Americans believe in Reincaration and Astrology

DALLAS (Reuters Life!) - Although most Americans are Christian and many are devout it hasn't stopped some members of the flock from believing in astrology, reincarnation or the ability of trees to trap spiritual energy.
A poll by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life shows a surprising number of U.S. adults claim to have had supernatural experiences such as ghost sightings or hold beliefs associated with the New Age movement or Eastern religions.
And some of them claim allegiance to more traditional faiths such as Catholicism or evangelical Protestantism.
"American religious folks hold a variety of views and there is overlap among their beliefs and practices. Many do not fit into simple boxes," said Pew researcher Alan Cooperman.
The poll released on Wednesday showed that three-in-ten Americans say they have felt in touch with a dead person and 18 percent say they have seen or been in the presence of a ghost.
Other Pew surveys have shown that relatively few Americans would identify an Eastern religion or New Age spirituality as their core faith. But about a quarter of those surveyed say they believe in aspects of Eastern religions.
Nearly 25 percent said they believed in reincarnation and 23 percent said yoga was a spiritual practice. Twenty six percent said they believed "spiritual energy" could be found in objects such as trees.
A quarter said they believed in astrology, while 16 percent of U.S. adults think that an "evil eye" exists or that some people can cast curses or spells on others. Among black Protestants the evil eye figure is 32 percent.
The number of Americans who profess a belief in astrology is about the same as the number who claim to be Roman Catholic. Nearly 30 percent of Catholics surveyed said they believed in astrology. Among Catholics who attended church each week the figure was 16 percent.
Much of this would be jarring to -- among others -- many evangelical Protestants, who account for one in four adult Americans and take their Bible very seriously.
Still, 13 percent of white evangelicals profess a belief in astrology and about 10 percent accepted the possibility of reincarnation. Although the percentages are lower than in other groups, they are high enough to curl the hair of a Southern Baptist preacher.
Researchers said they were careful to stress that reincarnation meant being reborn again and again in this world and did not refer to, say, the resurrection of Christ.
Evangelicals, who place a heavy emphasis on spiritual conversions, are much more likely than most Americans to have had "a religious or mystical experience -- that is, a moment of religious or spiritual awakening," according to the poll.
About half of Americans claim to have had such an experience but among white evangelicals the number is 70 percent and for black Protestants it is 71 percent.
The nationwide survey of around 4,000 adults was conducted in August. Interviews were done in English and Spanish.

Vastu Shastra Feng Shui

Vastu Shastra, in simple language, is a Science of house building. In ancient times, Vedic civilization used to plan a lot before moving out to a new house or new constructions. They used to take into account various religious aspects and calculate their moves accordingly. Let me make it clear that architecture and Vastu Science are two different things. Vastu is not only house-craft but also a religious ritual.
An architect’s job is to build a house with all modern amenities but he is not in a position to guarantee a happy life to the people living in that house, whereas Vastu Science confirms and gives a guarantee for this. Architecture has been considered a worldly act among all the human civilizations of this world, while architecture in Nepal is a religious activity.
It will be difficult to understand Vastu unless we understand the religious beliefs behind it. Believers of Vastu assert that planning and constructing a house without Vastu is nothing but a concrete structure and the value of the house becomes zero.
Some people with modern outlook do not believe in Vastu and think it a waste of money and efforts. They would rather build a house and for namesake, would some puja. For this category of people, Vastu as s concept has not been popularised, it will take some time before the concept becomes a household name.
In reality, Vastu Shastra is a priceless gift to mankind. Countries like Germany, China, Japan, India, and America are some of the nations which took full benefits of our ancient, priceless science.
In the modern age, Vastu Shastra has gained a position of pre-eminence in recent years. Every Publication worth its name- from national dailies, news magazines and television, radio has Vastu experts on the panel to aid and advice readers, viewers, and listeners on how best to construct new residences and their places of work as well as remodel the existing structures on vastu guidelines. But authoritive treatise on this ancient Science of Architecture are just not available, if available they are beyond the reach of the common people.
Hence this work to provide information and guideline in simple and lucid language to the general public.Dr.S.Suneel’s Vastu Sense seeks to provide all that you have wanted to know about Vastu in this small effort. It explains the meaning of the vastu science and importance as well as provides practical guidelines for site evaluation and laying foundations for house, the various ceremonies to be performed, the importance of directions as per the ancient rules, etc. in addition to putting forth the relationship between the Vedic Vastu Shastra and the Chinese Feng Shui.