AMANDA NEWS: What You Believe About The Supernatural Shapes Where You Turn in Tough Times
(921 WORDS) — Beliefs about the supernatural frequently reveal where people will turn to solve the persistent and most challenging problems in their lives, according to new research conducted by the American Bible Society (ABS).
Respondents to the Philadelphia-based ABS’s “State of the Bible USA 2026” survey were queried on their beliefs about the supernatural. The results are reported in the chapter entitled “The Supernatural.”
Survey questions asked respondents if and how much they believe in six supernatural entities representing the spectrum from Good to Evil. Results show that most Americans believe in God more than any other supernatural entity.
They also believe more deeply in the Good entities created by God, including Heaven and angels, yet they also believe less in the reality of Evil like Satan, Hell and satanic demons.
Responses of higher belief in the Good entities of God, Heaven and angels, along with miracles such as the Resurrection of Jesus are prominent in the results. yet so is less belief in the existence of Evil entities such as Satan, Hell and satanic demons reveals uncertainty about who God is or what the Bible says about him.
This puzzling uncertainty extends to what God says about Himself in the Bible. Notably, the survey emphasizes such a lack of biblical knowledge about the problem of Good and Evil in the world and God’s plan of salvation and forgiveness of sin through his son, Jesus Christ.
The ABS analysis further notes that “there may be some Christians who get so caught up in the lure of the supernatural that they stop engaging with Scripture and its wisdom, or they study the Bible in a way that squeezes the supernatural stuff out of it. Explain away the miracles, and what’s left?”
Age, education, and personal experience play major roles in what people understand about God, prayer, and the Bible and where they will go to seek help if not the God of the Bible. Older generations such as Boomers and Gen X tend to believe in supernatural entities more, with a contrast between younger Gen Z believing more than older Gen Zers:
“This may suggest a certain ‘tipping point’ in the spiritual development of young people—not when they graduate high school (around age 18), but several years later, when a substantial portion of them begin questioning things they were previously sure of,” the ABS report explained.
Along with age and life experience, education influences views on supernatural entities. The report reveals that with higher levels of education, such as completing post-graduate studies or a professional degree, these respondents were less likely to believe, as were those with less than a high school degree.
Those with at least a high school or college-level degree were more likely to believe in supernatural entities. The report does not delve into how various curriculums taught among the various education levels influences such outcomes.
A troubling divergence found by the ABS analysis shows respondents turning to prayer at a much higher rate, 74 percent, yet reading the Bible at only a 15 percent rate when seeking help to counter what they believe is a spiritual attack. The difference is stark, which begs a serious question of where people will turn if not to the Bible to understand and know God.
The report indicates biblical knowledge directs prayer as part of a Christian’s relationship with God, and people turn away from God the more they disengage from the Bible. It also shows that a lack of biblical knowledge means someone is more likely to engage in supernatural practices that are not only unbiblical, but also invite evil entities into one’s life. The Bible repeatedly warns against turning to such practices and entities.
For example, using some medicines in efforts to produce a spiritual experience, or attempting to connect with spirits of nature or the dead are prominent among other practices the Bible warns against because these unbiblical alternatives draw people away from God and toward deception.
The ABS research also shows that Nones — survey respondents who identify themselves as having no religious beliefs — nevertheless do search for the God of the Bible, yet know little if anything of what the Bible says about God. Without God defined, the Bible-disengaged Nones “may believe in the God of the Bible, or in nature, a ‘higher power,’ or the god of another religion,” ABS said.
Additionally, in an article for Lifeway Research, “Religiously Unaffiliated Americans Not Completely Irreligious,” Aaron Earls highlights this observation:
“As far as their specific religious beliefs, the religiously unaffiliated have a variety of perspectives on God. Almost a quarter, 23 percent, aren’t sure if God exists. One in five, 20 percent, say they believe God does not exist. Fewer say they believe in God and seek to know God relationally, 18 percent, believe there is a God but don’t think God can be known.”
Lifeway Research further indicates people seek to know that God created, loves, and wants a relationship with them that they learn is their best choice to pursue.
“As the religiously unaffiliated see brokenness in society, many also hope for more, personally and societally. Most, 55 percent, believe there is an ultimate purpose and plan for every person’s life. And almost three in five, 58 percent, say finding that deeper purpose for themselves is a major priority in their lives,” Earls wrote.
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