Biblically Illiteracy and Affirmation of Biblical Authority

Americans are a funny lot. According to the polls, the latest ones reported in the Washington Times suggest that the vast majority of Americans believe that the Bible is either literally true or at least divinely inspired. 75% of Americans, suggests the latest Gallup poll.

This belief system has political and social consequences -- so says Gallup's Frank Newport:

A literal-belief structure, Mr. Newport said, has influenced a number of public issues, including teaching evolution in public schools, same-sex relationships, the role of a husband and a wife in marriage, observance of a day of rest, the idea of men-only clergy and even "seemingly unrelated topics" such as immigration.

And the Barna survey suggests:

Seventy-eight percent of Republicans and 69 percent of Democrats say the Bible is "totally accurate in all of its teachings," according to a survey of 1,006 adults conducted in January by the Barna Group, a marketing firm.

And a Pew Survey says (I feel like I'm hosting Family Feud):

A Pew Research Center survey of 1,010 adults last year found that 67 percent of Americans say the United States is a "Christian nation," compared with 60 percent a decade ago. A majority -- 52 percent -- said President Bush publicly mentions his faith "the right amount." Fewer than half (47 percent) said the Republican Party was "friendly" to religion; a quarter said the same of Democrats.

What I find interesting about all of this is that Stephen Prothero in his book Religious Literacy (reviewed here) has demonstrated pretty clearly that despite our clear love for the Bible, we don't have a clue as to what it says. Don't you find these two issues interesting? Why is that everyone thinks that the Bible is God's word to us and yet no one bothers to read it -- despite the fact that it remains the bestselling book of all time!