Thirty Percent of Americans Think Bible is Actual Word of God

from this article here

Thirty percent of Americans believe that the Bible is the actual word of God, according to a recent Gallup survey. While nearly 50 percent agree that Scripture is “inspired” by God, only three in ten say that it should be interpreted literally. Another 17 percent say the Bible is merely an ancient book of stories recorded by man. According to Gallup, the view that the Bible is divinely inspired, but should not be taken literally, has been the most common opinion over the 40 years that the pollster has been querying Americans on the issue. Gallup noted that the “high point” in the number of Americans believing in the literal interpretation of Scripture was 40 percent in 1980 and 1984, with the low coming in 2001, when only 27 percent said they thought the Bible was the actual, literal word of God.

Among specific religious groups, Gallup found that Protestant were the most hard-core in their convictions about the Bible, with 41 percent believing in a literal interpretation of Scripture and 46 percent saying it is inspired by God. By contrast, 21 percent of Catholics believe the Bible is the actual word of God, while the percentage goes up to 65 percent for Catholics who believe it is the inspired word of God. As for respondents claiming no religious persuasion, only five percent thought the Bible is the actual word of God while, predictably, 63 percent thought it was nothing more than a book of legends and fables.

so, does this mean that the fundies have a lot more work to do or perhaps our perception is driven by a media that seems obsessed with promoting christian dogma for some reason? if less than half of all christians in general don't believe the word of god is 100% accurate, then why are they so quick to defend it when science and truth prove it wrong?

any thoughts welcome!

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Permalink Reply by W. Shawn Refvem on July 12, 2011 at 5:39am

I believe that the reason any religious followers so blindly follow their faith and defend it has more to do with them needing to feel that they are given life by a higher power for a purpose. An answer to the eternal questions, "Why am I here?" or "What is the purpose of life?". As the most cerebral of mammals, as we best can tell, it is hard to accept that we are here to just exist. To be in the moment without a purpose or goal of eternal life. Hard to comprehend and acknowledge that we are just a grouping of atoms that are constantly changing in both mass and form. An energy that will become another form when life is extinguished with no soul or spirit behind it. More of a fear really, driven by an ego that says, "I am more important than a dead, decaying tree stump turning to mulch to be reused to fertilize the soil or a rusting out car fender seeming to disappear as oxidation takes over and blows around in the wind finding a way back into water or soil as a natural mineral". So the curious nature of humans combined with the brainwashing powers of religion go hand in hand. One fueling the other and putting the followers in a place to feed that ego. And then of course comes the "controlling of the masses" reasons that are a whole other category.

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Permalink Reply by Geaux Ghoti on July 12, 2011 at 6:23am

"when science and truth prove it wrong?"

Science and truth prove what wrong, exactly? That the bible is the word of god or that the bible is true?

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Permalink Reply by Kim Roder on July 12, 2011 at 8:28am

I am sorry, but those 30 percent of the American people obviously have either not read the bible or have no logical reasoning skill whatsoever.

Given that the bible is the definitive/absolute word of god it should be unable to contain contradictions within itself, but it does.

The next time a jahovas whitness (or however you call them exactly) rings your doorbell tell them about hod god conflicts with his own embodyment when Jezus dies for the human's sins or how God supposedly gave the 10 commandments to Mozes but Jezus(/God) will forgive you for all sins but the denial of the holy spirit.

Jezus lets you murder one another and he will still forgive you as long as you feel remorse, but the 10 commandments are supposed to be absolute.

The bible is the most corrupt thing in the organised religion that exists today.

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Permalink Reply by Sassan K. on July 12, 2011 at 11:45am

I haven't had one of those in years knock at my door and I'm itching to debate with one!

