# 1 in 3 Americans Bible literalists **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 30, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096 "2007-05-30T17:55:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/1 "2007-05-30T17:55:25Z")
Since many of our rational Christians attack atheists for supposedly claiming that Christians are literalists, I was struck by the recent Gallup poll ([link](http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003590603) ) showing that 31% of Americans think the Bible is the literal word of God. (Highest in the South and among the uneducated, natch.) About 50% think it is inspired, but not everything should be taken literally, and 20% think it is a book of fables and stories, human in origin. Literalism is down 7% from the '80s. It is taking longer than we thought. 🙂 The “atheists think all Christians are literalists” meme appeared in a letter to the Times Book Review about the review of Hitchens book. Not having read it, for all I know he might have said this, but I doubt it. In any case, 30% is a non-trivial number of literalists, especially considering how easily refutable literalism is. This is offered as a point of information for other debates. For a debate, if anyone is interested, I think that this attack on atheism is a bit of a strawman. The real questions to theists I have seen (and have) lies around how do you distinguish the inspired from the uninspired parts, and how is the evidentiary backing of parts which are believed (like the Resurrection) any better than parts not believed for which there is not directly contradictory evidence? ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/2 "2007-05-30T18:15:45Z")
I’m surprised it’s that high. And (assuming it’s a good poll, good questions, etc) it’s actually a conservative count; that’s a third of all Americans being Biblical literalists. The proportion of Christians would have to be higher. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/3 "2007-05-30T18:18:24Z")
I dunno, if we are going to have that debate, then I’d like to see some cites for: a) who, if anyone has claimed that atheists believe all believers are literalists or, to illustrate the opposite point b) who, if anyone (atheists) believes that all believers are litteralists (I HAVE heard the argument from some people here that all “real” believers are litteralists, like in this thread: [He's basically an atheist - Great Debates - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=420925) ) ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/4 "2007-05-30T18:20:16Z")
I posted these before, but they’re also useful/scary. [Fun](http://www.pollingreport.com/science.htm) [polls](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/22/opinion/polls/main657083.shtml) [here](http://www.religioustolerance.org/ev_publi.htm) The first one in particular has a lot of info. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/5 "2007-05-30T18:22:21Z")
Okay, so three in ten people say they believe the Bible is the literal word of God. How many of them actually know what the Bible says? ---
**Author:** ![Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Key_Lime_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/6 "2007-05-30T18:29:33Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager] The real questions to theists I have seen (and have) lies around how do you distinguish the inspired from the uninspired parts, and how is the evidentiary backing of parts which are believed (like the Resurrection) any better than parts not believed for which there is not directly contradictory evidence? [/QUOTE] In my view, this is trivial. The consequential question for theists concerns the Bible’s _instrumentality_ - in other words, how is it used. To me, if you believe a falsehood and consequently act better towards others, then I’m all for it. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/7 "2007-05-30T18:39:43Z")
[QUOTE=Key Lime Guy] In my view, this is trivial. The consequential question for theists concerns the Bible’s _instrumentality_ - in other words, how is it used. [/QUOTE] OK, so 58% want creationism taught in school alongside evolution. This is a problem. We’ve had some success repelling the intrusions, we’ve had some favorable school board elections in a state or two and a nice court decision in Dover. But the belief is still there, waiting. Should we be concerned? ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/8 "2007-05-30T18:47:18Z")
In fairness to the literalists, if you’re not taking the sacred books, the holy word of God, literally, then what are you doing, if not picking and choosing on the basis of completely extra-biblical criteria? It’s a basic problem with the Christian religion: if you’re not taking things literally, then you’re basically just making up the religion that suits you, while if you _are_ taking things literally, then you’re sort of an idiot, because the Bible contradicts itself in many, many, many ways, and has abundant counterfactural assertions besides. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/9 "2007-05-30T18:48:24Z")
[QUOTE=marshmallow] OK, so 58% want creationism taught in school alongside evolution. This is a problem. We’ve had some success repelling the intrusions, we’ve had some favorable school board elections in a state or two and a nice court decision in Dover. But the belief is still there, waiting. Should we be concerned? [/QUOTE] We should always be concerned that what we’re teaching our kids is as agenda-free as possible. We’ve failed pretty badly in a lot of ways, of course, but nobody’s saying that we shouldn’t be worried and work toward improving it. What do we do, though? We can’t force people NOT to think that creationism should be taught in schools. All we can do is exactly what we’re doing - fighting it through our election process and court systems, and hoping that it lasts long enough for a generation of educated people to grow up. