Religion | June 23, 2008 | 41 comments

92% of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit

source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-me-faith24-2008jun24,0,4300244.story

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regina
"Ninety-two percent of those interviewed for the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey said they believe in the existence of God or a universal spirit, and 58% said they pray privately every day. But California, like other states along the country's two coasts, resisted the prevailing national tendencies...

Californians are less likely than other Americans to consider religion "very important" in their lives or to be "absolutely certain" in their belief in God...

Californians pray less than others in many parts of the country. They are less inclined to take the word of God literally. And they are ready to embrace "more than one true way" of interpreting their religious teachings."
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ironically, i've also heard California, and particularly the Bay Area, described as the world nexus of spirituality today. and compared to the other places i've been, the Bay Area glimmers most vividly with an alive, loving, respectful, joyful quality--these are the qualities of people who are spiritually developed.

it bugs me to no end that "belief in higher entity" is conflated with Religion in studies like this. or even using the word belief... it's not about belief, it's about awareness.

this article has an interesting take on this subject too:
http://www.realitysandwich.com/sound_against_flame_the_process_yoga_and_atheism_...
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41 comments // 92% of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit

  • kaecvtionr
  • eldamon
    • 0
      eldamon  

    • In a related story, 8% of people interviewed about religion in the US tell the truth. The rest, as George Carlin would say, are "bullshit."

    • 3 years ago
  • thizzwigginz
    • 0
      thizzwigginz  

    • My dali lama can whip your dali lama's a.., i'm just saying, i have to agree with lovezieness what you eat doesn't make me shizzle and vice a versa, if praying makes you be a better person, and contribute to your fellow man so be it. If believing this was all by happenstance then hiawatha to you to, lets just get back to basics and treat our fellow man/woman with respect, and i'm sure the 8% will fall into place.

    • 3 years ago
  • coemery
    • 0
      coemery  

    • its saddening to see that it took almost a full scroll to see a tolerant response to this article. lovezieness said it completely right in her last statement. i am often upset with the way Christians defend and justify their pro-life leanings, among other Christian-moral based decisions, in the same way I am upset with the intolerance towards religion followers.. of those who have no religious beliefs.

    • 3 years ago
  • lovezieness
  • jubal
    • 0
      jubal  

    • Faith is to religion what knowing is to spirituality. Early Gnostic Christians were painfully aware of this and were burned as heretics for suggesting that one could engage in a critical inquiry of truth.

      Spirituality is a participatory experience and requires awareness and critical skills while faith only requires you to bah like a sheep. Don't question, don't challenge, just do what your told and you will be rewarded; after you die.

      Eternity is happening right now people! We need to get our heads out of the sand and start to live an accountable life. We take full ownership of our existence and our ability to positively influence the world around us; and furthermore cumulatively we can positively influence the outcome of world events.

    • 3 years ago
  • J_Jammer
    • 0
      J_Jammer [removed]  

    • People try to kill religion with snide remarks and cynical thoughts....and yet it has not happen.

      Eventually something will bring it to an end.

      I enjoy the uncomfortableness of those that don't believe when conversations of belief comes up, like this.

    • 3 years ago
  • innocent_criminal
  • H3ADLINE
    • 0
      H3ADLINE  

    • 92% of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit....
      I mean, it's not like the majority of Americans can be wrong...they have a great track record.

    • 3 years ago
  • PatrioticAstronaut
  • H3ADLINE
  • J_Jammer
  • Soap
  • seeker561
    • 0
      seeker561  

    • "............said they believe in the existence of God or a universal spirit................."

      It is extremly mis-leading to equate "belief in the existance of god' and a "belief in a universal spirit" as having anything in common. While i have a definate and deep seated belief in a "higher power" I reject without qualification "the god of abraham".

      To somehow try to put me in the same category with bible believing christians or suggest that we have anything in common theologically is just wrong.

    • 3 years ago
  • GavinTheMother
    • 0
      GavinTheMother  

    • It's dissappointing to me that so many people, particularly those who don't believe in God, believe that God and religion are inextricably tied.

      I believe in God absolutely based on my own personal experiences, not because culture or the religion I was raised in told me this is how it is.

      Religion has an ugly history, true. However, it is not accurate to say that "Christianity" for example was originated to control people to force them to be dogmatic and to follow religious leaders to do whatever they wish of us. It would be hard to find an historical figure who represented this sentiment less than Jesus Christ.

      Unfortunately God's reputation has taken a huge hit, because so many people have used God to justify hatred, violence, and indifference. I am glad however to see that this hasn't kept most people from believing in God.

    • 3 years ago
  • H3ADLINE
    • 0
      H3ADLINE  
    • GavinTheMother:

      While a belief in some form of deity is not necessarily tied to the institution of organized religion, it would be false to claim they are not closely tied in both history and adherence. The vast majority of people who believe in a god figure would align themselves with one religion or another. To suggest otherwise is disingenuous and is merely an attempt to separate a generally unpopular, tyrannical, and bloodthirsty organization from the concept that spawned it.

