TruthBook Religious News Blog

By Lynn Arave
Deseret News
Tuesday, Aug. 04, 2009

Does he or doesn't he?

And if so, how much? And why? And where?

Does God send the tsunamis? Help folks find lost keys? Clear up the skies for a wedding reception?

The amount and degree of God's intervention in the world may be the oldest theological debate. And today, more than ever, people wonder -- and worry -- about the answers.

On one end are those who believe in "God the watch maker" -- that Deity created the world, wound it up and now simply watches it run.

At the other end are people who believe the fingerprints of God are on every human action and endeavor. He rules through predestination.

Most believers stake out territory somewhere in between.

Historically, God has been seen as intervening significantly in the affairs of men. There was the Great Flood and the Tower of Babel in the Book of Genesis. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is said to have taken on the sins of the world -- perhaps the most breath-taking belief in God's intervention the world has known.

Please click on "external source" for the complete article.

Labels: faith, God, intervention, Lynn Arave, miracles, Quakers

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Monday, April 27, 2009

Medical Miracles

By Carrie Davis
Published: April 23, 2009

You’ve heard the stories of the impossible happening. Someone recovers from a disease and doctors can’t explain why.

Now a recent study shows an overwhelming majority of people, including doctors, believe in medical miracles and many think religion plays a big part in these miracles.

We talked to an Upstate man who is living proof miracles do happen and his doctor to find out why.

According to some people, Bill Pitts shouldn’t be here. He’s walking a life path he never thought possible and he’s been given a second chance to try a passion he’d only ever dreamed about.

You see Bill Pitts has stage four colon cancer. Three years ago he stopped all his treatments to live out his last days enjoying time with his family and his art.

According to his doctor, Dr. Steve Courso, Pitts is a medical miracle.

He says, “He was here just last month and he looks great. we can’t see any signs of the cancer in him.“

Dr. Courso says no one can figure out why these miracles happen. They are unexplainable by modern science.

Dr. Courso admits, “I don’t have a medical explanation. I just simply smile and realize God’s presence is in these patients.“

At Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, Chaplain Carson Rogerson says he’s seen cases like Bill Pitts before. He says he believes the miracles may occur when a persons mind, body and soul all get in line.

There is some proof supporting healing power of prayer. A study done at Pacific College of Medicine found that people who received prayer were six times less likely to be hospitalized than those who didn’t have someone praying for them.

According to national survey, 72 percent of doctors believe miracles have occurred compared to 86 percent of the general public.

Today, 70 percent of physicians and 85 percent of general public believe a miracle is possible now.

When asked about prayer, 54 percent of doctors say they pray for their patients to get better.

Please click on "external source" for further information, and links to other articles regarding studies on prayer and healing.

Labels: Carrie Davis, medicine, meditation, miracles, prayer, worship

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Sunday, March 15, 2009

The spirit moves Baby Boomers

December 2

AARP has found that Baby Boomers are intensely spiritual, believing in divine healing, miracles and guardian angels.

AARP's Knowledge Management division commissioned a study to measure, in its words, "what Americans 45 and older think about miracles and miraculous events, including what they believe about divine healings, guardian angels, the circumstances under which someone may receive a miracle, and how miraculous events have changed their outlook on life."

The telephone survey included an oversample of Hispanic respondents.

The survey found:

* 80 percent said they believe miracles occur today as they did in antiquity,
* 67 percent said they believe illness and injuries can be divinely healed,
* 37 percent said they witnessed a miracle,
* 27 percent have witnessed a divine healing,
* 11 percent of seen an angel.

In addition, younger Boomers hold to more spiritual beliefs than older Boomers: Respondents age 45-54 were more likely to believe in miracles (85 percent) than those age 55 and older (77 percent).

Also, from the oversample the survey found that Hispanic Boomers have stronger spiritual beliefs in this regard than their white counterparts:

* 86 percent believe in miracles,
* 86 percent believe in spirits and angels,
* 82 percent believe in divine healing.

Labels: AARP, angels, Baby Boomers, miracles, spirituality

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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Virgin Birth More Believable Than Darwin's Theory, Say Americans

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

God may be loving some recent religion-related poll results. A Harris Interactive survey released today shows that more Americans believe in an Almighty presence than in Darwin’s theory of evolution and that the majority of the public believes that the Virgin Mary gave birth to baby Jesus.

The findings, compiled from 2,126 U.S. adults, included:

— 80% of adult Americans believe in God

— 75% believe in miracles

— 73% believe in heaven

— 71% believe in angels

— 71% believe that Jesus is God or the Son of God

— 70% believe in the resurrection of Jesus

— 62% believe in hell

— 61% believe in virgin birth (Jesus born to Virgin Mary)

— 47% believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution

— 36% believe in UFOs

Click here for more of the poll’s findings.

American’s aren’t the only ones to believe in virgin birth. Another poll out today from theology think-tank group Theos has found that more than a third of Britons believe that the virgin birth of Jesus Christ really happened. In the poll carried out by ComRes on behalf of Theos, 34% of people agreed that the statement "Jesus was born to a virgin called Mary" was historically accurate, while only 32% said they believed it was fictional.

