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February 29, 2008
In Pastor's Words
What Do We Know
For Sure
About the Hereafter?
A telephone poll of 1,018 American adults, conducted by Time/CNN and Yankelovich Partners, Inc., asked these questions:
1. Do you believe in the existence of heaven, where people live forever with God after they die?
Yes: 81%
No: 13%
2. Do you believe in hell, where people are punished forever after they die?
Yes: 63%
No: 30%
3. Do people get into heaven based mostly on the good things they do or on their faith in God, or both (asked of 809 who believed in heaven).
Good things they do: 6%
Faith in God: 34%
Both: 57%
4. Immediately after death, which of the following do you think will happen to you? (asked of 809 who believed in heaven).
Go directly to heaven: 61%
Go to purgatory: 15%
Go to hell: 1%
Be reincarnated: 5%
End of existence: 4%
5. Which of the following do you believe are in heaven? (asked of 809 who believed in heaven).
Angels: 93%
St. Peter: 79%
Harps: 43%
Halos: 36%
6. Does only a person’s soul live in heaven, or does a person have both a soul and a body? (asked of 809 who believed in heaven)
Only a soul: 66%
Body and soul: 26%
7. Do you believe you will meet friends and family members in heaven when you die? (asked of 809 who believed in heaven)
Yes: 88%
No: 5%
It is apparent from this polling data that there is not a small measure of confusion
regarding the hereafter among average Americans who, while they say they are Christians, are unsure of what the Bible teaches about it. Please join us Sunday as we examine what the Bible teaches concerning the hereafter.
Pastor Ralph Partelow
Posted by Jennifer Herrmann at February 29, 2008 11:37 AM