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A common idea among skeptics is that the
general public is arrayed against them. Most of us think that people
generally believe the paranormal side of things, because most people are
seemingly incapable of critical thinking. Fortunately, Gallup comes along
and give us a clearer idea of what's really going on:
| this info is (c) 2001 The
Gallup Organization |
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2001 May 10-14
(sorted by "believe")
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Believe
|
Not sure
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Don’t believe
|
|
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%
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%
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%
|
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Psychic or spiritual healing or the power of the human mind to
heal the body
|
54
|
19
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26
|
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ESP or extrasensory perception
|
50
|
20
|
27
|
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That houses can be haunted
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42
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16
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41
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That people on this earth are sometimes possessed by the devil
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41
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16
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41
|
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Ghosts or that spirits of dead people can come back in certain
places and situations
|
38
|
17
|
44
|
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Telepathy, or communication between minds without using the
traditional five senses
|
36
|
26
|
35
|
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That extraterrestrial beings have visited earth at some time in
the past
|
33
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27
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38
|
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Clairvoyance, or the power of the mind to know the past and
predict the future
|
32
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23
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45
|
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That people can hear from or communicate mentally with someone who
has died
|
28
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26
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46
|
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Astrology, or that the position of the stars and planets can
affect people's lives
|
28
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18
|
52
|
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Witches
|
26
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15
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59
|
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Reincarnation, that is, the rebirth of the soul in a new body
after death
|
25
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20
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54
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Channeling, or allowing a "spirit-being" to temporarily
assume control of a human body during a trance
|
15
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21
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62
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It looks bad, at first glance. These
numbers speak volumes, and the paranormalites are using the volumes to enhance
their egos...public perception seems to fall in their favor.
But that ain't the whole story.
Look closely. While 42% of the people
polled (and we all know how uncomfortable that is) believe that houses can be
haunted, 41% don't believe it. Our favorite is this one: That
exraterrestrial beings have visited earth at some point in the past: 33%
believe, 38% don't. Hey UFOnuts:
Put that in your collective pipes and smoke it! Same
goes for those of you who think that most people believe in witches,
reincarnation, ghosts, John Edward, astrology and spirit channeling. Something
just occurred to me: maybe we're actually doing some good with this page.
Yeah, and maybe I'm a Chinese jet pilot.
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