SOC: US Belief in Miracles

From: GBurch1@aol.com
Date: Sun Apr 23 2000 - 18:52:02 MDT


Here's an Easter-topical note:

Poll: 84 Percent Believe in Miracles

.c The Associated Press

  
WASHINGTON (AP) - Better than eight of 10 Americans believe that God performs
miracles, and almost half believe they have experienced or witnessed one, a
Newsweek magazine poll has found.

The poll, released Saturday, reported that 84 percent of Americans have faith
in divine miracles, and 79 percent believe in the reality of miracles
described in the Bible. Also, 48 percent have personal experiences with
miracles, and 63 percent said they know of people who have.

Kenneth L. Woodward, author of recently released ``The Book of Miracles,''
writes in the magazine's edition on newsstands Monday: ``Miracle stories,
ancient and modern, do two things: They explain the ways of God to the
faithful, and they are the means by which believers experience the presence
of God.''

Overwhelmingly, the poll showed, those who believe in miracles are
Christians, 90 percent of whom are believers. Almost all Evangelical
Protestants - 98 percent - are believers.

Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they have prayed to God or a saint
for miracle, mainly for a cure or recovery for a loved one in a health
crisis.

For the poll, Princeton Survey Research Associates interviewed 752 adults by
telephone on April 14. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage
points.



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 15:28:11 MST