According to a survey conducted by Barna, there is a potential for a great spiritual awakening among Americans, as they appear to be more open to spiritual things since the pandemic.

The survey found that 74% of Americans stated that they were interested in ‘growing spiritually’ and 44% added that they are more open to God than they were before the COVID pandemic, Christian Headlines reports.

The survey also found that 77% believed there was a ‘higher power’ or God and only 9% did not believe this.

Barna CEO David Kinnaman said that while attendance at churches has declined since the pandemic, the survey revealed this growing interest in spiritual things provided a “tremendous opportunity for faith leaders.”

“Across every generation, in fact, we see an unprecedented desire to grow spiritually, a belief in a spiritual/supernatural dimension and a belief in God or a higher power” Kinnaman added.

He noted that this interest is even showing up among teens where 76% said that “Jesus speaks to me in a way that is relevant to my life.”

However, there is also a downside to this increased spiritual interest. A survey conducted by Springtide Research Institute in 2022 reported that there was also a growing interest in the occult among young people, Fairthwire reports.

For those between the ages of 13 to 25, 44% said they have engaged “with herbs/crystals as a spiritual practice,” and 21% added that they did it weekly.

Crystals are traditionally used in the New Age movement to ward off evil spirits, bring healing and balance a person’s chakras or energy centers.

In 2021, a Springtide survey also found that 51% of people in the same age group (13-25) had consulted a fortune-teller or used tarot cards.

This increased interest in the occult was picked up by McDonald’s, in May 2022 the fast food chain offered customers a chance to pick up a tarot card if they use the company’s app to purchase a medium order of fries.

There are repeated warnings throughout the Bible about involvement in these types of practices:

“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. ¹⁰ There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering,^[a] anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer ¹¹ or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, ¹² for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.” (Deuteronomy 18:9-12 ESV)

READ: Spiritual Openness Is ‘On the Rise’ in America: Barna – It’s an ‘Unprecedented Opportunity’ AND Occultic Uptick? Alarming Proportion of Young People Use Crystals and Herbs, Follow ‘Spiritual Teachers’ AND McDonald’s Serves Up Fries…and the Occult With Bizarre Tarot Card Offer: ‘Know Your Fate’