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Most Americans Believe in Higher Power, Poll Finds

Most Americans believe that angels and demons are active in the world,
and nearly 80 percent think miracles occur, according to a poll released
yesterday that takes an in-depth look at Americans' religious beliefs.

The study detailed Americans' deep and broad religiosity, finding that 92
percent believe in God or a universal spirit -- including one in five of those
who call themselves atheists. More than half of Americans polled pray at
least once a day.

But Americans aren't rigid about their beliefs. Most of those studied -- even
many of the most religiously conservative -- have a remarkably
nonexclusive attitude toward other faiths. Seventy percent of those
affiliated with a religion believe that many religions can lead to eternal
salvation. And only about one-quarter of those surveyed believe there is
only one way to interpret their religion's teachings.

"Even though Americans tend to take religion quite seriously and are a
highly religious people, there is a certain degree of openness and a lack of
dogmatism in their approach to faith and the teachings of their faith," said
Gregory Smith, a research fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion &
Public Life.

A belief in God or a higher spirit is pervasive. Even Americans who describe
themselves as atheist or agnostic have a robust sense of a higher power:
Twenty-one percent of those who describe themselves as atheists
expressed a belief in God or a universal spirit, and more than half of those
who call themselves agnostic expressed a similar conviction.

Smith said some people may identify with the term atheist or agnostic
without fully understanding the definition, or they have a negative view of
organized religion, even though they believe in God.

David Phillips, 57, a Bethesda receiving clerk who considers himself a
humanist -- meaning he does not embrace the concept of a supernatural
being -- does not believe in a God who is an "actual person." But Phillips
does believe in a "spirit -- a spirit within you."

"God is a symbol that everybody can relate to," Phillips said. "They look to
it as a visual thing. But, actually, God is inside of them."

This is the second report from the think tank, based on one of the largest
polls of Americans' religious beliefs ever conducted, with 36,000 adults
interviewed.

The first report, released in February, took a broad look at religion in
America. This report delves into the faith and politics of religious and
nonreligious Americans.

For many Americans, God is a vivid presence. About one-third of the people
surveyed said they receive answers to their prayer requests at least once
a month and say they have experienced or witnessed a divine healing of
an illness or injury.

"I can't remember any prayer that I have prayed that has not been
answered," said Helen Catchings, 62, of Vienna. God cured her of
stuttering and gave her the resources for her home-care business, she
said. And she said she has seen members of her church cured of cancer,
brain tumors and other illnesses through prayer, baffling doctors. "I give
Him all the credit," Catchings said.

Much of the strong belief in the supernatural is being driven by the growth
in Pentecostalism and charismatic churches, said John Green, a Pew senior
fellow in religion and American politics. Pentecostals and charismatics
practice what they regard as the gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking
in tongues and praying for miraculous healing.

The report found that almost one in five Christians speaks or prays in
tongues -- ecstatic worship or prayer using unintelligible speech -- from
time to time, with 9 percent speaking in tongues weekly.

At Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church in the District, a Pentecostal church,
worshipers say that they speak in tongues frequently and that it brings
them closer to God.

D.C. college student Star Alston said her prayer life includes speaking in
tongues in church and at home. "It's not planned and not anything where
anyone gives me a cue and says, 'Do it,' " she said. "It just comes when I
feel that God is with me."

On the political front, the Pew report found that across the faiths, those
who pray more are more politically conservative.

Among Jews who pray daily, 36 percent are politically conservative -- more
than twice the percentage of those who pray less often. Among
evangelical Christians, 56 percent who pray daily are politically
conservative, compared with 40 percent who pray less often.

The report also found agreement among the most and least faithful on hot-
button issues. It confirms that those who attend church and pray
frequently are most likely to oppose abortion and believe that
homosexuality should be discouraged.

Less of a divide was found on other issues. More than 60 percent of
Americans, for example, want the government to do more to help the
needy and support stronger environmental laws. And majorities in most
religions believe that the United States should concentrate on problems at
home.

"We think of religion as the basis for so much political conflict, but it's
important to remember that there are large issue areas within American
politics where religiously based differences tend to be small," Smith said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2008/06/23/AR2008062300813.html?hpid=topnews