About one-third of Americans believe the Bible is absolutely accurate and that it should be taken literally word for word, according to a recent Gallup poll, and the majority of those who don’t believe the Bible is literally true believe it is the inspired word of God.
Gallup, in a news release May 25, said Americans’ views on the Bible haven’t changed substantially over the past 16 years that the organization has been conducting polls on the matter. About 1 in 5 Americans believe the Bible is an ancient book of “fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man,” Gallup said.
Analysts say the higher the level of education a person has, the less likely the individual is to believe that the Bible is the actual, literal word of God, but even the majority of those with postgraduate degrees believe the Bible is the inspired word of God rather than just a human creation.
Those who claim to be Protestants, Gallup said, are significantly more likely than Catholics to believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. Of those with no religious identification, 10 percent believe the Bible is literally the word of God and another 26 percent believe it is inspired, Gallup said.
“Church attendance is highest in the South, so it comes as no surprise to find that Southerners are most likely to believe in a literal Bible,” the news release said. “Those in the East are least likely to believe in a literal Bible. There is not a highly significant relationship between age and belief in a literal Bible.”
The Southern Baptist Convention, in its Baptist Faith and Message 2000, states, “The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.
“Therefore, all scripture is totally true and trustworthy,” the statement continues. “It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is himself the focus of divine revelation.” – BP