Article Analysis Essay on Paranormal America

Introduction

For an extended period in American society, paranormal occurrences have been a debatable subject with the various philosophical school of thoughts. Similarly, religion falls in the same category; nevertheless, it enjoys widespread acceptance in society as opposed to paranormal beliefs. Notably, the two supernatural realms have conflicted with religious beliefs, such as angels, supernatural evil, and speaking in tongues, being perceived as a mode of conformity while paranormal beliefs, such as UFOs, and psychic powers, are often viewed as deviance. Given that the two realms exist at each other's extreme with belief in active Satan, supernatural evil, and speaking in tongues being associated with religion and economic status, guardian angels may be a bridging factor between religion and paranormal beliefs.

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Summary

Firstly, according to Christopher, Carson & Joseph (2017), Americans mainly differ on supernatural evil and its impacts in the world. The authors claim that more than half of the population believe that there exists an opposite supernatural power to that of God, while others believe that Satan and has a demonic force, which he utilizes to cause evil. From the above case, researches carried out by the authors revealed that Americans differ on perceptions concerning satanic power. A third of the citizens do not believe that the devil has a demonic army, which he will unleash in the world during Armageddon, while a fifth believe in hell and a demonic force that Satan will marshal towards the world during the apocalypse (Christopher, Carson, & Joseph, 2017). The authors attribute the differences to varying religious beliefs. They claim that individuals who perceive the bible literary have a strong faith in supernatural evil as opposed to those with no religious affiliations or those who take the guide as a work of literature.

Additionally, low social status increases people's belief in supernatural evil. For example, Christianity offers comfort to the poor by reminding them that Satan, who controls the world, causes their misery and suffering; therefore, they will defeat him during the reckoning, and their pain will be rewarded. The authors showed that increasing income and education minimizes belief in supernatural evil (Christopher, Carson, & Joseph, 2017). Notably, this argument differs from other religious authors who believe that the devil was chased from heaven, and is responsible for tormenting people, and will be defeated by God and burn with sinners in hell.

Secondly, the authors proposed that strong beliefs in satanic powers are the primary cause of demonic panics and scares in the world (Christopher, Carson, & Joseph, 2017). For example, they cite the Salem witch panic that foresaw Salem's puritans murder twenty-nine individuals whom they claimed to have influenced catastrophes in the community. Notably, the argument reveals that when individuals face challenges, they create or find a villain to serve as a focus of their worry or anger. As a result, outsiders are used as scapegoats.

In Christianity, evil panic increases as people strongly believe in the existence of supernatural evil. The authors utilize an example of an American court case, which the defendant, Paul Ingram, claimed to have been part of a satanic cult and confessed to crimes he did not commit, due to influence and intimidation from his pastor's teaching concerning evil (Christopher, Carson, & Joseph, 2017). The above case shows that if someone strongly believes that they are evil, they are likely to attribute their actions or delusions to satanic power as opposed to rational thinking. The religious brainwashing intensifies when individuals fail to distinguish between hallucinations and real-life cases as depicted in Ingram's case. Most claims associated with demonic powers lack physical evidence and are forms of mind control.

Thirdly, the chapter shows that most religious Americans believe in a positive (light) connection with the supernatural world. Through multiple observations made by the authors, they classify the act of speaking in tongues as a connection with the spiritual world, where evangelical Christians believe that they can communicate with the Holy Spirit, experience miraculous healings, and hear God's voices (Christopher, Carson, & Joseph, 2017). Moreover, the authors claimed that those who take the bible literally and adhere to religion heartily confess to the above situation as opposed to others. Economic status also contributes to peoples' increased religious experiences with low-income earners experiencing gifts and miraculous healing than others. The authors confirmed these claims by attending a church inhabited by low-income workers and observed their experiences. The proposition supports other Christian doctrines that claim that Christ has the power to perform miracles through evangelists.

Fourthly, the chapter argues that the belief on guardian angels is common in both religious and non-religious persons, and can serve as a link between religion and paranormal. In this case, the authors draw evidence from various examples where individuals claimed to be saved by guardian angels. For instance, an individual may claim to have avoided a plane crash because a guardian angel made them miss the flight. People always tend to use these supernatural beings to provide explanations for scenarios that cannot be accounted for scientifically or logically (Christopher, Carson, & Joseph, 2017). They believe that a supernatural came into the world to save them. The authors use evidence to prove that those who believe in the existence of angels are likely to have faith in paranormal phenomenon such as UFOs. Notably, the authors claim that what distinguishes paranormal and religiosity depends on what an individual attributes his or her experiences. The two realms are indirectly proportional with guardian angels serving as a bridge between the two.

Personal Critical Response

From the chapter, I find the authors' proposition that religion and paranormal are two related entities but operating in different spheres. I agree with the authors that there exists no physical evidence to support most concepts in paranormal and religion. In this case, I believe that the idea of believing in supernatural forces beyond our control is present in both Christianity and paranormal. However, Christianity enjoys widespread recognition since it is organized and has been passed down generations.

Moreover, I agree with how authors use statistical evidence to show how Americans are divided concerning the issue of evil power. Some people believe that the devil exists; however, he cannot influence the world while others believe the vice versa. Regardless of my religious beliefs, I think that the existence of God warrants the presences of an opposite evil force, satanic power. I also think the magnitude to which an individual perceives satanic power depends on their religious commitment. For individuals who merely read religious doctrines, they may have a low likelihood of believing that the devil can influence their misery totally as opposed to others (Christopher, Carson, & Joseph, 2017).

Moreover, I find it convincing that angels can serve as a linkage between religion and paranormal. People who believe in guardian angels have faith in a supernatural being that prevents them from falling into catastrophes. On the other hand, most paranormal beliefs are based on supernatural creatures who influence particular phenomenon in the world. Therefore the convergence of the theory of guardian angels and paranormal can be active since both the spheres have faith in a force they neither see nor control.

Furthermore, I find the authors propositions concerning the social status and religious beliefs somehow problematic. In this case, I think the authors conducted shallow research concerning the linkage between social status and religious beliefs in supernatural evil. According to the chapter's statistics, the researchers concluded that low income contributes to people's increased belief that evil is entirely responsible for their misery and suffering. I refute this argument since I have encountered various affluent individuals who believe that the devil is solemnly accountable for immorality and suffering. The bible also supports my perception since it does not support materialism; therefore, using richness as a scale to measure religious beliefs is incorrect. Therefore, claiming that Christianity is comforting is somehow inappropriate. Noticeably, I believe the researchers conducted their observation on a narrow field, which resulted in their exclusive results.

The article elucidates the linkage between religion and paranormal despite existing beliefs that the two are entirely different. For instance, the authors show the linkage between the two aspects using guardian angels. Typically, people perceive those who believe in paranormal occurrences as weird since they lack adequate knowledge concerning the supernatural world.

Conclusion

Overall, the commentary exposes various distinguishing elements between religion and paranormal. The two aspects are related since many of their issues lack physical or logical evidence. Notably, religion enjoys widespread publicity compared to paranormal due to its perpetuity nature. However, research shows that social status influences how people view darkness and light in the world. Low-income earners tend to believe that their troubles are caused by evil and experience most of the gifts of the Holy Spirit compared to affluent individuals. Lastly, it is evident that the extent to which people attribute events to either paranormal depends on their involvement in organized religion.

Reference

Christopher D. B., Carson, F. M., & Joseph, O. B. (2017). Paranormal America: ghost encounters, UFO sightings, Bigfoot hunts, and other curiosities in religion and culture. 2nd edition. New York, NY: New York University Press.