38% of Americans say God told me to

The Poll by YouGov was from 996 people in the US 76% of which said they believe in a God. Below are the graphed results from that poll of those who believe in a God.Full Poll Results Here

38% of Americans say that they have done something because God told them to, while more than half of people who believe in God say that the deity sometimes controls weather and disasters.

New research from YouGov suggests that many Americans believe God plays an active role in their lives.

Out of the 76% of Americans who said that they personally believe in the existence of a God, half say that they have at least once before done something because God told them to. Including non-believers, this makes up 38% of the entire country.

The group most likely to have acted on God's command are 'born-again' or evangelical Christians, who make up about a third of Americans. Almost two-thirds (65%) of born-again Christians say God has told them to do something at least once before. Only a quarter (25%) of the remaining population have ever had the same experience.
YouGov

The article at YouGov says more on the poll I personally found it interesting even though it was taken from just shy of a 1,000 people. I am hopeful it doesn’t accurately portray the population because if that many people honestly think God has talked to them before I would really be worried.

Maybe I am wrong and it does actually reflect the populace. So it makes me wonder how many here on ATS have received instructions from god. I wish we could create polls on here and see.

reply to post by Grimpachi


Hmm related to this thread Ted Cruz father said God anointed his son to bring end times transfer of wealth

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Grimpachi
The article at YouGov says more on the poll I personally found it interesting even though it was taken from just shy of a 1,000 people. I am hopeful it doesn’t accurately portray the population because if that many people honestly think God has talked to them before I would really be worried.

Maybe I am wrong and it does actually reflect the populace. So it makes me wonder how many here on ATS have received instructions from god. I wish we could create polls on here and see.

I will openly admit that I do. Though I do not "hear" God, as in a voice from the sky. I hear Him as my conscience. If I get too much change back from a store and I could use every penny of it... my conscience tells me that I should give it back. It isn't mine and I would be stealing. That is just one of many examples and I AM IN NO WAY stating that non believers do not have a conscience, I am saying that to me... That is how God speaks. He is like a weather vane when I am going in the wrong direction. He sets me back on course.

I know how people view this kind of thing and it is why I usually hesitate to discuss anything religious on ATS. But you seemed genuine (?) so I figured I would try to explain it from my POV.

How many senses do you have Grimpachi??

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe


I appreciate your strait forward answer. That is a quality I like.

I guess I didn’t really think of it that way because as you said non-believers have a conscious as well I personally do not attribute it to the divine. However if people that were polled were thinking along the same lines as you then the numbers make a bit more sense.

When reading the article the people who came to mind were former President Bush 43 and Michele Bachman so I was concerned.

This isn't really a surprise. Christianity is the predominant religion in America. That 38% would say they did something because God told them to, actually seems on the low side.

The group most likely to have acted on God's command are 'born-again' or evangelical Christians, who make up about a third of Americans. Almost two-thirds (65%) of born-again Christians say God has told them to do something at least once before...

Especially since born again, evangelicals make up approx. a third of the population. I'd say they aren't too far off the mark on this one. Though I would have expected it to be higher.

I am not religious, but I believe in God.

I don't hear voices as much as I listen to my intuition which is maybe God or my higher self or even my subconscious. I don't ignore facts or logic, but ultimately I follow my heart when I make decisions in my life. I would assume this is the 'God' that many people listen to when they answered the poll question.

It makes me a better person to listen to the inner voice. If I based all of my decisions on pragmatism and what was easy I would be cold and empty. My inner voice is the best part of me. It makes us human and keeps us from being robots who simply quantify data and make calculations.

I hope that helps you understand the poll results better and frankly if you are unable to listen or hear this 'voice of God' I feel sorry for you. You are missing a part of yourself no one should be without.

well either god is making tons of bad decisions, or he's not being specific enough when he tells people things.
because the world is a f'ing mess.

reply to post by Grimpachi


Why is it that as an evangelical leaning, Republican right wing Christian I never heard of this poll and no one else I know has either?

Who are these people filling out these polls? The government asked less than a thousand people out of a population of 350,000,000? That's less than one percent of one percent of the whole country.

God does tell us what we need to do, but as many people don't read the Bible to know if it is God or just a random spirit out there, then I would venture to guess that most of the planet are listening to something that calls it God, no matter what spirit it is.

And for those who don't or won't say God tells them what to do, they still listen to something. How many watched Zeitgeist and believed it? Zeitgeist means "Spirit of the times", so in a way, they did listen to something. Music and movies have that power to move people to do things, look at mosh pits, those people are overwhelmed by something to throw themselves out on to the crowd.

But it's interesting that people dismiss God telling them what to do, and yet every major rock artist has said many times that they also receive messages from spirits and that spirits over take them on stage. Angus Young of ACDC as well as Mick Fleetwood have both said this in Rolling Stone Magazine.

So the question has to become, why is God dismissed while these other spirits are embraced? Is it such a shameful thing to listen to God?

