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According to a new Baylor University survey on religion, 55% of all adults say they’ve been “protected from harm by a guardian angel.”
This number surprised the study’s authors, and includes 66% of evangelical Protestants, 57% of Catholics, 49% of “other religions” and even 20% of those who say they have “no religion"! Among American Jews, however, only 10% cited angelic protection. That’s an odd finding considering that religious Jewish homes everywhere greet each Sabbath singing a beloved hymn welcoming “angels of peace” to guard the home on the holy day.
At a time of communal self reflection with the approach of the Jewish New Year, it’s appropriate to wonder why so many Jews remain disconnected from our own tradition – and in the process also stand apart from the spirituality and reverence that continue to characterize the nation at large.
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