Gallup Poll: Better Than 1 in 4 Americans Believe the Bible is the 'Actual Word of God'

Editor and Publisher ^ | May 22, 2006 | Gallup Poll

[Hebrews 11:6]

Taken literally the bible is simply a old book of contradictions.

If ever you might be interested in an opposing viewpoint (you know, just for laughs), you might look at Gleason Archer's Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties.

[TheBlueMax]

No..........but thanks for asking!

[MeanWestTexan]

You don't have to be religious to dislike the DaVinci Code.

Heck, the Discovery Channel and the History Channel both spent a week disproving basically every assumed "fact" in the book. The whole Priori of Zion business is almost funny.

[HHKrepublican_2]

Hmm..I guess for intents and purposes of the English Language then yes, however it still the word of God, is it in the literal language that it was taken down in, no. But I for one, believe that the translaters were inspired by the H.S. and thus it is accurate.

[BoBToMatoE]

That actually is a very, very bad number. No wonder our country is hurting so bad.

The Bible is God's word.

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

I agree with you...the questions posed are not the correct questions to ask.

[Wormwood]

You don't have to be religious to dislike the DaVinci Code.

You got that right. I'm as athiest as they come, and I couldn't put that piece of crap down fast enough.

[MACVSOG68]

I'm assuming that by your remark that either one must understand the original Hebrew/Greek manusrcipts or they cannot possibly state they understand with complete certainty that the Bible is the Word of God. Lacking in intelligence and faith on your part does not negate my belief in the Bible as the literal Word.

Why do you have to make your point with an insult? If you can read the Bible only in English, then you are putting your full faith in those who translated it into all the various versions in English. Some such as Sir Laurence Gardner who have studied the Hebrew and Greek versions have indicated that differences exist, some significant. If that is true, and anyone who believes the literal words in the Bible should be very interested in those translations and whether they were all accurate. This is all the poster meant.

[Hebrews 11:6]

It's a subtle trap, one avoided only by a pollster who really wants to get the truth. Gallup didn't.

[TXnMA]

A less-biased reporter would have titled this,

"Gallup Poll: Better Than 3 in 4 Americans Believe the Bible is the 'Word of God'"

(28% + 49% = 77%...)

[litehaus]

And in a poll of those believers, 99% do not believe in polls, or Gallup....

[WKB]

I didn't know so many knew ancient Hebrew.



The dateline says NY.
There are a lot of old Jews in NY
so what's your problem?

[WKB]

The World is catching up with the Baptist ping

[HHKrepublican_2]

The bible is more meaningful when taken with a healthy amount of literalism but also realizing the value of the parables as extrememly inspirational stories.

This is what i find.

[Aquinasfan]

Utterly misleading headline. The fact that 50% properly consider the Bible as inspired is encouraging. And I'll take the literal-word-of-God folks over the fables-and-legends gang any day.

[JamesP81]

I can explain his comment. The Old Testament is written in Hebrew, the new testament in ancient Greek. For one to truly believe that the words are the uninterpreted words of God they would have to read the Bible untranslated for it to be uncorrupted by human beings.

God spoke the world into existence. I think He can handle his publishing needs.

[MeanWestTexan]

"Taken literally the bible is simply a old book of contradictions."

I guess it depends what one means by "literally."

Some expressions were clearly figurative (e.g., various kings being described as the "king of the whole world besides XYZ" for one --- tell that to the Chinese Emporer of the day), but, in context, I have yet to come across a true contradiction in the Bible.

[MeanWestTexan]

"the new testament in ancient Greek"

Except the parts that were probably written in Aramaic.

(There are huge scholarly fights about this all the time involving comma placement, word choice, and verb tense; I have no opinion.)

[cloud8]

> well I speak ancient Hebrew...

So, is it true that in Gen. 1.1 "God" is plural, making the correct reading, "In the beginning, the gods created heaven and earth."?

[MeanWestTexan]

More of the royal "we" actually.