Thanks to Dr. Gene Edward Veith for this post. Like many ancient Israelites before the exile, more and more Christians think they can add pagan beliefs to Christianity. Here are some findings from The Pew Forum:
Mixing religions: Many Americans have beliefs or experiences that conflict with basic Christian doctrines. People who say they believe:
Total Christians
People will be reborn in this world again and again 24% 22%
Yoga is a spiritual practice 23% 21%
People with the “evil eye” can cast curses or harmful spells 16% 17%
The position of stars/planets can affect people’s lives 25% 23%Interfaith worship: A third of Americans say they attend multiple places of worship, including outside their own faith (excluding holidays or family events). People who say they attend:
Total All Protestants Catholics
Multiple places within own faith 11% 9% 21%
Services of one other faith 12% 15% 13%
Services of two other faiths 8% 10% 5%
Services of three or more faiths 4% 4% 1%Attending other services: Attending worship services beyond their own faith is more common among Protestants (30%) than Catholics (19%):
One other faith Two others Three others
White evangelicals 15% 9% 3%
White mainline 11% 8% 5%
Black Protestants 18% 14% 9%Mystical experiences: Half of all Americans say they have had a “religious or mystical experience or spiritual awakening”:
Total
Black Protestants 71%
White evangelical Protestants 70%
Catholics 60%
White mainline Protestants 40%
Unaffiliated 30%Spirit and nature: Many Christians have adopted beliefs or experiences that conflict with basic Christian doctrines. People who say they:
Total Christians
Have been in touch with the dead 29% 29%
Found “spiritual energy” in trees, etc. 26% 23%
Had ghostly experience 18% 17%
Consulted a psychic 15% 14%Source: 2009 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life Survey of 2,003 U.S. adults. Margin of error /- 2.5 percentage points
December 18th, 2009 | 8:48 am | #1
These surveys are always terrifying, but the one line in this survey which makes me wonder what the people surveyed mean is this one:
“religious or mystical experience or spiritual awakening”
We do, after all, believe in a second birth — we believe in real spiritual conversion and not just a change of mind or a merely-rational improvement of our arguments. Whether that is what they meant by “religious or mystical experience or spiritual awakening” is anyone’s call.
December 18th, 2009 | 9:02 am | #2
First of all, I think that people who find spiritual energy in trees have some serious issues, and I absolutely run the other way from psychics. It is sad to me that people try to cobble together some form of religion that does not even closely resemble true faith in Christ. People are seeking something in their hearts, but so many do not ever realize or understand that Christ is the only one who can fulfill what they are seeking.
December 18th, 2009 | 10:14 am | #3
I guess a Christian could argue that yoga is a spiritual practice, but it’d be a real stretch.
Get it? Real stretch? Yoga? Stretch?
But, seriously folks, polls like this are indeed sad and terrifying.
December 18th, 2009 | 1:48 pm | #4
I’m not sure if I’m more concerned about the 21% of Christians who believe Yoga is a (presumably Christianity-compatible) “spiritual practice,” or the 79% who (presumably) believe it can be divorced from its NON-Christian spirituality…
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