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Posted by: David Bunch

Two studies are out, one documenting sentiment of children in the UK and the other demonstrating the attitude of American television.

According to this study of 1,500 UK kids...

The poll of just under 1,500 youngsters ranked "God" as their tenth favourite thing in the world, with celebrity, "good looks" and being rich at one, two and three respectively. It is the second year running that God has come in at number 10 in the annual survey for National Kids' Day, but being rich came top last time around.

And the LA Times %20http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tvreligion15dec15,1,4825653.story?coll">presents research that shows what American television networks think of religion (requires registration)...

A study released Thursday by the Parents TelevisionCouncil, a frequent critic of the TV industry over such issues as broadcast indecency, found that prime- time shows in the last year dealt with religion half as much as the year before. When they did, the Los Angeles-based group said, religion was cast in negative light more than one-third of the time.

"The broadcast entertainment industry is completely disconnected from American public opinion," said L. Brent Bozell, the group's president.

The reason she says that is part of the good news. According to the LA Times article:

Attendance at mega-churches such as Pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Orange County is booming, while religions such as Mormonism and Pentecostalism are attracting members in droves. A recent study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life said 78% of Americans believed that the Bible is the word of God, a figure that is virtually unchanged from when the poll began 40 years ago.

Yes, Pentecost gets a mention (though its hard to take seriously anyone who refers to the movement as Pentecostalism).

And the good news out of the UK?

God did come top again this year as the most famous "person" in the world, beating US President George Bush into second place.