Saturday, July 19, 2008

Below is an excerpt from "On Faith," an Internet feature sponsored by The Washington Post and Newsweek. Each week, more than 50 figures from the world of faith engage in a conversation about an aspect of religion. This week's question: Polls routinely show that 75 percent of Americans hold some form of belief in the paranormal, such as astrology, telepathy and ghosts. All religions contain beliefs in the supernatural. Is there a link? What's the difference?

What makes the paranormal possible is one's ability and desire to believe in it. It's the same way, I believe, that miracles happen; if one believes a miracle will happen, it's more likely to happen than if one stays in a cauldron of cynicism. . . .

If we believe in ghosts or astrology or any "paranormal" presence, we set ourselves up to have an experience which will justify and validate our beliefs. In that way, believing in the paranormal is not much different from religious belief. Have the hands of the Christ really bled, from time to time, as people have reported, or did the people see what they believed they could see?

-- Susan K. Smith, senior pastor of Advent United Church of Christ, Columbus, Ohio

To read the complete essay and see more "On Faith" commentary, hosted by Jon Meacham and Sally Quinn, go to newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith.