Religion Press Release Services
An RSS feed for press releases distributed through Religion Press Release ServicesLinks
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
National Survey Shows 97% Are Having CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD
For Immediate Release: 10/24/06
Contact: Arielle Ford
858 454 3314 af@fordsisters.com
According to a new Beliefnet/Spiritual Cinema Circle survey 97 percent of respondents talk to God. Almost as many, 91 percent, say God talks back in ways that range from the sound of one’s own thought to mystical signs and revelations, from visitations of heavenly angels to visits with friends.
“These percentages are extraordinary,” said Neale Donald Walsch, author of “Conversations With God,” the inspiration for a new movie of the same title. “Not only am I surprised, but I am also inspired . . . we search for what we intuitively know must be true – that we are part of something larger, that we are not alone, that there has got to be something else.”
But for most people, that “something else” is to be found almost everywhere except inside a church, synagogue or mosque. The vast majority of the survey takers said God is more accessible outside a house of worship than within.
God speaks “through miracles that happen to me everyday,” one respondent wrote, “but seem too small to be noticed by anyone else around me. It happens between me and God.”
Another respondent said God sounds like “the voice of truth, a recognition beyond the every day chatter.”
And only a fraction, less than one percent, felt that clergy had “better access” to God than other people.
“That speaks to a couple of issues,” said Mark Galli, a former Presbyterian minister and managing editor of Christianity Today. “The low appreciation for institutional religious life in America and . . . the highly individual nature of faith. In the end, it is a very private exchange.”
The survey asked, “If you could have a conversation with God, what’s the one question you’d most like God to answer?” Of the nearly 10,000 responses, some of the most popular included:
Is there an afterlife?
Is the Bible true?
What is my purpose in life?
When will there be peace on earth?
Why does there have to be so much suffering in the world?
How can I serve you best?
And then some people just wanted to know the winning lottery number for next week’s Powerball.
Ten years ago, in what became a series of late night “conversations with God,” Neale Donald Walsch posed an endless stream of questions about life’s mysteries and uncertainties, and God answered. Walsch filled dozens and dozens of legal pads recording these conversations, and their messages became the basis for a book, CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD and now a major feature film. The film chronicles Walsch’s dramatic journey as a down-and-out man who becomes a spiritual messenger and bestselling author. It opens nationwide on October 27th. www.cwgthemovie.com
The survey was conducted among 9,866 Beliefnet/Spiritual Cinema Circle users over two weeks, from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9th. The respondents were self-selected and were not asked to identify themselves by age, gender or religious preference.
Press Contact: Arielle Ford, The Ford Group, 858-454-3314
af@fordsisters.com
*****
About Religion Press Release Services
Religion Press Release Services distributes press releases, press advisories, photos and other stories on behalf of religious organizations, denominational offices, think tanks, watchdog groups, advocacy groups, coalitions, foundations, colleges, universities, seminaries, publishers and others.
The organizations and/or individuals who submit materials for distribution by Religion Press Release Services are solely responsible for the facts in and accuracy of their materials. Religion Press Release Services will correct any errors brought to its attention.
Contact Us
To distribute press releases through Religion Press Release Services, contact Claudia Sans at csans@religionnews.com or 202-383-7870. For more information check out our PDF brochure.
Religion News Service, 1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 463-8777
Contact: Arielle Ford
858 454 3314 af@fordsisters.com
According to a new Beliefnet/Spiritual Cinema Circle survey 97 percent of respondents talk to God. Almost as many, 91 percent, say God talks back in ways that range from the sound of one’s own thought to mystical signs and revelations, from visitations of heavenly angels to visits with friends.
“These percentages are extraordinary,” said Neale Donald Walsch, author of “Conversations With God,” the inspiration for a new movie of the same title. “Not only am I surprised, but I am also inspired . . . we search for what we intuitively know must be true – that we are part of something larger, that we are not alone, that there has got to be something else.”
But for most people, that “something else” is to be found almost everywhere except inside a church, synagogue or mosque. The vast majority of the survey takers said God is more accessible outside a house of worship than within.
God speaks “through miracles that happen to me everyday,” one respondent wrote, “but seem too small to be noticed by anyone else around me. It happens between me and God.”
Another respondent said God sounds like “the voice of truth, a recognition beyond the every day chatter.”
And only a fraction, less than one percent, felt that clergy had “better access” to God than other people.
“That speaks to a couple of issues,” said Mark Galli, a former Presbyterian minister and managing editor of Christianity Today. “The low appreciation for institutional religious life in America and . . . the highly individual nature of faith. In the end, it is a very private exchange.”
The survey asked, “If you could have a conversation with God, what’s the one question you’d most like God to answer?” Of the nearly 10,000 responses, some of the most popular included:
Is there an afterlife?
Is the Bible true?
What is my purpose in life?
When will there be peace on earth?
Why does there have to be so much suffering in the world?
How can I serve you best?
And then some people just wanted to know the winning lottery number for next week’s Powerball.
Ten years ago, in what became a series of late night “conversations with God,” Neale Donald Walsch posed an endless stream of questions about life’s mysteries and uncertainties, and God answered. Walsch filled dozens and dozens of legal pads recording these conversations, and their messages became the basis for a book, CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD and now a major feature film. The film chronicles Walsch’s dramatic journey as a down-and-out man who becomes a spiritual messenger and bestselling author. It opens nationwide on October 27th. www.cwgthemovie.com
The survey was conducted among 9,866 Beliefnet/Spiritual Cinema Circle users over two weeks, from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9th. The respondents were self-selected and were not asked to identify themselves by age, gender or religious preference.
Press Contact: Arielle Ford, The Ford Group, 858-454-3314
af@fordsisters.com
*****
About Religion Press Release Services
Religion Press Release Services distributes press releases, press advisories, photos and other stories on behalf of religious organizations, denominational offices, think tanks, watchdog groups, advocacy groups, coalitions, foundations, colleges, universities, seminaries, publishers and others.
The organizations and/or individuals who submit materials for distribution by Religion Press Release Services are solely responsible for the facts in and accuracy of their materials. Religion Press Release Services will correct any errors brought to its attention.
Contact Us
To distribute press releases through Religion Press Release Services, contact Claudia Sans at csans@religionnews.com or 202-383-7870. For more information check out our PDF brochure.
Religion News Service, 1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 463-8777
Archives
March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 March 2008 April 2008
About Religion Press Release ServicesReligion Press Release Services distributes press releases, press advisories, photos and other stories on behalf of religious organizations, denominational offices, think tanks, watchdog groups, advocacy groups, coalitions, foundations, colleges, universities, seminaries, publishers and others. The organizations and/or individuals who submit materials for distribution by Religion Press Release Services are solely responsible for the facts in and accuracy of their materials. Religion Press Release Services will correct any errors brought to its attention.
Contact Us
To distribute press releases through Religion Press Release Services, contact Claudia Sans at csans@religionnews.com or 202-383-7870. For more information check out our PDF brochure.
Religion News Service, 1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 463-8777
