[lbo-talk] Americans and the bible

Jeffrey Fisher jeff.jfisher at gmail.com
Wed Mar 24 13:53:00 PDT 2010


i can't believe i've been missing the other thread altogether, and i have no time at the moment to catch up on it in a way to be really helpful, but it really is worth looking at all the data in this link, i think, because you see the split between protestants and catholics on the "actual word of god" question, and very much the same split between born-again and not-born-again protestants. to say that the bible is the actual word of god is a vastly different thing than to consider it "inspired," which allows much more room for interpretation. even the term "inspired" can be construed in a variety of ways, some more exclusivist, but most more inclusivist and pluralist, and even with something like a modern historical orientation.

I would have liked a fourth option in the poll, between "inspired" and fables, because to commit to "fables and legends" is the equivalent of calling it worthless and meaningless (or pernicious and something like evil). I'm noodling what I think that fourth option would be (because the third option probably should stay for a variety of reasons).

sorry I don't have time to say more on this, since as you can all probably imagine, i have thoughts. :-)

On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 3:25 PM, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:


> More on the status of the bible among Americans.
>
> <http://www.gallup.com/poll/15313/Teens-Stance-Word-God.aspx>
>
> teens adults
> actual word of God 39% 34%
> inspired word of God 46 48
> fables & legends 14 15
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>



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