Many Americans Believe in Astrology…

…and ghosts, and reincarnation, among other things. A new Pew religious poll, from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, has found that the American perception of religion is changing.  The findings of the poll include a surprising number of individuals who feel that they’ve been spiritually touched by a ghost (some three in ten) or feel that they’ve seen a ghost (18%).

What really surprised me was that the number of Americans professing to believe in astrology was roughly the same number that identified themselves as Roman Catholic. That’s a big number. And even more surprising, of those Roman Catholics, 30% believe in astrology.

Having been raised as Roman Catholic, I was taught at an early age that many things were the work of the Devil, among them playing cards, Ouija boards, and astrology. As I aged I began to integrate aspects of other religions and belief systems into my spirituality, and I can’t say that I ever had anything but a belief and respect (not to mention a natural curiosity about) astrology. I know that many people are turning toward predictive systems like astrology during these difficult economic times, but I think it goes beyond that: I think that our perceptions of religion and spirituality, and to some extent even science, are changing.

And I think that’s a wonderful thing.