| Polling the Public on What Happens When We Die | | | | Their survey of 2,201 people determined that: 84% |
| You may commonly hear that the only two sure things | | | | believe in the survival of the soul after death including |
| are death and taxes. I think it is only death - as there | | | | 89% of women and 78% of men, 86% of those |
| are places on this earth where people don't pay | | | | without a college degree and 78% of those with |
| taxes...or is it that there are simply people who don't | | | | postgraduate degrees. |
| pay taxes? Anyway, there are ways around just | | | | 27% believe in reincarnation, that they were once |
| about everything...except death! | | | | another person. This includes 40% of people aged 25 |
| As past life regression is a fundamental aspect of | | | | to 29 but only 14% of people aged 65 and over. |
| Awareness Engineering(TM), I was curious about how | | | | Most of the 84% of the public who believe in the |
| popular the idea was in the general public. I decided to | | | | survival of the soul after death are optimists. Almost |
| do research on the number of people who believe in | | | | two-thirds (63%), including 75% of Christians, expect to |
| reincarnation and survival after death. As I was | | | | go to heaven. Only 1% expect to go to hell. Six |
| perusing this topic on the web, I discovered a 2003 | | | | percent expect to go to purgatory while 11% expect to |
| Harris Poll concerning this very subject. I'll tell you the | | | | go somewhere else and 18% don't know. |
| results in just a few moments. | | | | So let's return to our discussion about the "one sure |
| First, I noticed that the sampling was focused on the | | | | thing" - death, and our understanding of that eventuality. |
| western world, in that 75% of the people polled | | | | When I was growing up in mid-west America, it |
| claimed to be Christians. This indicated to me that this | | | | became clear that it was a subject that just wasn't |
| is a poll about the beliefs of say, Americans. That is | | | | talked about in polite company - as though there was |
| fine, and valid, and interesting - but unfortunately, it is | | | | some kind of shame in dying. |
| not a global sampling. | | | | I don't think that was what my parents wanted to |
| I then became curious about possible results if the | | | | teach me, but it was how I was interpreting the signals. |
| same poll was taken in China, India, or Africa. This lead | | | | Don't talk about it, avoid it, it's a sad subject, move on. |
| me to yet another line of curiosity...and some more | | | | Do you find it curious that the one thing that we are |
| research. Wouldn't it would be interesting to see the | | | | guaranteed to experience - death - is the very activity |
| same Harris Poll taken in communities where religious | | | | that we spend the least amount of time preparing for? |
| preferences were more evenly distributed among the | | | | Perhaps it was the "taboo" of death that ignited my |
| available choices? | | | | quest for knowledge on this topic. I have subsequently |
| Further research lead me to seek more information | | | | spent a good deal of the past 20 years participating in |
| about how religions were being categorized, and that | | | | past life regressions and life between life experiences |
| brought me to a definition of "pagan" that stated it is | | | | to gather a broader perspective of this subject. |
| any religion that is not Christian, Jew, or Muslim. And | | | | Because knowledge of death is so elusive, it gives rise |
| the same Webster's dictionary claims pagan is | | | | to just believing in what feels right or turning that |
| synonymous with heathen, which they go on to | | | | decision over to someone else. Since we know that |
| describe as nonreligious, uncultured and uncivilized. | | | | our brains filter information through a series of cultural, |
| Can we then surmise from this that the contributors | | | | ethnic, emotional, early childhood, religious, fear vs. |
| for Webster's dictionary are placing Buddhists and | | | | desire pathways that may or may not give rise to the |
| Hindus into the category of pagan, heathen, | | | | truth, how can we really find out - and will our findings |
| nonreligious, uncultured and uncivilized? With this use of | | | | be accurate? |
| semantics, is there any wonder we have prejudice in | | | | A serious consideration of the subject may be |
| the world? Just as our art and music reflect and | | | | enhanced by exploring various methods of trying to |
| predict the course of a culture, it is important to be | | | | recall previous times that you have experienced the |
| aware that the way we define and use words can | | | | transition called death and speaking openly with others |
| strongly influence the way we view the world. | | | | who are on the same quest. |
| Are you curious about the results of the Harris Poll? | | | | |