Believe that the Bible is the actual word of God hits 40-years-low in U.S.

Record few Americans believe that the Bible is the word of God while the numbers of those that think of the Holy Book as a collection secular stories, fables and history are on the rise. Meanwhile, the majority of U.S. citizens are becoming more and more liberal.

The number of Americans that believe the Bible is the word of God hit a 40-years low in the latest Gallup poll. According to the survey, only 24% of respondents says that the Holy Book contains the actual word of God and in consequence, should be taken literally.

This is the first time in Gallup’s four-decade trend that biblical literalism has not surpassed biblical skepticism. But the majority of Americans still remain in the middle, saying that the book was inspired by God, but should not be taken literally.

Looking back in time, from the mid-1970s through 1984, the percentage of those that believed that the Bible was the actual word of God reached almost 40 per cent. But this number has been going down while the percentage of those that say that the Holy Book contains fables, stories, histories and moral precepts recorded by man has climbed from 13 per cent in 1978 to 26 today, the highest percentage ever recorded.

Meanwhile, the number of U.S. citizens that identify themselves as Christians, has also dropped. But there are differences between how Christians view the Holy Book. While those that claim no religious affiliation are exponents of skepticism, as a whole, Christians say that the book represents the literal word of God.

But Catholics are divided evenly between those that embrace literalism and those that say that the Bible is a book inspired by God but not to be taken literally.

Results vary when they are broken down by age groups. Adults aged 50 and older are more likely to take the Bible literally while adults aged 18 to 29 as well as those aged 30 to 49 lean towards skepticism.

Also, believe that the Bible is the word of God is higher for adults with no collage education and lower for men, whites and collage graduates.

Leaning towards liberalism

The results come in the context of another poll which showed that Americans hold record liberal views. Also conducted by Gallup, it revealed that U.S. citizens have an increasingly liberal outlook on what is morally acceptable.

A record of 91 per cent believe that birth control is a morally acceptable practice and 73 per cent hold the same views towards divorce. Sex between unmarried men and women are also morally acceptable to the majority of Americans, just like gambling, gay and lesbian relationships and having a baby outside of marriage.

When it comes to the least morally acceptable practices, the poll shows that extramarital affairs, human cloning and polygamy is where Americans draw the line.

The public is most divided on abortion and medical testing on animals. Currently, 43 per cent of Americans say abortion is morally acceptable, and 49 per cent say it is morally wrong. Meanwhile, 51 [er cent say medical testing on animals is OK, while 44 per cent disagree.

The poll wanted to find out what Americans consider permissible on 19 issues, 13 of which registered meaningful change in a liberal direction over time. Only six issues, extramarital affairs, gambling, birth control, abortion, animal testing and animal fur clothing registered little change.

Some of the largest changes in opinion were recorded in issues directly impacting relationships. The views regarding gay and lesbian relations has registered the greatest change and is considered morally acceptable by a record number of Americans, some 69 per cent.

And more citizens are permissive of having a baby outside the marriage, sex between unmarried partners and divorce.

Only two issues registered a decrease in acceptability, fewer people condone testing medicine on animals and death penalty than in previous years.

The trend towards skepticism and liberalism is also reflected in the American Religious Identification Survey. According to the latest data, those that did not specify any religion, meaning atheists, agnostics, humanists or those that hold no religious view, have become the third largest denomination in the US, after Catholics and Baptists.

America is not the only country leaning towards secularism, a study conducted in Britain pointed out that more and more British citizens are giving up on their religious beliefs.