Survey: Satan and Holy Spirit Only “Symbols”
In a shocking new survey, The Barna Group has uncovered that a surprising majority of U.S. Christians do not believe that Satan is real or that the Holy Spirit is a living force.
Barna surveyed nearly 1,900 self-described Christians about a variety of topics concerning God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Satan and demons.
The survey found that 59 percent strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” Only 35 percent strongly disagreed or somewhat disagreed with that statement, with the remainder having no opinion.
“Satan is a masterful deceiver and deception is one of his greatest tools to manipulate,” states Zollie Smith Jr., executive director of AG U.S. Missions. “If he can convey that he is not real – that he is just a myth – it releases him to operate incognito, under the radar, undetected. Since we know that he is real and does exist and his mission is to steal, kill and destroy, it is incumbent on the church to expose him at every opportunity.”
Most Christians (58 percent) also do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force, strongly agreeing or somewhat agreeing with the statement that the Holy Spirit is “a symbol of God’s power or presence but is not a living entity.” Just 34 percent strongly disagreed or somewhat disagreed with that statement, while nine percent were unsure.
“There’s obviously a difference between a self-described Christian and a biblically defined Christian,” AG General Treasurer Doug Clay says. “If one, according to Scripture, is truly a born again Christian, then they validate the person of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit plays a critical role in a salvation experience – He convicts the world of sin and righteousness [John 16:8].”
However, the survey found most Christians (64 percent) believe that a person can be under the influences of spiritual forces, such as demons or evil spirits and more than three-quarters (78 percent) described God as the “all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe who rules the world today.”
In the study, inconsistencies among the responders were also noted.
For example, nearly half (47 percent) of the Christians who believe Satan is only a symbol of evil also believed that a person could be under the influence of spiritual forces such as demons. About the same percent (49 percent) who said the Holy Spirit was only a symbol also said the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches – and the Bible clearly describes the Holy Spirit as more than symbolic.
AG General Superintendent George Wood states: “The majority of ‘Christians’ who do not believe the Holy Spirit is a living force shows that there is a great need for a rediscovery in Christendom of what the early Church experienced – the baptism in the Spirit with all the evidences that follow – including speaking in other tongues, empowerment in witness and a lifestyle that advertises Jesus.”
Barna also found a significant difference on many issues between born again and those considered “notional” Christians. Born again Christians were twice as likely to say the Bible was accurate in all the principles it teaches, to strongly disagree that Satan is just a symbol, and that a person can be under the influence of spiritual forces such as demons. They were also three times more likely to strongly disagree that the Holy Spirit is merely a symbol of God’s power and presence.
“The survey,” Wood adds, “should prompt us to greater prayer that a Third Great Awakening will come to our country and sweep millions into the kingdom of God.”
(Source: Assemblies of God News)
