Last month on Kveller was “God month,” in which we featured all different voices exploring how to talk to kids about God. One thing we learned was that the hardest part of talking to kids about God is often figuring out what you yourself believe. So, we posed a simple question to you, our readers: Do you believe in God?
The results are in, and they’re a little bit surprising.
In our (admittedly unscientific) poll of Kveller readers, 60.7% say they believe in God. 18.6% say they do not believe in God, and 20.7% claim “it’s complicated.” The poll included responses from readers in the United States, Canada, and Israel, all the way to Oman, Czech Republic, and South Africa.
Breaking it down even further by state, it’s interesting to note that only 39.7% of readers in New York voted “Yes,” whereas 35.2% voted “It’s complicated.” Compare that to California, where 55.9% voted “Yes” and 22% voted “No” or “It’s Complicated,” and it seems like there’s some East coast/West coast disparities.
Beyond numbers, though, we were most interesting in the comments that readers left on survey post, and wanted to share some with you.
Rick shared an incredible story of climbing Masada in Israel at age 59 (which is no easy feat for even younger, athletic types):
Then it started one foot placed on each step, it did not look so hard, one step at a time, one step. Just one step. I got halfway up and Randy came down to help. Are you OK? He asked. Yes I can make it, I said to myself, one step, and Randy is here. Finally after an eternity, Randy said it was only 30 minutes, I got to the top. In front of me I looked, God’s wonders’ beauty, the rising sun, and behind me was the moon. The two eyes of God were looking at me on his mountain. One step at a time and I got to see this beauty.
Suzi writes:
It is not fear of being damned, or even being punished, but the joy, and all the emotions which ensue, when I view a baby, holding someone’s finger, or looking with wonder, at anything.
And Leah came in with a pretty decent point:
I’d rather live my life as if there is a G-d and die to find out there isn’t, than to live my life as if there isn’t and die to find out there is.
Thanks to all who took our poll and shared their beliefs with us. God month may be over, but these are the kinds of questions we know we’ll come back to again and again.
To read all of the post in this series, click here.
