Americans See Many Stairways to Heaven: Poll

70% say chance for eternal life isn't unique to their religion
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 23, 2008 3:44 PM CDT
Americans See Many Stairways to Heaven: Poll
A diverse group of ecumenical seminary students gather for prayer service, June 10, 2008.   (AP Photo/Stanley Leary)

Reaching the afterlife is possible through more than one religion, 70% of Americans believe, according to a new poll. Surveying 36,000 people, the study confirms that while 92% of Americans believe in God, the country is growing more secular, the Dallas Morning News reports. Seven in 10 also agreed that there were multiple correct interpretations of their faiths.

That belief held true for every faith and denomination. And while 80% said they believed in an absolute concept of right and wrong, only a third said they relied primarily on religion for that standard. Some of the results were also confusing—roughly 40% of Buddhists and Hindus didn’t believe in reincarnation or Nirvana, and one in five "atheists" said they believed in God. (More religion stories.)

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