Bisman
well either god is making tons of bad decisions, or he's not being specific enough when he tells people things.
because the world is a f'ing mess.

Because it is not always God speaking. If you don't know or don't care that it isn't God, then you can do anything it tells you to.

Kangaruex4Ewe

Grimpachi
The article at YouGov says more on the poll I personally found it interesting even though it was taken from just shy of a 1,000 people. I am hopeful it doesn’t accurately portray the population because if that many people honestly think God has talked to them before I would really be worried.

Maybe I am wrong and it does actually reflect the populace. So it makes me wonder how many here on ATS have received instructions from god. I wish we could create polls on here and see.

I will openly admit that I do. Though I do not "hear" God, as in a voice from the sky. I hear Him as my conscience. If I get too much change back from a store and I could use every penny of it... my conscience tells me that I should give it back. It isn't mine and I would be stealing. That is just one of many examples and I AM IN NO WAY stating that non believers do not have a conscience, I am saying that to me... That is how God speaks. He is like a weather vane when I am going in the wrong direction. He sets me back on course.

I know how people view this kind of thing and it is why I usually hesitate to discuss anything religious on ATS. But you seemed genuine (?) so I figured I would try to explain it from my POV.

Kangaruex4Ewe... I am Agnostic and do the same things you do without hesitation . I have never needed a church or GOD to tell me I was doing something wrong... But I guess I was born with a Moral Compass... not a conscience. A conscience is something that causes you to pause and think about the choice you are about to make in a situation of right or wrong. A reference to the symbol of the "scale "in a way. A point where you have to weigh your options because you would rather do the "bad" thing and keep the money because you need it more that the store. As an Agnostic.. I do the right thing without question or hesitation.

If you need a "God" to help you make that choice... I fully support it and encourage it. I would rather those born without a Moral Compass, to have the ability of turning to a believe that would cause them to pause ....weigh their options and make the right choice instead of the bad ones.

As an agnostic... I support your need to believe. Do not confuse me with an Atheist who would destroy your belief system in an instant. There so many out there like you! that need church and beliefs so they can make the right choice when confronted with the option of right or wrong.

reply to post by Grimpachi


the problem : in my eyes - is that once a person accepts ` god tells me to..... ` as a legitimate reason to act then no atrocity is unthinkable

for biblical evidence - Abraham was alledgedly on the verge of killing his own son simply because he believed ` god told him to ...`

the really scary bit comes when people start to act on what SOMEONE-ELSE says " god told me to ....... "

and people still ask me ` why are religions dangerous `

reply to post by livinglifeseekingtruth2


When did you stop believing in God?



University of Oxford Study:

Humans 'predisposed' to believe in gods and the afterlife

www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2011/110513.html
www.ox.ac.uk...

Studies by Emily Reed Burdett and Justin Barrett, from the University of Oxford, suggest that children below the age of five find it easier to believe in some superhuman properties than to understand similar human limitations. Children were asked whether their mother would know the contents of a box in which she could not see. Children aged three believed that their mother and God would always know the contents, but by the age of four, children start to understand that their mothers are not all-seeing and all knowing. However, children may continue to believe in all-seeing, all-knowing supernatural agents, such as a god or gods.

Experiments involving adults, conducted by Jing Zhu from Tsinghua University (China), and Natalie Emmons and Jesse Bering from The Queen’s University, Belfast, suggest that people across many different cultures instinctively believe that some part of their mind, soul or spirit lives on after-death. The studies demonstrate that people are natural 'dualists' finding it easy to conceive of the separation of the mind and the body.

You remember being 3 or 4 years old??

ignorant_ape
reply to post by Grimpachi

 

the problem : in my eyes - is that once a person accepts ` god tells me to..... ` as a legitimate reason to act then no atrocity is unthinkable

for biblical evidence - Abraham was alledgedly on the verge of killing his own son simply because he believed ` god told him to ...`

the really scary bit comes when people start to act on what SOMEONE-ELSE says " god told me to ....... "

and people still ask me ` why are religions dangerous `

Hmm, you are looking at the Abraham situation as though God really intended for Moses to follow through with it. Why do you think the sheep was there and the angel was also? It was to prevent the actual sacrifice. But the point of this to Abraham was that he was fully committed to God, not that killing his son was something he wanted to do. We don't sacrifice anything much today, some can't even sacrifice two minutes of their lives.

But it wasn't that God just wanted Abraham to kill his son, if the provisions were made to stop it already in place. Sometimes you need to look at these things from a spiritual point of view instead of modern pop culture morality.

God doesn't tell us to sacrifice our children, He just wants us to willingly obey. But there were people who did sacrifice their children to Molech. That wasn't God, but just a god. So you have to know the difference and God does not want us to do that.

reply to post by Metallicus


I am sorry you didn't understand the query however there is no need to feel bad that I don't attribute my humanity to a deity. I have morals same as the religious maybe even better ones but that isn't what this thread is about. BTW you say you believe in god so I think you qualify as religouse by most standards.

