Record low take bible as literal word of God. Record high say it's collection of man written fables

[Demovictory9]

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A record-low 20% of Americans now say the Bible is the literal word of God, down from 24% the last time the question was asked in 2017, and half of what it was at its high points in 1980 and 1984. Meanwhile, a new high of 29% say the Bible is a collection of "fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man."

This marks the first time significantly more Americans have viewed the Bible as not divinely inspired than as the literal word of God. The largest percentage, 49%, choose the middle alternative, roughly in line with where it has been in previous years.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/394262/fewer-bible-literal-word-god.aspx

At this point, a declining proportion of the overall American population -- now 20% -- believes the Bible is literally true, word for word. About half believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, but not everything in it should be taken literally, while almost three in 10 say the Bible is an ancient book of fables and history. Belief in a literal Bible is declining, part of a general pattern of declining religiosity among the adult American population.

Americans' interpretations of the Bible are important, because the Bible is often used as the basis for policy positions on moral and values issues, including such things as abortion and gay and lesbian relations. Some more conservative Protestant groups use a literal interpretation of passages from the New Testament as the basis for their belief that women should not be in positions of religious leadership in churches. Gallup's data show that the use of a literal interpretation of the Bible as the basis or justification for social policy positions will likely resonate only with a declining minority of the overall U.S. population.

[OnDoutside]

1. Good.

We had a conversation about this here a few years ago and I mentioned that here in Ireland being raised in the Catholic Church, we weren't encouraged to get overly hung up on the Bible. I found it odd later to discover later that so many faiths and sects took it so literally.

[triron]

32. Unfortunately as a good friend of mine does.

I think he has finally given up on converting me. I asked how he could take so seriously a compilation of 'altered' mythologies. Of course he doesn't accept my premise.

[TheBlackAdder]

33. Churches push Divinely Inspired to keep infallible man to justify its over 300 errors and conflicts.

.

They tried to push that it was the work of God, but ran into issues when people questioned how God could have created such an abomination of written words. They had to fall back to divinely inspired so that humans were involved in the creation and therefore those errors were not by God.

.

[Skittles]

2. so more people are getting over their delusions

that is good news

[vercetti2021]

3. Term no shit comes to mind

A book being a fucking way of deciding your life is pretty sad. Especially when you only use the OLD testament

[True Blue American]

13. No person who

Follows Christ is into the OT because you follow the New Covanant in Christ. This is what those following do not even understand. The old was washed away.

I worked with poor and. Idle class children. We concentrated on teaching them manners, pride in themselves and some following Jesus mixed in. Junior Church. We had pride in our Churches then.

Some still do, but they are fading away.

[Wounded Bear]

4. Incremental progress...I'll take it...nt

[GReedDiamond]

5. After I was forced to proclaim my allegiance to Jesus....

...because that's what I was forced to do, up to about the age of 12, which was when I was "confirmed" into the Holy Roman Catholic FaithTM.

I immediately announced I would no longer be attending services, and in fact, was an ATHEIST!

My father, who, as a devout catholic, did his "duty" by forcing me to be confirmed, immediately let me know that whatever "spiritual path" I chose was good with him, he fulfilled his basic requirement to the "church."

End of story.

[Volaris]

16. The first moral purpose of any religion, should be to make itself irrelevant.

[hunter]

29. Hah. The Catholic Church frequently serves as an inoculant against more virulent religions.

That's one reason the anti-intellectual churches hate Catholic intellectualism.

They hate Jewish intellectualism even more.

[maxsolomon]

30. that's what my mother in law said about the church of england

you needed to go as a child because it made you resistant to cults.

[triron]

34. After I was baptized when I was 11

I became an agnostic at the age of 12. Actually my dad was pretty cool with this. I was never pressured to go to church again.

[True Blue American]

6. The Bible

Was written by many men over the years. It is exactly what it is called, A book of made up stories, written, rewritten and pieced together over years.

Impossible to believe it all. Common sense. It took me a lifetime to admit that!

