Parade polls spirituality in the United States
Published 11:49 pm Friday, October 2, 2009
When it comes to spirituality in movies, “The Ten Commandments” starring Charlton Heston remains a favorite.
Asked to pick a favorite from 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 of every four people selected “The Ten Commandments,” according to a poll conducted by Parade magazine.
Poll results will be included in the Parade magazine with Sunday’s editions of The Valdosta Daily Times.
The poll basically asks, Have Americans become more spiritual? The poll asked Americans to share their thoughts on religion, faith, belief in God, and other spiritual concerns.
A few examples:
l 69 percent of Americans believe in God; 27 percent don’t; 7 percent aren’t sure about the existence of God.
l 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; 7 percent think we will be reincarnated as another life on Earth.
l 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.
For more results, see the Parade magazine insert in Sunday’s The Valdosta Daily Times.