Pew Poll Confirms New Age Movement is ‘Widespread’ and Growing
In results just released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public life, “the religious beliefs and practices of Americans do not fit neatly into conventional categories.” (Which did not of course, stop them from offering nothing but conventional categories like “Christian” or “Catholic” from which to self-identify in the exact same survey, but that’s an issue I’ll take up later.)
As the overview continues: “Many Americans say they attend worship services of more than one faith or denomination — even when they are not traveling or going to special events like weddings and funerals. Many also blend Christianity with Eastern or New Age beliefs such as reincarnation, astrology and the presence of spiritual energy in physical objects. And sizeable minorities of all major U.S. religious groups say they have experienced supernatural phenomena, such as being in touch with the dead or with ghosts.”
The subtitle of the report says “Eastern, New Age Beliefs Widespread.” And there are many fascinating things in the report which indicate a New Age style of belief is indeed widely embraced. For example: 35 percent of Americans have attended churches of different belief systems within the past year (the New Age encourages spiritual exploration, “one mountain, many paths.”) Meanwhile, 24 percent of Americans (many of them identify as Christian) say they believe in reincarnation, 25 percent believe in astrology, 23 percent believe in “yoga not just as exercise but as a spiritual practice, 15 percent have consulted a psychic and of the 49 percent of who say they have had a mystical experience. And lest you assume this referring primarily to Pentecostals, the report says: “ This year’s survey finds that religious and mystical experiences are more common today among those who are unaffiliated with any particular religion (30%) than they were in the 1960s among the public as whole (22%).”
But the most telling percentage to me was the question: Do you believe spiritual energy is located in things like mountains, trees and crystals? A full 26 percent said yes.
This is a metaphysical question about reality, about where we think spirit resides in the universe, if at all. Traditional Christians would say spirit is outside the world, up in heaven with God, materialists would say there is no spirit. But an idealist says spirit and physical reality are the same thing. And, as I’ve argued many times, this idealism is the basic philosophy, the basic position on reality, that makes one a New Ager.
This poll makes it pretty clear that a quarter of the population holds beliefs that are explicitly New Age in nature. And yet in their questions about religious identity, New Age is not an option in the questions on religious identity. Nor is “spiritual but not religious” or “cultural creatives.” Even in a survey which finds that our beliefs “dont’ fit in conventional categories,” only the conventional categories are offered. The little demographic chart only separates out Protestants, Catholics or the “unaffiliated.” (25 percent)
Of course, few who hold New Age beliefs are likely to identify themselves that way. Most of us still run from the New Age label as if it was poisonous. Not that we don’t have good reasons. I discovered this poll through a Reuters article that popped up on Yahoo which was subtly making fun of those 26 percent of people who believe there is spiritual energy in trees.
But if we shirk from a label because of mocking by the mainstream, we are doing a terrible disservice to ourselves, and our society. We New Agers are in possession of a perspective that the world very much needs right now. If we are going to avert global catastrophes like global warming, more people need to see the planet as spiritual in nature, and ourselves as interrelated parts of one spiritual whole. Yet, because we don’t have a label, those of us who practice holistic spirituality have no common ground, no forum in which to discuss these ideas and share them with others. Worse, we have no voice, no social capital, no power in society when it comes to changing things.
If we hold New Age beliefs, and 26 percent of us clearly do, then its time to publicly stand up for them. www.newagepride.org
Tags: cultural creatives, holistic spirituality, new age movement, spiritual but not religious
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December 17, 2009 at 2:34 am
It really is ironic in my opinion, when the label, “New Age” began to be poo-poo ed by society, that society began to really absorb New Age values and teachings. I am happy you are really able to share that this is the New Age. Bless you!