80 percent of Americans believe in miracles and in the higher power

Washington, June 24 : Most Americans believe there is a higher power guiding them in the world, and nearly 80 percent think miracles occur.

According to a Pew Forum poll that focussed on the religious beliefs of Americans', 92 percent believe in God or a universal spirit -- including one in five of those who call themselves atheists.

It also found over half of Americans praying at least once a day.

According to the Washington Post, which published the study, Americans aren't rigid about their beliefs. It found that seventy percent of those affiliated with a religion believe that many religions can lead to eternal salvation. And only about one-quarter of those surveyed believe there is only one way to interpret their religion's teachings.

"Even though Americans tend to take religion quite seriously and are a highly religious people, there is a certain degree of openness and a lack of dogmatism in their approach to faith and the teachings of their faith," said Gregory Smith, a research fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and AMP; Public Life.

A belief in God or a higher spirit is pervasive. Even Americans who describe themselves as atheist or agnostic have a robust sense of a higher power: Twenty-one percent of those who describe themselves as atheists expressed a belief in God or a universal spirit, and more than half of those who call themselves agnostic expressed a similar conviction.

This is the second report from the think tank, based on one of the largest polls of Americans' religious beliefs ever conducted, with 36,000 adults interviewed.

The first report, released in February, took a broad look at religion in America. This report delves into the faith and politics of religious and nonreligious Americans.

ANI