American confidence in the Bible’s veracity is at an all-time low, Gallup, Inc. reported Wednesday, with just 20% professing a belief that the religious book is the literal word of God.
For the first time, more Americans are Scripture doubters than they are believers. Gallup noted 29% of those surveyed said the Bible is comprised of “fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.”
Gallup said 49% of those responding took the view that the Bible is “inspired by God” but that not all of the book is “to be taken literally.”
The 20% figure for those who say they view the Bible as the literal expression of God’s thoughts is down four percentage points since 2017, the last time Gallup surveyed Americans on that question and is half of the high point figures reported in 1980 and 1984.