Photo byAaron BurdenonUnsplash

Having written several stories about spiritual and religious matters, I have received many replies referencing Bible passages that readers use to make their point. For example, I have written about the possibility of "after death communication," when a deceased loved one may reach out and somehow contact the living. Many of the comments on that article went something like this:

The Bible says the dead know nothing, they will awaken at the time of judgement.

or

If it is not in the Bible, I don’t believe it!

There are those to that will reply to such statements:

The Bible is a book writen by a bunch of old men to keep the masses in line, nothing more.

These divergent points of view got me wondering what Americans actually think. I found a Gallup poll from two years ago that asked what Americans believed about the Bible. Gallup presented three possibilities. Here is how they framed their query and the data, and how it has changed over the years. (This has been an ongoing study dating back to 1976)

What Americans think about the Bible:

• Actual word of God, to be taken literally ——1976—38% / 2022— 20%
• Inspired by God, not all to be taken literally——- 1976—45% / 2022 — 49%
• Fables, history, moral precepts recorded by man——-1976—13% / 2022— 29%

Fewer Americans beieve the Bible is the literal Word of God

What do you think?

Is the Bible the literal Word of God?

Please leave your comments below. Also, consider sharing this article to bring more voices into the conversation.

I write about business, lifestyle, pop culture, and spiritual matters. If you found this article informative and useful, hit the "like" and "follow" buttons--it would be appreciated.