Paranormal America

I was searching for a person name Briggs, and came across an interesting article by a David Briggs in the Huffington Post. (Not the same person. Never did find the other Briggs.)

Here’s the gist of the article addresses this question:

Is the paranormal becoming the normal?

The answer, according to three researchers, is yes, at least in the U.S.. More than two-thirds of Americans have paranormal beliefs, according to sociologists Christopher Bader and F. Carson Mencken of Baylor University and Joseph Baker of East Tennessee State University. They report their findings in a recent book, Paranormal America. .

These spiritual seekers are accepting practices and experiences that are not recognized by science and not associated with mainstream religion, say the researchers. However, not everyone is a believer. Interestingly, the more deeply religious you are, the less likely you’ll be curious about UFOs, psychics or Bigfoot. Meanwhile, those with no religious or spiritual beliefs are  likely to be dismissive as well as disinterested.

Statistically, those who report a paranormal belief are not the oddballs anymore. The average American holds slightly more than two paranormal beliefs, report Bader, Mencken and Baker. “What we can say with certainty is that we live in a paranormal America.”

The 2005 Baylor Religion Survey found that women are twice as likely as men to believe in astrology, that people can communicate with the dead (a big reason Medium lasted for seven TV seasons) and that at least some psychics can foresee the future. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to believe in UFOs and Bigfoot.

“Women tend to want to improve themselves, to become better people,” said Bader, who is also a director of the Association for Religion Data Archives. “Men tend to want to go out and capture something, to prove it’s real.” Gatherers and hunters!

Here are some more of their sociological findings:

• Belief in Bigfoot, ghosts, psychic abilities and other paranormal phenomena declines noticeably with increases in age and income.
  • Unmarried and cohabiting individuals are far more likely to embrace the paranormal. Asked whether they have had any of five paranormal experiences from witnessing a UFO to contacting spirits, the typical unmarried respondent claimed close to two experience, while the average married respondent had no paranormal experiences.
  • Republicans are “significantly less interested” in the paranormal than Democrats or independents.

Overall, the researchers said, conventional lifestyles and stakes in conformity are strong predictors of paranormal beliefs, with highly unconventional people the most likely to turn to otherworldly possibilities beyond the realm of traditional religion.

Going out on their own limb, the researchers predict that by 2050 nearly three-quarters of Americans will report at least one paranormal belief.

You can find more on the book in the Huffington Post article here.

What seems apparent, though I’m not sure the researchers say so, is that more people are looking for direct spiritual experiences, not just the word of religious leaders. The sheep are starting to stampede!