[mwb970]

9. I was skeptical even as a child.

I also had a LOT of problems with the Santa Claus story.

[True Blue American]

10. I learned that when my Mother hid

My annual doll under the bed. I was probably 4! I was an inquisitive,( nosey), child.

[Demovictory9]

31. I overheard my nephew beginning to question the santa clause logic.."why is SC at every mall"

Kinda talking to himself

[mwb970]

35. I was thrown by the idea of reindeer flying.

I read lots of science and nature books as a child and the ones that discussed reindeer never so much as mentioned that they can fly, an inexplicable omission. The family joke was me plaintively asking my dad "Well do they have engines?"

I really wanted to believe like the other kids did, but I just couldn't.

[Funtatlaguy]

7. And yet the 6 Americans that matter most believe every word.

[True Blue American]

11. If they be.I believe t

A long trip to the Confession booth is needed, especially the Citizens United ruling, opening the flood gates of money.

[AllTooEasy]

15. Uhhh...Bullshit! They don't hardly believe every word

John 15:12 - "This is My (Jesus) commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

Show me the evidence that those "6 Americans" follow those words. I could provide a hundred additional verses from the New Testament that Right-Wing "Christians" conveniently ignore for self-serving purposes. In fact, they even inject verses that don't exist like:

"Blessed are the White, heterosexual, well-armed, billionaire males...for they shall inherit the Earth"

[dwayneb]

23. They cherry pick the stuff in the Bible that fits their agenda

And their agenda of course is to spread hate and fear in order to gain total, absolute power over everyone. The Christo-Fascists have no morals or values that align with mine, that's for sure.

[mwb970]

8. It's 2022, people.

The Bronze Age is over.

[AZLD4Candidate]

12. Here's a brand new Bible

[AllTooEasy]

17. Tell that to Biden, Pelosi, or Jimmy Carter

All of my family and friends vote Democrat primary as a result of our Christian values. We especially don't want our respective religions imposed on non-believers any more than we want other religions or atheism imposed on us.

I wish more of my fellow liberals would understand the difference between being Christians/Muslims/Jews/Hindus/etc. and being a theocrat. I also wish that more Right-Wingers would understand the difference between Secular Statehood and State Atheism

[phylny]

27. I agree with you.

Thanks for writing.

[slightlv]

14. They laughed at me at 18 when I said I wanted to be a preacher.

So first I joined the Air Force and became a soldier. I quit the Xtian religion altogether and became a Seeker of Truth.

I then became a Witch. And, after years of study and practice became a Priestess.

Screw the patriarchy.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

18. Thank you for bringing glad tidings and good news. . . . nt

[Novara]

19. Religion is the biggest fraud ever played on humanity

A complete scam.

[mitch96]

24. +1 A great marketing ploy to make bucket loads of tax free money..

Believe what you want but don't jam it down my throat and have it effect my life..
m

[KY_EnviroGuy]

20. Some Republicans will be begging tRump to write them a new bible.

In essence, Heritage Foundation, ALEC and Federalist Society have already done that.

We just never got our copies.....

-----------

Like justice, acceptance of scientific reality runs very slow.


Thanks for posting the good news, Demovictory9.......

[gibraltar72]

21. I have said that since I broke away from Evangelicals

60 plus years ago. They needed a story to to control simple minded people. Some good ideas in there. But your mileage may vary!

[Ferrets are Cool]

26. I've always said that if they only kept the parts in red

it would be a great little pamphlet.

[tanyev]

22. This is why the continued dominance of the GOP/Evangelical alliance is so perplexing.

Because our society is far more liberal and far more secular than it's ever been. I guess a big part of their current success is how they are gaming the system through gerrymandering, the electoral college and the Senate filibuster. Some optimists theorize that this is their last gasp before a final implosion. I sure hope so.

[Ferrets are Cool]

25. And the delusional will point to this as PROOF of the imminent rapture.

[Buckeyeblue]

28. That middle group is concerning though

Because they are really saying the Bible can mean anything they want it to mean. Hence we get cristofacism.

There are far too many people who prefer superstition over science.