It’s the dead of summer but the supernatural—including the miraculous—never takes a vacation.
If you believe that, you’re in good company.
For survey after survey shows that belief in miracle happenings is widespread no matter the religious belief.
A Pew Research Center survey showed that nearly eighty percent of Americans believe in miracles.
Similarly, a Barna study (ordered by an evangelist) found that sixty-six percent of Americans believe people can be physically healed supernaturally by God.
You’re not only in good company but in the majority.
So be not afraid to proclaim them.
The belief, it seems, spans age groups and educational backgrounds, though some studies show slight variations in belief levels among certain demographics. Moreover, a CBS News poll revealed that while a majority of Americans say they haven’t personally experienced a miracle, a substantial portion–thirty-five percent–have.
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More impressive still, a survey of doctors found that fifty-five percent of polled have witnessed what they consider to be a medical miracle. (In that survey, seventy-four percent said they believed in miracles.)
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Interestingly, studies additionally indicate that individuals experiencing life-threatening situations or feeling threatened are more likely to believe in the miraculous.
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That’s according to Baylor University.
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Finally, belief in miracles appears stronger among certain groups, such as women, African Americans, and individuals with higher levels of religious involvement.
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No surprise there.
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Evangelical Protestants and Black Protestants demonstrate particularly high rates of belief in miracles. But we’d bet highest of all would be Marian Catholics (due to apparitions such as Fatima, Lourdes, and Medjugorje).
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Of note: college-educated individuals, traditionally seen as more secular, have shown an increase in belief in miracles in recent years.
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[resources: books on miracles]
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