    • 3 years ago
  • jubal
    • 0
      jubal  
    • GavinTheMother:

      There is a big difference. Who says religions own the notion of god? That is crap.

      I am with Gavin, I came to my belief in God through my own personal experience and this was after I became hostile to the religions I had participated in; Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Evangelical, Jehovah's Witness, and even Buddhism. Their idea of God didn't make sense to me as there were too many contradictions, the most glaring of which were whether the god of the Old Testament was the same as the God of the New Testament. I know my answer and it isn't the one that they gave me.

      Now I am a fiercely spiritual person and I live my life victoriously instead of in fear. This is the gift of what my had earned beliefs have given me. So I do resent religion having been given the domain over the concept of a higher power or god.

      Native Americans follow something that could loosely be called a religion, many of them refer to a great spirit.

      Anybody can relate to a power greater than themselves, unless they are completely clueless about the hierarchy of life.

    • 3 years ago
  • Soap
    • 0
      Soap  

    • hah wow, nice things said about us here in the Bay Area. I thought most people would be making the same change like we are around here (except the South... har).

      Everyday that goes by I break away further and further from my Christian upbringing, and never felt better being agnostic.

      I just cannot stand - CANNOT STAND - when people put religion before morals.

    • 3 years ago
  • jubal
  • J_Jammer
  • Soap
    • 0
      Soap  
    • Soap:

      J_Jammer, you are once again the KING of straw man. Judging from your comment below regarding philosophy (which made no sense because you were talking about moral philosophy, while the other two people are talking about fallacies) and your constant false reasoning, I advise you to take a philosophy 3 critical reasoning class.

      Jubal, you're right, there is no set book of correct morals, theres actually hundreds of contradicting books. I guess the correct term I should go for then is "common sense."

    • 3 years ago
  • current89
    • 0
      current89  

    • This is misleading, it's more like 12-15% of the U.S. population that lacks a belief in a god. Some people are just afraid to identify themselves as nonbelievers(i know a few people who stay in the closet about being a nonbeliever). Also i doubt that they included Buddhists as nonbelievers (Buddhism is not necessarily a theistic religion)

      To add, there is a difference between spirituality and being a theist/deist. You can be a nonbeliever and have spiritual tendencies(Sam Harris and others argue this point).

    • 3 years ago
  • AnemicElitist
  • 1percent
    • 0
      1percent  

    • I don't know about god or universal spirit....

      I know there must be something higher up on the food chain than ourselves.....

    • 3 years ago
  • Dmitri_Molotov
  • jubal
  • tcrane
  • celestialceiling
    • 0
      celestialceiling  

    • Everyone has their own personal understanding of the beyond.

      Whether it be through Religion, Spirituality, Science, Nature, Humanity, or just plain Love.

      -as long as your not worshipping your own Ego!

    • 3 years ago
  • Dmitri_Molotov
    • 0
      Dmitri_Molotov  

    • I am a Pastafarian, I worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster. May you be touched by his noodley appendage.
      Seriously, I'm an atheist. I'm sad to see that humans haven't outgrown this yet, but It's somewhat comforting to see that most are turning to an abstract "faith" that they control instead of dogmas that restrict them from their full potential.

    • 3 years ago
  • jubal
  • donkeyfly69
  • stephenthomson
    • 0
      stephenthomson  

    • There is a difference between a Godhead and a collective consciousness with no holonic quality. I lean towards the latter, which I assume puts me in the 8%.

      Stats aren't that imporant anyway, until you make real clear what you mean by universal spirit.

    • 3 years ago
  • regina
    • 0
      regina  
    • Image
    • stephenthomson:

      "A holon is a system (or phenomenon) that is a whole in itself as well as a part of a larger system. It can be conceived as systems nested within each other. Every system can be considered a holon, from a subatomic particle to the universe as a whole. On a non-physical level, words, ideas, sounds, emotions—everything that can be identified—is simultaneously part of something, and can be viewed as having parts of its own, similar to sign in regard of semiotics." (from wikipedia)

      interesting... i've always thought of "collective consciousness" as holonic (although i didn't know the word... thanks!). otherwise it would be "individual consciousnesses," right?

    • 3 years ago
  • jubal
  • powerup
    • 0
      powerup  

    • Good article,people need a God to believe in when things get out of control.Beautifull picture to illustrate the article.

    • 3 years ago
  • Dmitri_Molotov
  • CCashman
    • 0
      CCashman  
    • powerup:

      Oh how about the ability that we all share to overcome any obstacle; it's something innate in all of us. If you want a God to rely on during those hard times, that's fine, but I'll be utilizing that most human of talents.

    • 3 years ago
  • JanforGore
  • jade_azul16
  • regina
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