A new Gallup Poll (take it for what it's worth) has found that:
"Seventy-four percent of Americans said they believe in God, while 69 percent said they believe in angels and 67 percent said they believe in heaven, the poll found. Slightly smaller shares — 59 percent and 58 percent — said they believe in hell and the devil."
That stunned me. Today, 2023, and 58% of Americans believe in the Devil? They don't say what they believe about the Devil, but at least they believe something about the Devil.
By now we should look back and realize that we've been a secularized country for generations. And that secular movement has relentlessly, and at times ruthlessly, proselytized religious believers for decades. Armed with convenient interpretations of the Bill of Rights and a sympathetic education industry, pop culture and media, their browbeating of historical religious faith has been unrelenting. And that includes openly mocking people of traditional beliefs with impunity, often through those same media and cultural outlets. More than one professor I had in college in the 1980s was happy to openly ridicule religion, especially traditional religious beliefs, especially Christianity.
But through it all, 58% still believe in the Devil? I'm reminded of this:
Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. 1 Kings 19.18
Of course believing in the Devil and acting like you believe in the Devil are two different things. Other polls have found a lack of traditional Christian beliefs among the faithful, including the majority of Catholics not believing in the Real Presence. This doesn't count the growing number of Christians (Devil believers apparently) who openly embrace what the Faith has historically believed is 'of the Devil.'
So it's not all peaches and cream. The point of the article is that these beliefs, such as belief in the Devil and Hell, are declining. I'm just shocked they haven't declined far more than they have. So there is hope.
Out secular society has been hitting us with everything it can for decades, all while telling us to step aside and let it do so. On the whole, much of our leadership has been willing to let the World have its way in this regard. Yet 58% still believe in the Devil. Someone within the halls of the Faith is doing something right. Insert 'chef's kiss' here:
Not sure how 74% believe in God but only 59% believe in Hell even though Our Lord clearly mentions Hell. Makes no sense that you would believe in God but not Hell.
ReplyDeleteCould be that they believe in a god, but not the Christian, Trinitarian God. Could also be that some of the believers in the Christian, Trinitarian God think that "God is all-mericiful and He'd never SEND anyone to a place like hell, so there can't be a hell". Of course, I don't agree with them and we need to pray for them. God bless.
DeleteAs Anon said (heh), many believe in 'God' in the generic sense. A sort of secularized pagan version of what Atheists accuse religion of believing in. It's not the God revealed by the prophets and Jesus and documented in the Scriptures.
DeleteEveryone believes in God. The cognitive dissonance cultured in our society ‘allows’ 25% or so to delude themselves that there is no such thing as God. It is the same type of perverse lack of reason that enables the global warming scam and the murder of Holy Innocents in the womb. There are two bastard sins, the spawn of the great sin of pride, ignorance and arrogance. Each of these inflates the other back and forth in turn until utter madness ensues. That is our world today.
ReplyDeleteIt's a secular paganism. We invent a sort of 'just in case' mentality about death, and then put it on a shelf to ignore. That comes from decades of secularism having its way and proselytizing the faithful into believing science long ago debunked God, religion, miracles and the Bible. Given how universal this secular evangelization has been, as I said above, I'm shocked so many still believe. Though I also understand the concern about the ever diminishing number of people who do.
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