Most American Christians Do Not Believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit Exist ?!
by C.R. Mooney on Oct.05, 2009, under Spirituality
This is a recent story from the Barna Group, which does extensive studies on Christianity. My reaction is , “What are we doing wrong that professing Christians do not believe Satan or the Holy Spirit are REAL?”
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)
Click on the heading to go to the article…
Most American Christians Do Not Believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit Exist
April 10, 2009
A new nationwide survey of adults’ spiritual beliefs, conducted by The Barna Group, suggests that Americans who consider themselves to be Christian have a diverse set of beliefs – but many of those beliefs are contradictory or, at least, inconsistent.
The survey explored beliefs about spiritual beings, the influence of faith on their life, views of the Bible, and reactions to faiths other than their own.
Views on Spiritual BeingsThe Barna survey asked questions about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Satan, and demons.
All 1,871 self-described Christians were asked about their perception of God. In total, three-quarters (78%) said he is the “all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe who rules the world today.” The remaining one-quarter chose other descriptions of God – depictions that are not consistent with biblical teaching (e.g., everyone is god, god refers to the realization of human potential, etc.).
For the other survey items a four-point opinion scale was used to measure people’s reactions to statements about each spiritual entity.
Four out of ten Christians (40%) strongly agreed that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” An additional two out of ten Christians (19%) said they “agree somewhat” with that perspective. A minority of Christians indicated that they believe Satan is real by disagreeing with the statement: one-quarter (26%) disagreed strongly and about one-tenth (9%) disagreed somewhat. The remaining 8% were not sure what they believe about the existence of Satan.
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October 5th, 2009 on 12:57 pm
A point to remember (and people who love lies hate this): These poll data are gathered under scientific and LEGALLY mandated and reported statistical constraints. So when you hear someone say, “Well, I just don’t believe that (i.e. Barna’s poll data),” they’re flying in the face of science.
October 5th, 2009 on 1:24 pm
There is no evidence of ANY life-forms or beings existing outside of our known reality. Maybe that’s why they don’t believe.
There’s as much “evidence” for the existence of the Devil, demons, angels, Holy Spirit as there is for UFO’s, alien abductions and Bigfoot.
October 5th, 2009 on 1:41 pm
I agree, If it wasn’t from such a reputable source, I would have dismissed it entirely. And the church wonders why it is a shadow of the New Testament church. Even an unchristian friend of mine thinks this is messed up.
October 5th, 2009 on 1:44 pm
Thanks for the comment, and your argument might be valid except for the fact that this study is of professing Christians. People who say they believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I guess this is what was meant when Jesus said, “I would rather that you were hot or cold, and not lukewarm.”
October 5th, 2009 on 5:53 pm
My argument might be valid?
I think my argument is extremely valid – Christians of any persuasion have never once presented any evidence of a physical nature that any “spiritual beings” exist or influence human life.
You quote the book of the Revelation to me (Jesus speaking to the church at Laodicea). Revelation is a perfect example of how mysticism and bizarre teachings have taken over Christianity.
October 7th, 2009 on 1:36 pm
Your argument is valid if you are trying to prove/disprove what Christians believe and the existence of God. However, the study, and point of this post, is of people who claim they are Christians and believe the Bible is the Word of God, and is therefore very disheartening as it shows 60% doubt what they say is true.
I agree with you that there are some very bizarre teachings going around, but that is why we need to ask God for wisdom and guidance to not follow the instruction of false teachers.
October 9th, 2009 on 11:08 am
There is a great need in the body of Christ for solid, anointed Bible Teaching. This is the only way to change these sorry statistics.
October 23rd, 2011 on 9:58 am
Good point. I hadn\’t tohuhgt about it quite that way.