Anyway you may be right about a good many polled attributing morals or their conscious to being commanded by god however that does not seem to corelate with those polled who believe god directly controls man or natural disasters such as hurricanes. The article links to another poll about those who believe in the devil and possession where the numbers in both polls are fairly close to each other.

While I do not think a 1,000 people is enough to accurately depict the country I do know those people exist. Simply read through some of the threads here on ATS and they can be found.

If I was doing the poll I would be more specific however taking into consideration how many chose to not answer I think many were thinking along the same lines as me when reading the questions.

livinglifeseekingtruth2

Kangaruex4Ewe

Grimpachi
The article at YouGov says more on the poll I personally found it interesting even though it was taken from just shy of a 1,000 people. I am hopeful it doesn’t accurately portray the population because if that many people honestly think God has talked to them before I would really be worried.

Maybe I am wrong and it does actually reflect the populace. So it makes me wonder how many here on ATS have received instructions from god. I wish we could create polls on here and see.

I will openly admit that I do. Though I do not "hear" God, as in a voice from the sky. I hear Him as my conscience. If I get too much change back from a store and I could use every penny of it... my conscience tells me that I should give it back. It isn't mine and I would be stealing. That is just one of many examples and I AM IN NO WAY stating that non believers do not have a conscience, I am saying that to me... That is how God speaks. He is like a weather vane when I am going in the wrong direction. He sets me back on course.

I know how people view this kind of thing and it is why I usually hesitate to discuss anything religious on ATS. But you seemed genuine (?) so I figured I would try to explain it from my POV.

Kangaruex4Ewe... I am Agnostic and do the same things you do without hesitation . I have never needed a church or GOD to tell me I was doing something wrong... But I guess I was born with a Moral Compass... not a conscience. A conscience is something that causes you to pause and think about the choice you are about to make in a situation of right or wrong. A reference to the symbol of the "scale "in a way. A point where you have to weigh your options because you would rather do the "bad" thing and keep the money because you need it more that the store. As an Agnostic.. I do the right thing without question or hesitation.

If you need a "God" to help you make that choice... I fully support it and encourage it. I would rather those born without a Moral Compass, to have the ability of turning to a believe that would cause them to pause ....weigh their options and make the right choice instead of the bad ones.

As an agnostic... I support your need to believe. Do not confuse me with an Atheist who would destroy your belief system in an instant. There so many out there like you! that need church and beliefs so they can make the right choice when confronted with the option of right or wrong.

I like how you did that whole back handed compliment thing there. It must be nice to never have a guilty conscience about anything...ever. I don't know anyone who has not experienced guilt.

I will not begrudge you a seat in your ivory tower. I'll just be stuck down here with all of the other mistake makers with no moral compass. Even the non believers I know have had to weigh decisions just like I do. They have all made mistakes just like I do. They have all done something that left them feeling guilty at one point or another just like I have.

Nowhere in my post did I insinuate that those who didn't believe had no moral compass. Matter of fact I went out of my way to state that everyone has a conscience. Not just believers. I guess I was wrong. I also don't buy into "Mans" idea of religion. I haven't stepped foot in an actual church in more than a decade. Not all believers are the type of believers you think you know.

ignorant_ape
reply to post by Grimpachi

 

the problem : in my eyes - is that once a person accepts ` god tells me to..... ` as a legitimate reason to act then no atrocity is unthinkable

for biblical evidence - Abraham was alledgedly on the verge of killing his own son simply because he believed ` god told him to ...`

the really scary bit comes when people start to act on what SOMEONE-ELSE says " god told me to ....... "

and people still ask me ` why are religions dangerous `

You are confusing the ones who took the "Bible and religion" too literally. To the ones who have a need to believe in something to help them make the right choices in life.

"GOD" has never told anyone to do anything! The one's that believe they have been in direct contact with something that does not exist are mentally ill. Plain and simple...

The Bible is nothing more than a book of Fables and nursery rhymes...loosely based on factual occurrences by a bunch of mentally ill people attempting to make sense of life, death and the world they had no idea how to understand....

Or... was it written by those who wanted to control others once they realized the masses of people were asking questions?

reply to post by WarminIndy


your entire appolagetica argument - is neither valid , nor does it address what I wrote :

once a person accepts ` god tells me to..... ` as a legitimate reason to act then no atrocity is unthinkable

for biblical evidence - Abraham was alledgedly on the verge of killing his own son simply because he believed ` god told him to ...`

the aledged "test " is irrelevant

reply to post by livinglifeseekingtruth2


I am not confusing anything - its not about needing an alledged god to make the " right " choice

do people need " god " to tell them to stop at a red traffic light ?

as I said - once you buy into the ` god told me to .... " rote - you will do ANYTHING