# How many people in this world actually believe that the Devil is a real being with powers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 1, 2018, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-in-this-world-actually-believe-that-the-devil-is-a-real-being-with-powers/815237 "2018-06-01T03:01:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-in-this-world-actually-believe-that-the-devil-is-a-real-being-with-powers/815237/101 "2018-06-07T05:21:52Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > In Hinduism, Kali is a goddess, not a “demon god” (whatever that means). Actually, there is a goddess [Kālī](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali), and a demon [Kali](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali_(demon)). Two different entities. The pronunciation is slightly different. The goddess is Kaalii with long vowels. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-in-this-world-actually-believe-that-the-devil-is-a-real-being-with-powers/815237/102 "2018-06-07T10:24:27Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Actually, there is a goddess [Kālī](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali), and a demon [Kali](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali_(demon)). Two different entities. The pronunciation is slightly different. The goddess is Kaalii with long vowels. Ignorance fought, thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-in-this-world-actually-believe-that-the-devil-is-a-real-being-with-powers/815237/103 "2018-06-07T10:43:52Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > IMO this part gets far too little “airplay” considering how common I think it is. People who are nominally religious and who are “on the rolls” but if the higher-ups knew that their flock was 80-90% “apostates” they’d be shocked. Or not, I don’t know. Really digging the humility at the end there. 🙂 I imagine the religious higher-ups in any faith are generally quite well aware of the fact that a non-trivial portion of their flock stray from the party line on any number of theological points. Complaining about the crude errors and “superstitions” of the uncultured rubes is, at least, a very common theme in Christian literature throughout history. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-in-this-world-actually-believe-that-the-devil-is-a-real-being-with-powers/815237/104 "2018-06-07T17:00:49Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > I imagine the religious higher-ups in any faith are generally quite well aware of the fact that a non-trivial portion of their flock stray from the party line on any number of theological points. As we were talking about Mormonism, they _unabashedly_ and _knowingly_ inflate their alleged membership numbers by counting people who are “inactive” - which includes people who have declared atheist and would rather get a root canal than attend another meeting. Trust me on this - my dad was a membership clerk for them for decades. If your name is on the rolls, you’re a mormon. And they have no incentive to remove you. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-in-this-world-actually-believe-that-the-devil-is-a-real-being-with-powers/815237/105 "2018-06-07T19:11:43Z")
The answer is far far too many. It’s as if the Age of Reason never happened. Most of the Earth’s population are still quite happily ensconced in the Middle Ages and there’s little prospect of that changing any time soon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-in-this-world-actually-believe-that-the-devil-is-a-real-being-with-powers/815237.md?page=5)