Poll: Belief in supreme being strong across globe
Summarized by Dingilian
Is the world really filled with many people who are monotheistic and have a
belief in a ‘God’, or do they have other views? There are varied beliefs in many
countries about believing in one supreme God and an afterlife, according to the
Ipsos/Reuters poll. 51% of 18,829 people from 23 countries say that there is an
afterlife/divine entity, but 18% don’t believe in a ‘God’ and 17% don’t know.
Indonesia and Brazil have the highest proportion of people with a definitive
belief in a ‘God’, or “supreme being”, while 24% of Indians, 14% of Chinese and
10% of Russians are most likely to be polytheists. But only 28% believe in
creationism, which is the belief that a God created humans, while 41% only
believe in human evolution and 31% who simply don't know which one to believe!
The most believers in creationism, the belief that God created human beings,
are found in South Africa, followed by the United States, Indonesia, South
Korea and Brazil.
But what about after life on Earth? Although half of the people questioned in
this Poll think there is something after death, nearly a quarter of those
believe it will be neither heaven nor hell. Thos in Mexico are the most likely
to accept the idea of an afterlife which is not heaven or hell, followed by the
Russians, Brazilians, Indians, Canadians and Argentines. 2% of those interviewed
believe in the concept of heaven but not hell, and 7% think "you are ultimately
reincarnated." Swedes make up the biggest proportion of people who said they
don't know what happens after death. South Korea and Spain have the highest
percentage of people who think, "You simply cease to exist."
Perhaps what is most striking is that so many people do not know what to believe
in. The Armenian Church has certain beliefs that have been held for many
centuries, and helped Armenian people thrive over the centuries and overcome all
difficulties. Reviewing these beliefs would be most helpful.