
Butterfield Bank (Esterley Tibbetts Hwy/North Sound Rd/Godfrey Nixon Way)
Century 21(Esterley Tibbetts Hwy behind Galleria Plaza)
Island Heritage (Esterley Tibbetts Hwy just north of the Strand)
Tomlinson Group(East-West Arterial/Shamrock Rd in Prospect)
I don’t know
To participate in this poll, please visit www.caycompass.com
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