Posted on 05/20/2017 10:17:33 PM PDT by Olog-hai
A new Gallup poll shows that only 24% of Americans believe the Bible is the “literal word” of God, which is a decline from the 1970s, but the survey also shows that the number of Americans who think the Bible is the “inspired word” of God, 47%, has stayed pretty steady over the last 40 years.
In addition, an overwhelming majority of Americans, 71%, believe the Bible is a holy document, inspired by God or containing God’s own words.
“Fewer than one in four Americans (24%) now believe the Bible is ‘the actual word of God, and is to be taken literally, word for word,’ similar to the 26% who view it as ‘a book of fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man,’” reported Gallup on May 15.
“This is the first time in Gallup’s four-decade trend that biblical literalism has not surpassed biblical skepticism,” said the survey firm. “Meanwhile, about half of Americans — a proportion largely unchanged over the years — fall in the middle, saying the Bible is the inspired word of God but that not all of it should be taken literally.” …
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
Yes, see 39
Absurd.
Better said, "then fail to literally be the word of God, but far from all being literal language."
Amen. Christ said so.
We have discussed this topic on FR many times, and I am convinced that the percentage of true, saved, redeemed Christians in the US is very small. Most likely in the single digits. I lived in Europe for several years. Christianity there is almost nonexistent. In the Middle East, the few Christians there are being wiped out.
When Jesus said, "And few find it", He was telling us the literal truth. Few.
“William Shakespeare wrote one of the psalms.”
Where did that come from? Could you provide a source?
When Bible words are not literal then the non literal words are representing something that is literal such as in the use of symbolism or some other figure of speech.
Your snarky, judgy post is duly noted as is your lack of intellect to grasp the essence of God’s Word in the Bible.
Or perhaps you just reject God and attempt to hide your hate behind snarky posts?
You satanic koranimals are all the same...not unlike the typical eurotwit.
A fake question to compliment fake news.
The fall of man in the garden was the result of doubting God’s Word. The first recorded words of Satan were “Yea, hath God said?”. Then in John 1 we see that Jesus is the Word and in Revelation 19:13 when Jesus returns, He is called the “Word of God”. Doubt the Word at your own eternal risk.
Incidentally, the reason that certain people cannot understand that Bible figures of speech refer to literal truth, thus all the Bible is in a sense literal, is found here:
1 Corinthians 2;14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” -King James Version
Churches and the people in them have become apostate—not showing the love of Jesus by word and deed. Instead, we have either become Pharisees (emphasizing the law/imperatives but not showing kindness) *or* we embrace progressive works based salvation. False Christianity in that vein welcomes everyone while ignoring the Bible’s teaching on sin and the need to repent and live a holy life.
Liberals usually are the latter. Conservatives are the former.
Jesus never endorsed sin, but he also sought to help and embrace those hurt by its effects. If we followed His path, by His grace, more people would see the truth of Scripture.
You think this poll is a lie? Do tell.
I believe.
They didn’t do presidential election polling last year, IIRC.
It’s called Faith.
He’s thinking of Psalm 46. There’s been speculation that Shakespeare wrote it because the 46th word from the beginning is “shake” and the 46th word from the end is “spear.” But there’s no actual evidence that he did.
For one thing there’s more than one way to count the words. To make it work, you have to not count the “Selahs.” For another, his name appears in no list of translators. For a third, they’re very different (unless you think all Elizabethan writing sounds alike). Shakespeare had a huge vocabulary. The KJV has a very small one.
Bible ping
Sophistry.
There are no limits on the Author of all things. That you do not see the literal meaning in the words does not mean it is not there. We don’t like the meaning we sense in the words, a sense breathed into our dust by the Author, so in defense of ourselves we start lawyering up and throwing around words like “literally”. God said what he meant. HE is TRUTH. The words cannot be other than literal.
Dictated to Muhammad by supposedly Allah. There is no proof that Allah was anything more than a wet dream by Mohammed.
Allah is NOT god. THERE IS NO ALLAH! FAKE god!.
“The Geneva Bible refered to the various kings in the Old Testament as Tyrants.”
It was the commentary in the Geneva Bible that referred to kings as tyrants. King James wanted a Bible without commentary so as not to decrease the king’s authority (give people ideas about government such as the Geneva Bible did) and to retain church terminology. Other than that, it was translated by the best scholars of the day (non-governmental).
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