Satan's greatest accomplishment, so they say, has been to convince us that he does not exist. I'm curious to know just what people do believe about Satan and Hell. Thank you for taking the time to answer the questions on this survey! This is not a scientific poll. I am taking no personally identifying information in this survey (believe me, I don't have the technology!), just want to know what folks' opinions are. Hopefully, you'll find it interesting to think about the questions and see what other people have answered at the end.
Unfortunately, I don't have the technology to update the results automatically. If you are curious, after you've completed the survey click here to see the results I've gathered so far.
Do you believe in God?
(For the purposes of this survey, God is defined as the supreme being, perfect in power, wisdom and goodness, who is worshiped as creator and ruler of the universe.) |
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Do you believe in Satan or the Devil?
(For the purposes of this survey, Satan or the Devil is defined as the adversary of God and the lord of evil.) |
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Do you believe in Evil as a cosmic force or principle in opposition to a cosmic force or principle of Good?
(For the purposes of this survey, evil as a cosmic force is considered different from the mere fact of suffering, misfortune, or wrongdoing. If you believe in Evil as a cosmic force, you believe that bad things do not just happen, they happen because there is some malevolent spiritual force, energy or will behind it.) |
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Do you believe in Hell?
(For the purposes of this survey, Hell is defined as a nether realm in which the damned suffer everlasting punishment.) |
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| Do you believe you will go to Hell after you die? |
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| My beliefs about God are: |
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| My beliefs about Satan/the Devil are: |
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| My beliefs about Evil are: |
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| My beliefs about Hell are: |
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If you wish, please share here any comments you may have about Satan, Hell, or Evil.
(If you think this survey is too "black and white," this is your chance to offer your more nuanced views on the nature of evil. I will post the more interesting comments with the "results," unless you ask me not to post yours.) |
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More Definitions
Middle East. Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Central Asia. Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
South Asia. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
East Asia.
Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
About religious affiliation: 33% of the world's population identify as Christian (including Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Pentecostal, Anglican, Monophysite, Latter-day Saints, Evangelical, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Quakers, Assemblies of God, etc.), 21% as Muslim, 16% as "nonreligious," 14% as Hindu, 6% as members of "indigenous" religions, 6% as Chinese Traditional, 6% as Buddhist, and less than half a percent as Sikh or Jewish.
You may have been raised in a particular religious tradition, but may no longer share any of its significant beliefs. If that is the case, indicate "Not religious." On the other hand, you may belong to a particular faith and agree with some of its significant beliefs and disagree with others. Or you may view some of its beliefs as more central, and may reject other beliefs that you see as more peripheral. Or you may hold to its formal teachings, but reject the informal beliefs, social teachings or attitudes of many of its members. (For instance, an Evangelical Christian might embrace gay rights because of her belief in social equality.) Please indicate which religious tradition you most closely identify with. (See www.adherents.com.)
Evangelical Christian, Mainline Protestant or Liberal Protestant? Nowadays, how we situate ourselves in relation to divisions within denominations seems to say more about what we believe than the divisions between denominations. For instance, conservative Lutherans probably have more in common with conservative Presbyterians, Methodists and Episcopalians than they do with liberal Lutherans. Answer Liberal Protestant if you put stock in "higher criticism" of the Bible or if you are open to questioning "traditional" doctrines about the Trinity, the Atonement, the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection, etc. Answer Evangelical Christian if you are Protestant and you put tend to put strong emphasis on salvation by faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, and you emphasize the authority of scripture and the preaching of the word. Answer Mainline Protestant if you hold to the traditional creeds, teachings and practices of historic Protestant denominations. (Some denominations in the United States, such as the Episcopal Church, the UCC, Unitarians, and Quakers tend to be more "liberal." Some denominations, like Presbyterians, Methodists, and Lutherans, tend to have sizeable "liberal" and "evangelical" contingents, but the majority tend to be mainline. Some denominations, like Southern Baptists -- the largest Protestant denomination in America -- are strongly "evangelical".)
Fundamentalist Christian. You are a fundamentalist if you view the Bible as "inerrant," and you tend to emphasize literal interpretation of the Bible. Again, there are folks with fundamentalist views in many Protestant denominations, but especially in Pentecostal Churches, Free Churches, Evangelical Churches, and Baptist Churches.
Not religious. Select this if you consider yourself a secular humanist, a freethinker, an atheist, an agnostic, or if you consider yourself to be "spiritual," but your beliefs don't seem to fit in the framework of any organized religion. This is also a good answer if you are a nominal member of an organized religious community, but you reject most of that community's beliefs, or do not feel that nominal membership in that community has much effect on how you think. 16% of the world's population identifies as "nonreligious."
Other. If none of the above religious affiliations fits for you, select this and enter your religious affiliation in the blank.
