WASHINGTON – Nearly half of Americans report having at least two supernatural encounters, with conservative Protestants more likely than religious liberals to say they had such experiences, according to a survey recently published in a new book.
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(Photo: The Christian Post)Dr. Rodney Stark, distinguished professor of the social science and co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University, speaks at the press conference for the release of wave two of the Baylor Religion Survey on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 in Washington, D.C. -
(Photo: The Christian Post)Dr. Rodney Stark, distinguished professor of the social science and co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University, speaks at the press conference for the release of wave two of the Baylor Religion Survey on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 in Washington, D.C. -
(Photo: The Christian Post)Dr. Rodney Stark, distinguished professor of the social science and co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University, speaks at the press conference for the release of wave two of the Baylor Religion Survey on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 in Washington, D.C.
Among the most common religious and mystical experiences reported by Americans include protection from harm by a guardian angel (55 percent); calling by God to do something (44 percent); witnessing a miraculous, physical healing (23 percent); and hearing the voice of God (20 percent), according to the second part of the Baylor Religion Survey.
Researchers say they did not expect to find such high numbers of Americans reporting supernatural experiences, in particular, the guardian angel result.
“It was the biggest surprise to me in our findings,” sociologist Christopher Bader of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, said on Thursday.
When examining results by denominations, respondents belonging to conservative Protestant churches were more likely than those in liberal Protestant churches, the Roman Catholic Church, and Jewish respondents to report religious and mystical experiences.
Those belonging to the Pentecostal, Assemblies of God, and Baptist denominations were the most likely to cite having religious and mystical experiences.
Meanwhile Jewish and those in the Unitarian and United Church of Christ were least likely to report such experiences.
One exception to the conservative-liberal trend in regards to religious experiences is members of the Church of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormon church, which reported an equally high percentage as members of the Assemblies of God.
“A finding like this doesn't directly change religion or the churches,” explained Dr. Rodney Stark, co-director of Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion, who wrote the book What Americans Really Believe, in which the survey’s findings were published this past week.
“What it may change are popular perceptions. The knowledge that such events are common may change the way the media treat them and may reassure many who have had them,” Stark told The Christian Post.
Other survey findings include:
•Megachurches surprisingly are more intimate communities than small congregations of less than 100 members. The growth of megachurches is mostly due to their members, who tend to witness to friends and strangers, much more than members of small churches.
•The percentage of atheists in America – Americans who say they do not believe in God – has not changed for the past 63 years. It holds steady at four percent .
•Conservative Christianity, especially evangelicalism, greatly decreases belief in the occult and paranormal such as Bigfoot, UFOs, haunted house, communicating with the dead and astrology.
•Sixty-seven percent of Americans say they were “absolutely sure” heaven exists, and 17 percent thought it “probably” does.
•Seventy-three percent of Americans believe hell absolutely or probably exists.
A total of 1,648 randomly selected adults nationwide were asked to answer more than 350 items in the survey designed by the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) and conducted by the Gallup organizationin the fall of 2007.
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"A total of 1,648 randomly selected adults nationwide were asked to answer more than 350 items in the survey designed by the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) and conducted by the Gallup organizationin the fall of 2007."
350 items? Figure that is at least a 6 hour block of time with a few breaks thrown in.
Also have to figure that many of the questions were the same but just worded differently.
Don't know how these 1648 selected adults had that kind of time. Perhaps there was good pay involved.
bcknanc the article is only looking at the US. I am sure there are other places that have groups that have supernatural experiences more than protestants.
steveh20, in college we had several liberal religion professors and much of their view of the Scriptures limited supernatural experiences. For example the miracle of the loaves and fishes, rather than see it as a miracle what they said was when the people saw the unselfishness of the boy they got out their own food they had kept a secret and began to share it with each other. So I think that many liberals attempt to remove the miraculous intervention of God from the event. That's why I would contend that most theistic evolutionists are religious liberals or moderates at best and a large majority of them who are Protestants belong to liberal denominations or liberal churches in their denomination. My sense is those who believe that the Bible in its original autographs is the God-breathed, inerrant, plenary Word of God would be more likely to believe they have had numerous supernatural experiences.
As far as Ms. Vu's story; I would like to know where she came up with some of this information. Writing that the ones that have had the most religious experiences are the Protestant's PLEASE!!! Hasn't she ever heard of Visionaries? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they are Catholics. Ms. Vu, ever heard of a place called Medugorje? How about La Salette or Garabandol?
Imagine that, the God of the supernatural, the same One who healed the sick and raised the dead and created the universe and sent His Holy Spirit to indwell believers still manifests Himself today in those who trust Him.
As for the "conservative"/"liberal" comments. Give me a break. God acting on His Word through supernatural experiences has nothing to do with this "naturalistic" notion of "interpretation". You're either healed or you aren't.
As for talking about supernatural experiences, namely those noted in the Bible, I would say if you're a pentecostal these kinds of experiences are more common. Part of the basis of our belief is that God still heals and is able to set people free of sin.
It's not just some cerebral exercise. When you break free of "religion" and step into a "relationship" with God, you experience more of what He desires for you to have - James 4:2-3 ...ye have not, because ye ask not.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
If "conservatives" claim to have more "supernatural" experiences than "liberals" might that not be that both camps interpret particular situations in diffrent lights. I'm not saying one is more right than the other but it does I believe have something to say about one groups approach to Gods interaction with the world compared to the other, neither view is more "spiritual".
I am not surprised at these findings. Many Christians - of which I am one - don't ordinarily speak about their supernatural experiences to others because of disbelief and ridicule. This is why there are so many articles today debunking supernatural happenings in the Christian realm. We simply aren't talking about them.