The Bible, the Qur'an, the Bhagavad Gita

Catholic?  Lutheran? Evangelical? Buddhist? New Age? Americans are no longer as brand-loyal as they used to be when it comes to church attendance and ideas about the spiritual realm.

Americans religious beliefs and practices simply don’t fit into traditional categories any more, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. The Pew poll has found that many Americans have adopted multiple religious practices, mixing elements of diverse traditions. Many say they attend worship services of more than one faith or denomination, even when they are not travelling or attending a wedding or funeral.

One-third of Americans (35%) say they regularly or occasionally attend religious services at more than one place, and most of these (24% of the public overall) indicate that they sometimes attend religious services of a faith different from their own.

The U.S. is an overwhelmingly Christian country, but large numbers of Americans report embracing Eastern or New Age ideas. Twenty-four percent of the public overall and 22% of Christians say they believe in reincarnation. Twenty-five percent of the general public and 23% of Christians state that they believe in astrology. And nearly 30% of Americans report communicating with a dead person.

Cathy Lynn Grossman has an interesting article on the topic in today’s USA TODAY.