An article in the Washington Post today discusses the results of a recent poll on Americans’ religious beliefs.
Apparently, the poll indicates the following brain boggler:
More than 90 percent of Americans — including one in five people who say they are atheists — believe in God or a universal power.
Emphasis emphatically mine.
The Post says this poll exposes the “depth and complexity” of our “deeply religious” nation:
For example, along with 21 percent of the people who describe themselves as atheists but express a belief in God or a universal spirit, more than half of those who say they are agnostic express a similar conviction.
How about the oxymorons of a deeply confused nation?
[tags]stupidity, religion[/tags]
This only confirms that many people have no idea, or mistaken ones, about the definitions of “agnostic” and “atheist”.
And in an overwhelmingly Christian country, it is politically correct to say you believe in God, even in an anonymous survey. You never know who might be watching!
Here’s the ringer in the poll: “A belief in God or a higher spirit is pervasive.” The question put to those surveyed included “a higher spirit” — which opens the door to all sorts of interpretation. I, myself, have a deep and abiding belief in Murphy. You know, the one with the Law.
What this survey does prove is that a survey is only as good as the questions asked, who is asked, and how they are asked. In this case, they could have just used a Ouija board or dice.
That reminds me of the comedian who says, “I’m a vegetarian – although I do eat chicken and beef.”