Saw this one today - Gallup is on a roll.

Fewer in U.S. Now See Bible as Literal Word of God

As someone who wants to believe as many true things as possible and disbelieve as many false things as possible, as well as encourage others to do so as well, this is encouraging.  For me, this was probably the first major domino to fall and everything else accelerated quickly thereafter.

It now stands at about 20%, roughly half of the 38% in 1976 and 40% in 1980.  A few points of that went from "actual" (ie: literal) to "inspired", but most of the shift was all the way to "fables".  Not surprisingly, the literals tend to be older, less educated, republican, conservative and protestant (much of which is further broken down in the pdf linked in the story).

Of course, it's still terrifying to me that 20% of Americans apparently believe in talking snakes and beating their slaves, but there you go...

I wonder how we compare in this regard to the UK.

Five hundred years ago one would have been burned alive for publicly questioning the Bible being the literal Word of God. Progress, I suppose.

Wait, who doesn't occasionally beat their slaves?

The graphic is really cool and can be viewed here:

https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/9GSiZ/2/

(July 7, 2022 at 6:47 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: Wait, who doesn't occasionally beat their slaves?

I haven't stopped beating mine...

(July 7, 2022 at 8:37 am)TheJefe817 Wrote: Saw this one today - Gallup is on a roll.

Fewer in U.S. Now See Bible as Literal Word of God

As someone who wants to believe as many true things as possible and disbelieve as many false things as possible, as well as encourage others to do so as well, this is encouraging.  For me, this was probably the first major domino to fall and everything else accelerated quickly thereafter.

It now stands at about 20%, roughly half of the 38% in 1976 and 40% in 1980.  A few points of that went from "actual" (ie: literal) to "inspired", but most of the shift was all the way to "fables".  Not surprisingly, the literals tend to be older, less educated, republican, conservative and protestant (much of which is further broken down in the pdf linked in the story).

Of course, it's still terrifying to me that 20% of Americans apparently believe in talking snakes and beating their slaves, but there you go...

Boru

(July 7, 2022 at 2:55 pm)Jehanne Wrote: Five hundred years ago one would have been burned alive for publicly questioning the Bible being the literal Word of God. Progress, I suppose.

Took 500 years and there are still those who wish they could burn us all.

(July 7, 2022 at 2:55 pm)Jehanne Wrote: Five hundred years ago one would have been burned alive for publicly questioning the Bible being the literal Word of God.  Progress, I suppose.

You think that in 1522 a person could be burned alive for announcing that large parts of the Bible are to be read as allegory or parable? 

Citation needed.

(July 10, 2022 at 1:43 am)Belacqua Wrote:

(July 7, 2022 at 2:55 pm)Jehanne Wrote: Five hundred years ago one would have been burned alive for publicly questioning the Bible being the literal Word of God.  Progress, I suppose.

You think that in 1522 a person could be burned alive for announcing that large parts of the Bible are to be read as allegory or parable? 

Citation needed.

Thomas Woolston was the first theologian who interpreted Bible allegorically, and he lived in the 17th and 18th centuries and because of his allegorical interpretation of the Bible he was put in prison where he died.