Bible Statistics: America’s Bible IQ and Beliefs About the Bible

AMERICA'S BIBLE IQ & BELIEFS ABOUT THE BIBLE

Some two-thirds of Americans believe the Bible holds the answers to "all or most of life's basic questions,"* yet only 41% of Americans read their Bible outside of church.** 

 

America's Bible IQ

• 60% of Americans can't name five of the Ten Commandments (USA Today, March 14, 2007)
• 50% of Americans don't know that Genesis is the first book of the Bible (NPR, Feb. 8, 2008)
• 50% of high school seniors think Sodom and Gomorrah were married (USA Today, March 14, 2007)
• 50% of Americans, including Christians, can't name any of the four Gospels (NPR, Feb. 8, 2008)
• 22% of American teens think Moses was either one of Jesus' 12 apostles, an Egyptian pharaoh or an angel. (Bible Literacy Project, Inc., 2005)
• 17% of American teens think "the road to Damascus" is where Jesus was crucified (Bible Literacy Project, Inc., 2005)
• 68% of American teens can't identify who asked "am I my brother's keeper?" (Bible Literacy Project, Inc., 2005) 

America's Beliefs About the Bible

• 32% of Americans believe the Bible is actual Word of God (Gallup, May 2007)
• 45% of Americans believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God (Gallup, May 2007)
• 21% of Americans believe the Bible is a compilation of fables (Gallup, May 2007)
• Some 66% Americans believe the Bible holds the answers to "all or most of life's basic questions" (Religious Literacy polls-TIME, March 22, 2007)
• 41% of Americans read their Bible outside of church (Barna, 2006) 

 

*Religious Literacy polls-TIME, March 22, 2007

**Barna, 2006

 

 

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