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