Approximately 1 in 3 Americans resort to practices New Age Like the letters of Tarot, Astrology and fortune tellers at least once a year, according to a recent study, although most say it is “only for fun.”
A study published by Pew Research Wednesday found that 30% of Americans consult at least one of these practices New Age At least once a year. Astrology was the most popular (28%), followed by tarot letters (11%) and fortune tellers (6%).
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The majority of Americans who participate in these practices say they do it for fun, not in search of guidance or knowledge. But the apologist Catholic Answers, Tom NashHe said to CNA – an English assignment of Ewtn News – that these activities are “spiritually dangerous.”
“The tarot letters, the Ouija, the spiritualist sessions and other similar activities are any dangerous way of divination,” Nash said.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church rejects explicitly “all forms of guessing“, Saying that” they are in contradiction with honor and respect, mixed with love fear, that we owe only to God “(No. 2116).
Participating in divination means “that we will probably be dragged more deeply into a life of vice and related problems,” Nash added.
Both religious and non -religious Americans have the same probability of believing in astrology, according to Pew.
The most likely American adults to say that they believe that consulting a fortune teller, tarot letters or astrology provides knowledge are Hispanic Catholics, black Protestants and adults whose religion is “none in particular.” In contrast, white atheists and evangelicals are the most likely to say that they never participate in these practices.
When comparing with the latest PEW survey in 2017, the percentage of people participating in practices New Age It remains stable. The percentage of adults who claim to believe in astrology is similar to that registered in 2017 (from approximately 29% in 2017 to 27% in 2024). The Gallup surveys From the 1990s to the early 2000s they ranged between 23% and 28%.
It should be noted that young adults – especially young women – are more likely to believe in astrology and consult horoscopes, according to the study. Of women aged 18 to 49, 43% say they believe in astrology.
In addition, Americans who identify as LGBT are also more likely to participate in practices New Age. Approximately half of the LGBT Americans consult astrology at least once a year, and LGBT adults have three times more likely than not LGBT adults to consult the tarot letters.
Nash related the tendency to resort to practices New Age with the increase in the American culture of people who explicitly move away from organized religion.
Nash said that, despite their abandonment of organized religion, many people continue to “yearn for greater meaning and understanding.”
“And yet, human beings are still human-some of God’s image and likeness as compounds of body and soul,” he said, referring to Genesis 1.26-27.
Nash added that in “our own being, we realize that there is more in life than only our temporal and material world.”
Without Christ to fill that spiritual “emptiness”, Nash reflected, “we will tend to look for other outputs.”
“Thus, in the absence of true religion, whose fullness is only found in Our Lord Jesus Christ and his Catholic Church, we will tend to look for alternatives,” said Nash.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.
Kate Quiñones
Kate Quiñones is a Catholic News Agency and Member of College Fix. It has publications on the Wall Street Journal, the Denver Catholic Register and Catholicvote. He graduated from Hillsdale College. Live in Colorado with her husband.