From Primary Sources in the January/February issue of The Atlantic
Americans mix belief in spiritualism and reincarnation with traditional Christian teachings about the afterlife, according to a new survey from the Barna Research Group. The survey finds that nearly 20 percent of Americans (including 10 percent of “born-again Christians”) believe that people are reincarnated after death, and 34 percent think that it’s possible to communicate, Crossing Over-style, with the recently departed. But doctrines of a more traditional nature still have widespread appeal: 76 percent of those polled stated that heaven exists, and nearly as many (71 percent) expressed a belief in hell. Hell isn’t necessarily perceived as teeming with fire and brimstone—in fact, only 32 percent of adults called it “an actual place of torment and suffering,” whereas 40 percent called it “a state of eternal separation from God’s presence.” Either way, though, if Americans are right, the Inferno’s population growth will be slow: 64 percent confidently predict that they themselves will find their way to paradise, whereas only .005 percent expect that they will be sent to hell.
“Americans Describe Their Views About Life After Death,” Barna Research Group