Godless Wonder

According to this:

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2005/Bible.htm

(If that doesn't work, try this: http://www.rasmussenreports.com
Then look on the lefthand side of the page.)

Doesn't seem to give much information about the wording of the questions, and I'm not sure about Rasmussen's repuration... (that name seems to ring a bell in my memory of the polls leading up to the 2004 U.S. elections, though I don't recall the specifics.)

@last

1)If it's true then it's down hill for USA from here, probably taking the rest of the world with it.
2)I don't believe it.
3)Catholics 58%, Evangelical 89%, Protestant 70%, Other 42%;
I thought Evangelical were a part of Protestant, maybe they are not, but what are the Other of which 42% believe that the Bible is literall true?

Dharma

we must remember that there is a huge shift in demographics with a huge number of hispanics, who are mainly Catholics and are very strongly indoctrinated.

Truly, America won't be America much longer once the Catholic hispanics take over. There was a time when secularists and protestants hated the Pope and didn't even want a Catholic president since it would endanger the internal security of the US by establishing 2 rulers, the Pope and the President. Now the entire Papal ceremony is shown on TV with Americans watching with bated breath. America is changing and not in a very good way.

Vicki

The irony here is that far less than 63% of the population have even read the whole Bible.

According to Barna (which is a religious organization), only 20% of Americans read the Bible on a regular basis. I could not find any data on percentages of those who have actually read the whole thing cover to cover.

Clivedurdle

Can we have a poll on this? I think IIDB people probably have a far higher percentage readers of the Bible than the general population. I have read it for one!

Jakanapes

I've read it cover to cover, my non-denominational wife hasn't, nor has her Baptist family. Two of my friends have, but one of them went to seminary school, so that doesn't count..


I've also read the Koran, the Gita, the I Ching and Journey to the West, plus a ton of other mythology. It's interesting!

PopeInTheWoods

Is the question shown on the left side of the page you linked to ("Is the Bible Literally True and the Word of God?") the actual question?

If so, it's hugely open to interpretation. I doubt many people were answering the question "Is every story told in the Bible historically accurate?", my guess is most were concentrating on the "Word of God" part. If so, then the numbers don't surprise me much.

Andy

doubtingt

Yes, this is a very interesting problem for secularists who lean to the left (like me).

Hispanics not only tend to be fairly devout and conservative Catholics, but are fairly conservative on social issues generally. How much this has to do with their generally lower economic status is somewhat a mute point since that is unlikely to change anytime soon.

Ironically, those who fight for open immigration and widespread legalization of immigrants are in essence likely fighting to increase the political power of the anti-secularists and a social conservative agenda.

It is similar to the problem that France and other Eupopean countries face with the massive influx of Muslim immigrants who are largely more conservative and less accepting of secularism than the general French popultion.

Can socially liberal secularists justify an anti-immigration stance to stem this tide? Would such a stance be productive in protecting secularism?

doubtingt

I should add that this problem is made all the worse by the current concerted effort by socially conservative forms of Judaism, Xtiany, and Islam to unite their political power to attack secularism and personal liberty.

Angrillori

And this just in:

38% of Americans literally don't know what "literally" means. :Cheeky: