Americans Evenly Split on Whether the Bible, Koran and Book of Mormon Teach the Same Spiritual Truths

Faith Issues

On the heels of Gallup’s assessment of the religiosity by state, American Bible Society is releasing in-depth findings from its State of the Bible survey, which details Americans’ beliefs about the Bible, its role in society, its presence in US homes and more.

The annual State of the Bible 2012 survey, conducted by Barna Group on behalf of American Bible Society, found that:

• 47% of American adults believe the Bible has too little influence in society today; only 16% believe it has too much influence, with the remaining adults expressing neutral opinions
• 55% read the Bible to be closer to God, down 9% (from 64%) in 2011
• 79% believe they are knowledgeable about the Bible but 54% were unable to correctly identify the first five books of the Bible
• 46% believe the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are different expressions of the same spiritual truths, 46% disagree
• On average, 85% of U.S. households own a Bible; the average number of Bibles per household is 4.3
• 36% of Americans read the Bible less than once a year or never while 33% read the Bible once a week or more
• Generational patterns emerged where younger adults are less likely to perceive the Bible as relevant and useful when compared with older adults. Sixty-two percent of adults age 66 and older believe the Bible contains everything a person needs to know about living a meaningful life, dropping to 54% among boomers (age 47 to 65), 44% among those age 28 to 46, and dropping even further to 34% for those age 18 to 27  

“Findings from The State of the Bible 2012 survey show Americans desire to read the Bible more and turn to it for the answers to life questions but have an increasingly less reverent view of its contents,” said David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group.

Findings have remained stable since last year with a slight shift towards less religiosity particularly among young adults.

“In order to further our efforts to make the Bible accessible to people in a way that best fits their lives, it is imperative that we have a firm grasp on the views and actions of Americans around the Bible,” said Lamar Vest, president of American Bible Society. “While the message of the Bible is unchanging, how we deliver it is ever changing. The State of the Bible 2012 helps us to better understand how Americans are interacting with God’s Word.”

© 2012 DeMossNews.com