ComRes has carried out some fascinating polling for Theos, the Christian think tank, into what people believe about the supernatural:
39% believe in the soul,
32% in life after death,
30% in spirits,
26% in heaven,
25% in angels,
16% in reincarnation,
14% in the devil,
13% in hell,
13% in the power of dead ancestors,
10% in demons,
3% in jinns
A jinn, according to the Oxford dictionary, is a spirit of lower rank than an angel, in “Arab and Muslim mythology”, although I think it means “in some Muslim theology”.
Comparing these figures with a similar survey in 2008, levels of belief seem to have fallen. The figure for believing in heaven has fallen by 29 points (from 55%), in life after death by 21 points (from 53%) and in reincarnation by 11 points (from 27%).
In addition, 16% say they have experienced a miracle or know someone who has; and 5% say they have undergone healing with crystals.
ComRes did not repeat all its questions from 2008: then, 39% said they believed in ghosts and 22% in astrology or horoscopes.
John Rentoul | Read the original on blogs.independent.co.uk
Image by Waiting for the Word