ISSUE: Americans and religion

OUR VIEW: Poll puts Americans and faith into perspective

America is generally thought to be among the most religious nations in the Western world. Americans are often portrayed as people who believe in God, pray often and teach children to do the same. All true, confirms Parade’s new national poll on spirituality.

Coming in this Sunday’s magazine inside your T&D, you’ll find the results of the poll.

Some of the most interesting findings:

* 69 percent of Americans believe in God; 27 percent don’t; 7 percent aren’t sure about the existence of God.

* 78 percent of respondents believe in an afterlife; 43 percent think people go to Heaven or Hell depending on their actions on earth; 28 percent believe our souls or spirits live on, and 7 percent think we will be reincarnated as another life on Earth.

* 33 percent said religion is important but not the most important thing. The most religious and least religious respondents balanced each other — 24 percent said religion was the most important thing in their lives and 22 percent said it wasn’t a factor at all. Another 22 percent said religion was in their lives but not particularly important.

* 30 percent attend a religious service once or more each week; 20 percent of respondents say they go to services anywhere from once a month to a few times a year; 50 percent rarely or never attend.

* 82 percent would consider marrying someone of a different faith; a nearly equal number (78 percent) would never think of converting to another religion.

* 51 percent of respondents said they pray daily; 67 percent said they pray because it brings them comfort and hope. 15 percent of those who pray said they do so because God expects them to. 77 percent who pray do so outside of religious services.

* When praying, 72 percent ask for the well-being of others, 60 percent for forgiveness, 27 percent for personal success, and 21 percent for money or other material things.

* How has the recession affected religion? Just 7 percent of respondents say they are attending religious services more often, and 10 percent of respondents say they’ve been going less frequently since the recession began.

* Two-thirds of respondents say they’ve never met with mediums or psychics, had a psychic experience, or even watched a psychic or medium on TV. 12 percent believe in astrology and check their horoscopes regularly. The rest don’t believe in astrology at all or read horoscopes purely for fun.

* 83 percent have had no experiences with the spirit of anyone who has passed away, while 17 percent believe they have.

* When asked to pick their favorite of these films involving spirituality — The Da Vinci Code, The Exorcist, The Omen, The Sixth Sense, The Ten Commandments, Ghost, and It’s a Wonderful Life — one out of every four people selected The Ten Commandments.

Parade’s survey reveals a nation looking heavenward — but with its feet firmly planted on the ground of modern life. Spiritually speaking, Americans are a very practical people, moderate and tolerant in ways that would have astonished our grandparents.

Our faith is far more complex and diverse than many would have us believe.

How important is spirituality to you? Take our poll and see the full results at Parade.com/spiritual. Plus, watch CBS Sunday Morning Oct. 4 at 9 a.m. EDT to see more on the Parade poll and spirituality in America.

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