Speaking to God - what Americans Really Think

[Quintessence]

For all the praises I sing of Pew Research, I've always been annoyed at the superficial level at which they treat many topics of religion. I was delighted to see an article published today that aims to move beyond the banal "do you believe in God" to examine more deeply what this God actually is. I'm so delighted by it I'm going to be making several threads discussing various aspects of the main article, which can be found here: When Americans Say They Believe in God, What Do They Mean?

To kick things off, one of the key areas where different theisms and theologies differ is the level to which gods are active within the world. There are several questions that were asked relating to this, but let's focus on just one for now - how many Americans in various groups believe that their god speaks to them?

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As we can see, about three-quarters of Americans talk with the divine, and a pretty sizable subset of that feel that their god responds back. Is there anything about these results that you find interesting? Surprising? If you had to answer this question, how would you respond? Do you believe you communicate with your god(s)? What's that like?

 

[Sunstone]

The percentage of people who talk to a god, and who believe a god talks to them, is higher than I thought. I would have liked the poll to have included more than just Christians and Jews though. It would have been interesting, for instance, to see Muslim and Hindu responses.

 

[outlawState]

The percentage of people who talk to a god, and who believe a god talks to them, is higher than I thought. I would have liked the poll to have included more than just Christians and Jews though. It would have been interesting, for instance, to see Muslim and Hindu responses.

Do you believe you communicate with your god(s)? What's that like?

A revelation is a gift of God, but this can occur by the Holy Spirit. Although some claim that God talks directly to them, it generally is by the Spirit, who leads and guides people into truth. I am inclined to think that God (the Father) will not talk directly to anyone unless that person has been called into heaven itself.

 

[Woberts]

I'm pretty concerned about the part where it says that 3% of Atheists think that they are talking with God.

 

[Polymath257]

I'm pretty concerned about the part where it says that 3% of Atheists think that they are talking with God.

A typical problem with any survey: those who consider it a joke and give random or inaccurate answers.

 

[Quintessence]

The percentage of people who talk to a god, and who believe a god talks to them, is higher than I thought. I would have liked the poll to have included more than just Christians and Jews though. It would have been interesting, for instance, to see Muslim and Hindu responses.

It is, for better or worse, routine for Pew Research to overlook minority groups when they do their studies. While I love that they did this, I also still have some contentions with their methodology. In particular, the way they word questions is alienating to religious minorities. It's difficult to come up with theologically-neutral terminology for these questions, though.

A typical problem with any survey: those who consider it a joke and give random or inaccurate answers.

We don't know that's what's going on. Personally, sometimes I respond in ways that look really odd in surveys like this because the wording is alienating for religious minorities as noted above. If I'm asked "do you believe in God?" and required to give a simple answer, I tend to answer "no" because I'm not a monotheist (or an Abrahamic). That then tends to mark me as an atheist (even though I'm not) and I'd be one of that 3% who speaks with the gods (just not God).

 

[Nakosis]

Do you believe you communicate with your god(s)? What's that like?

I believe your subconscious can create the experience of communicating with God. Regardless of the existence of any God or not.

What's in like? It's pretty convincing. The subconscious mind is aware of all your conscious desires and is capable of fulfilling them in a spiritual sense.

The only doubt/question about it some of the stuff can come from left field. Real mind altering stuff. Experiences with such wisdom and clarity, it's hard to justify it being a product of the subconscious mind. Nothing like the usual dribble the subconscious throws at you.

Stuff I don't feel like my conscious mind and subconscious mind put together are smart enough, wise enough to come up with on their own.

 

[sun rise]

You did not put a link to the study itself so here it is: When Americans Say They Believe in God, What Do They Mean?

What bugged me in the OP was the word "talk". I wanted them to use "communicate" instead and ask a followup question about "how": words, feelings, intuition.

 

[Shiranui117]

I'm pretty concerned about the part where it says that 3% of Atheists think that they are talking with God.

I know at least one atheist personally who, even though he doesn't really believe in any particular God or god, still prayed to whoever or whatever was listening after the death of his grandmother.

 

[Truthseeker]

I don't believe that God talks to people. People who think God speaks to them are listening to their subconscious minds. It is really a problem for them.

 

[LuisDantas]

I'm pretty concerned about the part where it says that 3% of Atheists think that they are talking with God.

I was thinking the same thing. What are we expected to make of claims that agnostics and atheists are hearing back from a god that they do not necessarily believe to exist?

A typical problem with any survey: those who consider it a joke and give random or inaccurate answers.

True. But there are other likely explanations, such as confusing questions and forms or even flawed analysis of the actual responses.

And in this case, malleability of god-concepts may well be a factor as well. Perhaps peer pressure too? It is not quite impossible to imagine that some might be, say, answering while being watched by someone else and therefore answer in unlikely or contradictory ways.

But it sure is, at the very least, confusing.

 

[Kapalika]

The percentage of people who talk to a god, and who believe a god talks to them, is higher than I thought. I would have liked the poll to have included more than just Christians and Jews though. It would have been interesting, for instance, to see Muslim and Hindu responses.

I was thinking that too, but perhaps they are too small of a demographic to include... however maybe they could be rolled into an "other" group.

A typical problem with any survey: those who consider it a joke and give random or inaccurate answers.

Not necessarily so. An atheist simply doesn't believe in a literal deity, but they might believe in some kind of cosmic force or idea that they speak to even if just for some psychological reason.

I mean, there are examples of religious atheists on this very forum (although admittedly all that come to mind are Hindu).

Perhaps more so people think of atheists in terms of anthropomorphic deities. I've often been accused of being an atheist but I assure people that at most I'm a nontheist but usually I think pantheism describes me better.

There was a point in time I considered myself an atheist yet said prayers and mantras. The difference is that higher power was seen within myself, and so not a deity.