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American Morning

Spirit of America: Three Months Later, Are Americans Still Keeping the Faith?

Aired December 11, 2001 - 09:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We thought it would be nice to salute the spirit of America with you, and since the 11th of September, we have seen a huge outpouring of spirituality. But three months later, are Americans still keeping the faith?

CNN's Ann Mcdermott has some answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANN MCDERMOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You remember where you were.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got another tower collapse. Another tower collapse.

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MCDERMOTT: Now, remember what you said? For many, it was oh my God. And then they went here or here or here to pray to god. Anita Pepper (ph) did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt a really compelling need to suddenly go to church.

MCDERMOTT: Some churches reported attendance up 300 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then I told myself, I'm going to go every Sunday, this is really what I need to be doing.

MCDERMOTT: Terrorism equals religious reawakening, right? Wrong. It didn't last.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unfortunately I'm back to my routine.

MCDERMOTT: So are most people. One poll showed about 42 percent of adults in the U.S. attended religious services in November, about the same as a year ago. And pollster George Barna found no change among home prayer and Bible reading.

GEORGE BARNA, BARNA RESEARCH GROUP: Things are back to normal. They got their very quickly. MCDERMOTT: Which some say should come as no surprise. American sought solace after Pearl Harbor, after the assassination of JFK, after Columbine, and how long did it last? Some historians say because the character of America isn't made for reflection, it is made for forging ahead.

PROF. SCOTT BARTCHY, UCLA: We are so deeply entrenched in consumerism and individualism and find our meaning over there.

MCDERMOTT: But prayer some say is part of the national character. Just ask Lisa Jefferson, who took that call from Todd Beamer, aboard the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania.

LISA JEFFERSON, GTE AIRFONE: He was a very strong, kind man. He was very calm while he was talking to me. So I had to give him that in return.

MCDERMOTT: And then together they said, The Lord's Prayer.

This mass was celebrated by cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles, who says forget the polls, forget church attendance. He has seen spiritual renewal in little, everyday exchanges, as people reach out and look out for each other.

CARDINAL ROGER MAHONY, LOS ANGELES: I have never seen people introduce themselves on a plane and talk to each other in my life. I have been on planes for years and years and years. I have never seen anything quite like it. But what are such gestures in the face of monstrous evil? Maybe nothing at all. Maybe everything.

Ann McDermott, CNN, Los Angeles.

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