A smorgasbord of belief  

Posted by Denis Haack in , ,

Many people in our pluralistic world mix and match their own personal blend of religious belief and ritual. A recent survey by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (December 9, 2009), “Many Americans Mix Multiple Faiths,” which you can read here, lists some statistics to help make sense of the phenomenon.


The religious beliefs and practices of Americans do not fit neatly into conventional categories. A new poll by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that large numbers of Americans engage in multiple religious practices, mixing elements of diverse traditions. Many say they attend worship services of more than one faith or denomination -- even when they are not traveling or going to special events like weddings and funerals. Many also blend Christianity with Eastern or New Age beliefs such as reincarnation, astrology and the presence of spiritual energy in physical objects. And sizeable minorities of all major U.S. religious groups say they have experienced supernatural phenomena, such as being in touch with the dead or with ghosts.


The report is worth reading simply for the insight it brings to our culture. Christians who care about engaging their world with the gospel will have an added motivation to read and reflect on it.


The Pew Forum also provides a pdf version of the Report for free download.


This entry was posted at Saturday, December 12, 2009 and is filed under , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

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