More people seek out mix of religions

Claude Tate grew up Baptist. A move to Atlanta changed his mind.

"I started questioning the things I believed," Mr. Tate said. He had already tried Methodist churches and Apostolic churches and had gone back to Baptist churches before deciding none was for him.

His spirituality now includes meditation, music and a Zen rock garden. The Augusta native attends Unitarian Universalist Church of Augusta, where he is studying pan-indigenous religions.

Americans are mixing Eastern practices, among other things, into their religion, according to a recent poll from the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life.

The survey found that the religious beliefs and practices of Americans no longer fit into conventional categories.

Though Americans overwhelmingly identify themselves as Christian, the poll says, they are customizing their beliefs by combining the traditions of various faiths and spiritual paths. A "sizeable minority" blends Eastern beliefs such as reincarnation or New Age ideas such as astrology in with traditional Christianity.

Sixty percent of adults say they have experienced supernatural phenomena such as communicating with the dead. With the exception of white evangelicals, supernatural beliefs are consistent across all religious groups in the United States, although older people expressed less acceptance of these beliefs than younger people.

Not just beliefs are shifting. Worship habits are, too, according to the Pew study, which found that nearly a quarter of Americans participate in services outside their faith.

Three in 10 Protestants say they attend services outside their denomination, not including times they're traveling or participating in special events. The same is true for one in five Catholics.

"I encourage people to go to the mosque or a temple," said the Rev. Sheryl Padgett, the pastor of Christ Church Unity on Central Avenue in Augusta. "In Unity, we believe all religions are a path to God."

The denomination's founder, Charles Fillmore, studied both Christianity and Buddhism, and services at Christ Church include meditation.

Some groups at Unitarian Universalist Church practice meditation, but there are also communities formed around Christians, Free Thinkers, pagans and Buddhists, said the Rev. Margaret Beard, the pastor of the church off Walton Way Extension.

"Clearly, our kind of church really supports finding a spiritual path from a variety of traditions," she said. "Denominational lines are becoming blurred. People are not as denominationally loyal. Many people are finding that it's the congregation that hooks them. It's about the community they find."

In all, more Americans say they have had religious or mystical experiences.

A 1962 Gallup poll found that 22 percent of Americans had such an experience. Now, nearly half -- 49 percent -- say they've had a "moment of sudden religious insight or awakening."

The findings don't surprise the Rev. Bill Hilley, the pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Evans.

"It's indicative of where we're at culturally, having departed from a wholehearted belief in the Bible as the authority on spiritual matters," he said.

He has talked with members of the congregation who are curious about other religions and practices. Curiosity, he said, is a good thing. After all, "Your Christian faith doesn't require you to check your brain at the door."

The problem comes when Christians start to blend faiths, the Rev. Hilley said.

"I don't believe there's a credible way to mix Christianity with other religions," he said. "That's not Christianity."

Reach Kelly Jasper at (706) 823-3552 or kelly.jasper@augustachronicle.com.