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/10 "2007-05-30T18:57:00Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > The “atheists think all Christians are literalists” meme appeared in a letter to the Times Book Review about the review of Hitchens book. Not having read it, for all I know he might have said this, but I doubt it. I have the book. Hitchens doesn’t say that. He does say that attempts to understand the Bible as having metaphorical truth are “feeble,” but he recognizes that such a stance exists. His critiques of the Bible (he has separate chapters for the Old and New Testaments) are designed to support his argument that the Bible is “manmade,” but he does not say or even imply that all Christians (or Jews) are literalists. He just thinks that the non-literalists are reaching. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/11 "2007-05-30T19:01:20Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager] The real questions to theists I have seen (and have) lies around how do you distinguish the inspired from the uninspired parts, and how is the evidentiary backing of parts which are believed (like the Resurrection) any better than parts not believed for which there is not directly contradictory evidence? [/QUOTE] [Christian mysticism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_mysticism). The relvelation of God occurs through personal and direct experience. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/12 "2007-05-30T19:04:44Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > The real questions to theists I have seen (and have) lies around how do you distinguish the inspired from the uninspired parts, and how is the evidentiary backing of parts which are believed (like the Resurrection) any better than parts not believed for which there is not directly contradictory evidence? Church tradition and guidance from the Holy Spirit are frequently cited. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/13 "2007-05-30T19:19:30Z")
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac] In fairness to the literalists, if you’re not taking the sacred books, the holy word of God, literally, then what are you doing, if not picking and choosing on the basis of completely extra-biblical criteria? [/QUOTE] Doing what everybody really does, although literalists don’t admit to it. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/14 "2007-05-30T19:23:06Z")
Right, that’s the other piece of it, which is that it’s really, really hard to be a literal literalist, as opposed to a pick-and-choose literalist, since the Bible gives so many mixed messages. As in: cotton-poly blends, okay or not? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/15 "2007-05-30T19:24:27Z")
[QUOTE=Key Lime Guy] In my view, this is trivial. The consequential question for theists concerns the Bible’s _instrumentality_ - in other words, how is it used. To me, if you believe a falsehood and consequently act better towards others, then I’m all for it. [/QUOTE] I don’t think 30% of the American public believing in an obvious absurdity is trivial. But this has nothing to do with moral and ethics. It is possible that a non-literalist only believes in the nasty parts, and acts worse than a literalist does. Most literalists have figured out a way of not obeying commandments that are against the law. This is all about the difficulty of underestimating the intelligence of the American public. ---
**Author:** ![lonih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4af34b/32.png) [@lonih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lonih)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/16 "2007-05-30T19:26:50Z")
I think you will find that the majority of that 31% also believe in non-biblical superstitions. Most religious people, if I recall prior polls correctly, also believe in one or more of non-biblical supernatural ideas, like fortune telling, visible/audible ghosts and communcation with the dead, telepathy, UFO’s, the Mummy’s Curse, bad luck from breaking mirrors, . . . ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/17 "2007-05-30T19:30:07Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Church tradition and guidance from the Holy Spirit are frequently cited. [/QUOTE] Not to mention faith. I’m not sure I’d consider guidance by the Holy Spirit evidentiary, unless there is supporting information. And one has to wonder why people accept church tradition. Not arguing with you, but only with those whose opinions I think you accurately reflect. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/18 "2007-05-30T19:30:11Z")
Then there’s this poll from not too long ago. In it, it says that 51% of americans reject evolution and believe God created man in his present form. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/22/opinion/polls/main965223.shtml](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/22/opinion/polls/main965223.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/19 "2007-05-30T19:31:52Z")
[QUOTE=lonih] I think you will find that the majority of that 31% also believe in non-biblical superstitions. Most religious people, if I recall prior polls correctly, also believe in one or more of non-biblical supernatural ideas, like fortune telling, visible/audible ghosts and communcation with the dead, telepathy, UFO’s, the Mummy’s Curse, bad luck from breaking mirrors, . . . [/QUOTE] There was an article in the Skeptical Inquirer about this. I’m not sure deeply religious people were more prone to other superstitions, since many of them are specifically forbidden in the Bible. I’ll have to look for it tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2007, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096/20 "2007-05-30T19:33:41Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Then there’s this poll from not too long ago. In it, it says that 51% of americans reject evolution and believe God created man in his present form. [Poll: Majority Reject Evolution - CBS News](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/22/opinion/polls/main965223.shtml) [/QUOTE] That doesn’t seem to reconcile with the only 30% that are bible literalists. I wonder why? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-3-americans-bible-literalists/406096.md?page=2)