Poll: Bible's influence waning in America, but still strong
A new poll conducted by The Barna Group shows that the Bible's influence is waning among Americans, but not nearly as quickly as some might think. And perhaps not for long. The study, which was commissioned by the American Bible Society, shows that 88% of Americans own a Bible. In 1993, 92% of Americans owned one. On average, American Bible owners possess 3.5 copies of the Christian scriptures. Interestingly, 6 out of 10 Americans who have no faith or identify as atheists own a Bible.
"Influence of the all-time bestseller is losing ground," the study report declares. But the numbers show that the Bible is still highly influential among Americans.
Sixty-six percent of Americans say "the Bible contains everything a person needs to live a meaningful life," and 61% percent say they wish they read the Bible more. Eighty percent say they believe the Bible is sacred literature, which is down from 2011 when 86% of Americans said the same, but it is still much higher than any other religious text. Only 8% of Americans, for example, believe the Koran is sacred.
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