Saint Paul’s assertion in the Letter to the Romans that “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all” was controversial at the time. A new survey designed to measure attitudes of “Catholic millennials” (American Catholics under 30) reveals that they hold some rather controversial positions. For instance, 61 percent said they believe it is OK for Catholics to practice more than one religion.

Catholics under 30 share the commitment of older generations to philanthropy and volunteerism, the survey commissioned by the Knights of Columbus said, but are more likely to believe that morals “are relative.” The survey, conducted by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion in Poughkeepsie, New York, asked a wide range of questions about ideology, religious practices and beliefs, and life goals and feelings about the nation’s future.

Researchers compared the answers across generations and among Catholics at large, practicing Catholics who attend services at least once a month, and Americans in general.

When asked to choose among five long-term life goals, 31 percent of millennials chose “to be spiritual or close to God” as their top goal, the highest among any generation. Sixty-seven percent of all millennials and 71 percent of Catholic millennials said they had volunteered their time in the past 12 months, roughly equal to the percentages among other generations.

A majority of Catholic millennials had donated money to a charity in the past year, and 65 percent were very or somewhat interested in learning more about their faith.

But the survey also found a surprising 82 percent of Catholic millennials agreed with the statement that “morals are relative; that is, there is no definite right or wrong for everybody.” And only 25 percent of Catholic millennials said they attended religious services at least once a month.

An article by Nancy Frazier O’Brien for Catholic News Service