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Permalink Reply by Matthew T. Saddoris on July 12, 2011 at 10:05pm

I might not agree with that people are inherently stupid, it's just a lack of using a cognitive thought process. It's a subtle difference. The people who believe that the bible s the actual word of God might just repeat what they have been preached. In my church, that I was raised in as a kid, the preacher would end each sermon with the phrase, "The word of the Lord". So people might take that literally, and not comprehend through a proper thought process that the sermon was from him, the preacher, and not a divine being, or at least inspired through a God. If many people took the time to sit and THINK through things for themselves and figure things out for themselves, than maybe we'd have more atheists, and intelligent people for that matter. I became an atheist when I sat down and gave the whole God idea a moments thought, which lasted for days and included research and reasoning to myself about what I believed. If this happened for most people, maybe they would be under a different opinion. If not then they would have at least thought about why they believe in a god in the first place.

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Permalink Reply by Frank Hamilton on July 13, 2011 at 1:03pm

Religion is an addiction. Adhering to scripture is the same as the drug addict relishing paraphernalia.

Of course the promoting of Christian dogma is helpful to the authoritarian view of those Americans who

call themselves "conservative" but are really reactionary "radicals".

Unfortunately for the Freethought Community, too much time has to be spent on debunking the

delusional bible instead of progressing to positive activities of a secular humanist nature.

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Permalink Reply by Araina on July 16, 2011 at 7:05pm

Either the Bible was written by God or it wasn't. The only reason people spawned the term bible literalist is to separate themselves from the outright absurdity of the bible. Is it is true and the word of God or it wasn't. If you are a Christian you believe in the bible and that it is the word of God and that Jesus Christ died for your sins, etc. If you don't believe all of this then you are not a Christian.

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Permalink Reply by Sassan K. on July 16, 2011 at 7:24pm

That's not true Araiana, most Christians don't believe the entirety of the bible to be the literal word of god in the way that Muslims are required to believe the quran is the literal and unadulterated word of god said to Muhammad in a cave. In fact, most Christians believe in much of the bible as "story telling moral lessons" rather than literal meaning. It is this way among many in the religious elite as well.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Rodgers on July 16, 2011 at 7:25pm

People are quick to defend their faith. They don't want to give up on what they have believed in their whole lives.

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Permalink Reply by KentK on July 19, 2011 at 2:24pm

Most think the gospels are contemporary accounts (meaning they were written while Jesus was supposedly alive). Most do not know the gospels were written many years after the Jesus so-called crucifixion. Most also think that Mathew, Mark, Luke were "aposltes." The fundies have no interest in letting the facts out. The more people believe the above the better it is for them.

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Permalink Reply by Trisha Smith on July 26, 2011 at 5:34am

Its my opinion that the drive by the fundies and the media is a reflection of the fear that they are losing the battle and so they are redoubling their efforts - the more they can convince other people of their teachings, the more it validates their own beliefs - they have resorted to dirty tricks and apologetics for centuries but now we have education for the masses they cant get away with stuff and nonsense quite so easily - my own biggest fear is the cutbacks which make it harder for young people to continue into higher education but there again, if adequate critical thinking skills are introduced into their lives it doesnt really matter (in the short term of course) who by or where from, so long as they are taught the ability to reason in a manner which is free from fear of retributions from the god of vengeance for not doing its bidding...... if such things are taught to children (as they increasingly are) then it spells the incipient end of religious influence in schools and then, without children to keep the abuse alive in, the inevitable end for the churches too. Here in England Ive seen so many churches closed in the last 40 years that it just has to be creating the fear and awareness in their heirarchies that the business of fooling people is quickly coming to an end... as I said at the beginning, I do believe this knowledge is driving the current great commission push....

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Permalink Reply by KentK on July 26, 2011 at 8:00am

Very well put Trisha! The fundies are and have set American society back. Their political spokespersons, starting with Ronald Reagan, portrayed the government as a "problem" and an "evil." Higher education has become unaffordable for many. There are more evangelical radio stations than any other. The irony is they are always begging for money from the very people they fool. And these people join in willingly. I will hope that America will progress intellectually. Right now it is stuck.