American interest in spirituality is supplementing, not replacing, traditional religion, a new poll shows.
Fifty-nine percent of Americans say they are both religious and spiritual, reports Spirituality & Health magazine, which commissioned the poll.
One in five Americans view themselves as only spiritual and among that group, 47 percent view religion in a negative way.
Eight percent of those surveyed said they were solely religious.
The poll found that 13 percent of those surveyed thought spirituality and religion were completely different.
“Ideas about religion are changing,” said Bob Scott, editor in chief of the magazine.
“A generation ago most Americans viewed religion as a community and a set of beliefs,” Scott said.”Now, the emphasis is more persona – a spiritual dimension that’s always been present but largely ignored.”
Seventy-one percent of respondents described God as “loving when given a list of characteristics and asked to choose which one best described God.
The poll also investigated the percentage of people who considered certain activities to be spiritual: prayer – 91 percent; attending worship services – 81 percent; parenting – 80 percent; walking in the forest – 67 percent; and making love – 52 percent.
The poll by the New York-based Blum & Weprin Associates surveyed 502 adults across the country and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. (RNS)
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