What’s also interesting is women — who experience the agonizing pains of birthing — were more likely to believe in the virgin birth (39%), compared to 29% of men, who just stand in the hospital room sweating.

Labels: Americans, angels, Darwin, God, heaven, Jesus, miracles, virgin birth

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Monday, December 08, 2008

Americans’ Views of Faith, Prayer and Miracles

Tuesday, 9 December 2008,
Press Release: HCD Research

Science or Miracle?

-- Survey Reveals Americans’ Views of Faith, Prayer and Miracles--

Flemington, NJ, December 8, 2008 - A new national survey of 854 Americans conducted by HCD Research December 6-8, found that an overwhelming majority (75%) believe that religion is a reliable and necessary guide to life. Similarly, 86% of Americans believe that miracles have occurred in the past and 85% believe that they can occur today. Most responders (56%) also claimed to have seen situations and circumstances with themselves, friends and/or family members which they consider to be “miraculous” or “unexplainable by science.”

The study was conducted to obtain Americans’ perceptions of faith, prayer and miracles in both the medical world as well as their everyday lives. To view detailed results go to: www.mediacurves.com.

Those surveyed represent American consumers from Christian (Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox Christian and other), Jewish (Orthodox Jewish, Conservative Jewish, Reform Jewish and Culturally Jewish), Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Scientologist, Islamic, Shinto, Sikh, and other religious traditions as well as those with no religious traditions.

Among the findings:

Views of Religious Texts

The results of this study reveal how divided Americans are on the subject of literal interpretation of religion versus metaphoric interpretation of religion. Of respondents who claimed to practice a specific religion, 48% considered themselves to be a literal believer while 52% considered themselves to be a liberal member. Likewise, 48% of responders said that the miracle stories presented in religious texts, such as the bible, should be taken as literally true while 44% said they should be taken as metaphorically true (8% said they were Pious imaginings). Although the vast majority of Americans claim to be religious, there seems to be a divergence in opinions regarding how literal religious writings are.

Perceptions of prayer and its significance

While there is a wide split regarding the literal interpretation of religious texts, most responders consider prayer to be an important part of their everyday lives. 77% responded that prayer is either somewhat important in their everyday life or very important. 71% encourage family and friends to pray and 76% responded that they pray for individual friends and family members. This demonstrates that the difference in perceptions of responders concerning accuracy of religious texts does not significantly influence “religious” people from incorporating prayer into their everyday lives.

Religion and the practice of medicine

Religion and medicine also present some conflicting opinions and beliefs. Most responders feel that medical practices and religion should be kept separate. While 75% believe that religion is a reliable and necessary guide to life, only 41% responded that medical practices should be guided by religious and moral teachings. When asked how much of the outcome of medical or surgical treatment they believe is related to forces totally outside of human control (referring here to the "supernatural" or an "Act of God"), 55% of responders said either very little or none of the outcome should be attributed to non-human forces and 45% said either all or most of medical outcomes are influenced by non-human forces.

The Media Curves web site provides the media and general public with a venue to view Americans’ perceptions of popular and controversial media events and advertisements.

Labels: Americans, faith, HCD Research, medicine, miracles, prayer

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Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Americans believe in miracles, heaven, power of prayer: report

Americans believe in miracles, heaven, power of prayer: report

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Around three-quarters of Americans believe in miracles, more Americans believe in heaven than in hell, and nearly six in 10 pray every day, a report based on a survey of 35,000 US adults showed Monday.

Of those who pray regularly, around a third -- 31 percent -- say God answers their prayers at least once a month, and one in five Americans said they receive direct answers to prayer requests at least once a week, the report by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life said.

Seventy-four percent of those surveyed for the report, called the US Religious Landscape Survey, said they believed in heaven as a place where people who have led good lives are rewarded, while only around six in 10 believed in hell, where unrepentant evil-doers languish in eternal punishment.

Nearly eight in 10 American adults (79 percent) believe that miracles occur, the survey, conducted between May and August last year, showed.

But perhaps most striking in the report was the near unanimous belief in God, held by more than nine out of 10 Americans.

"While this survey finds that more than nine in 10 Americans believe in the existence of God or a universal spirit, it also shows that there are considerable differences in the nature of this belief," Pew research fellow Greg Smith said.

"Six in 10 adults believe God is a person with whom people can have a relationship, but one in four, including about half of Jews and Hindus, see God as an impersonal force," he said.

Oddly, one in five of those who identified themselves as atheists in the survey said they believe in God.

"But this also shows us the complicated way that people think about their faith. Many people who identify as atheists may not be telling us they don't believe in God, but that they don't like organized religion," he said.

"There is a lot of complexity in American religion," Greene summarized.

The survey also showed that religious affiliation tends to translate into social and political leanings.

"Mormons and members of evangelical churches tend to be more conservative in their political ideology, while Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and atheists tend to be more politically liberal than the population overall," the report says.

As the United States gears up to elect a new president in November, that translates to the simple fact that "there are votes to be had by the Democratic and Republican candidates by making appeals to religious groups," said Greene.

Labels: God, heaven, miracles, Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, prayer