Religion in America

Americans are a little nutty about religion. From the latest Pew survey:

Though the U.S. is an overwhelmingly Christian country, significant minorities profess belief in a variety of Eastern or New Age beliefs. For instance, 24% of the public overall and 22% of Christians say they believe in reincarnation -- that people will be reborn in this world again and again. And similar numbers (25% of the public overall, 23% of Christians) believe in astrology. Nearly three-in-ten Americans say they have felt in touch with someone who has already died, almost one-in-five say they have seen or been in the presence of ghosts, and 15% have consulted a fortuneteller or a psychic.

Not to mention that 16% believe in the use of the evil eye to cast curses and 26% believe that there is spiritual energy in crystals, trees, or other objects. The number of people saying they have been in the presence of a ghost is up from 9% in the 1990s to 18% in the latest poll, and I have to wonder if that has something to do with all those ghost hunting shows on tv.