News & Reporting

Nearly 8 in 10 Americans do not believe that the Bible tells them who to vote for this presidential election, according to the American Bible Society's "State of the Bible 2012."

This year's annual report, conducted by Barna Group, indicates that Americans' views of the Bible's role in politics vary largely by generation, but that Americans still perceive themselves to be relatively pious – if "not always knowledgeable" about the Bible itself.

According to the report, first released in April, 8 in 10 people surveyed said they believe the Bible is "sacred or holy." In contrast, only 10 percent said the same about the Quran, and even fewer – 6 percent – believe the same for the Book of Mormon. In spite of this, nearly 1 in every 2 people expressed a belief that "the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths" and are in total agreement.

Moreover, 85 percent of American households own at least one Bible, and 79 percent of adults surveyed consider themselves at least "somewhat knowledgeable" about the Bible. Yet, less than half of adults surveyed could name the first five books of the Old Testament. Nearly 3 in 10 respondents "owned up" and said they were "not sure" they could name any of them.

CT previously cited the State of the Bible report in June, when we reported that Americans' largest frustration with the Bible is a lack of time to read it.

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