Dave Rausch, West Texas A&M University assistant professor of political science, said ignorance may explain some of the findings of a recent poll about Catholicism.
The Rev. Andrew Greeley, a Catholic priest and sociologist, conducted a poll that shows that nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of Americans believe Roman Catholics do what the pope or bishops tell them to do.
The poll, released Friday, surveyed 550 non-Catholic adults and showed a majority of Americans from other backgrounds believe Catholics are not permitted to think for themselves (52 percent) and the statues and images in Catholic churches are idols (57 percent). Eighty-three percent said Catholics also worship Mary and saints.
Rausch expressed some doubts about the poll's findings, explaining that American Catholics don't always follow what bishops and the pope dictate. But he said it's "not surprising" that some beliefs about Catholicism - that they worship idols - still exist.
"People have biases against things they don't understand," said Rausch, who is a Lutheran who attends a Catholic church.
Rausch said he doesn't think the scandal rocking the church will affect non-Catholics' views.
Deacon Floyd Ashley of the Diocese of Amarillo said he thinks prejudice of Catholics comes from "a lack of understanding of the faith." He said, though, that he has seen a change in people's attitudes in the years since President Kennedy's election in 1960, that people have "a more realistic view of the Catholic Church."
Ashley said he doesn't think the scandal will affect views of Catholics, as he said the scandal has nothing to do with the faith itself.
Jim Bankhead, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church, said early Presbyterian Church beliefs would have mirrored the findings in the poll. But contemporary teachings do not hold those conclusions, he said.