The majority of Americans believe the Biblical story of Jesus Christ being born to the virgin Mary literally, according to a survey released Monday.
Three out of four adults (75 percent) said they believe in the gospel narrative of the birth of Jesus Christ, found a nationwide survey conducted by The Barna Group.
Out of the sixty population subgroups in the research, there was only one group where a majority of respondents did not take the virgin birth literally. The exception was atheists and agnostics – among whom only 15 percent said the event happened literally.
Surprisingly, a solid majority of self-described liberals on political and social issues (60 percent) believed in the biblical view of Christ’s birth.
The Christian polling organization surveyed over 1,000 adults on a half dozen biblical stories to find out if they view those stories to be factually accurate or to be narratives that were not factually accurate but rather meant to teach principles.
Most of the respondents indicated that they accepted five of the six stories – the virgin birth story being the most widely accepted.
The next most literally accepted story is the turning of water into wine. Seven out of ten adults (69 percent) believe Jesus literally turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana.
Yet there was a large discrepancy in subgroups, with born-again Christians most likely to accept the story (94 percent), compared to unchurched adults (42 percent). Protestants, African Americans, conservatives, and residents of the South were also more likely than their counterparts to embrace the story.
The story of Jesus feeding the crowd of 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fishes, and then collecting 12 basket full of leftovers was accepted literally by 68 percent of respondents.
Meanwhile, a smaller but still majority of Americans believe in Noah’s flood (64 percent) and the story of the serpent tempting Eve to eat the forbidden fruit (56 percent).
More than four out of five born again adults embrace the story of Eve while less than half as many among the non-born again subgroups believe in it. Only eight percent of atheists and agnostics accepted the story.
Americans were least likely to accept literally the story of Samson’s strength being derived from his hair and Samson losing strength when Delilah cut his hair. Only half of the population (49 percent) accepted the story as completely accurate.
Born again Christians (72 percent) were the most enthusiastic in accepting the story at face value. Interestingly, females were more likely than males to accept this story as the truth.
In general, born-again Christians, Protestants, residents in the South, and those who describe themselves as politically conservative were more likely to accept the biblical stories in question as literally true.
"Americans are clearly knowledgeable about many of the key Old Testament stories, but they are also more comfortable accepting the stories drawn from the life of Jesus and the New Testament," concluded researcher and author George Barna, founder of The Barna Group.
"Many people seem to divide the Bible into two separate and unequal portions: the Old Testament, with what they perceive to be allegorical stories, and the New Testament, with what they believe to be factual history," he said.
The telephone survey was conducted by The Barna Group in December 2007 among a random sample of 1,005 adults, age 18 and older.
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"As an agnostic, when I hear people tell me god spoke to them.. I wonder, is god really speaking to them"
Jesus said, "My sheep know my voice, and a stranger they will not follow."
there are a lot of things I used to be, that you could blame on genes, that I am no longer, because of the power of Jesus.
oh yes...the ol' "gene for everything" excuse. I lean more towards the "God can change a person" argument. But, then again, you don't believe in God the way I do.
jester, believing in something is not just something that you decide to do or not. Some are predisposed to say believing in god, others are not. There is likely a genetic component to it. I believe its possible that there exist religiosity genes. I dont seem to havve them.
an agnostic is a failed athiest. (just kidding). An answer would do nothing for you since you blatantly do not believe in hearing from God, and you have no intention to start believiing.
75% ?,believing in the virgin birth is not the same as trusting in Christ's finished work for our salvation.I wish 75% of all Americans were Christians.
OK Jesters, you really didn't answer my questtion. I guess you really dont have an answer. When pat robertson comes up with some of his nutty stuff and says god talked to him, i figure its his imagination and/or should be on meds..
PS, agnostic does not mean atheist
No, Rube...its usually just gas. Like that voice that keeps telling you that God's not real.
As an agnostic, when I hear people tell me god spoke to them.. I wonder, is god really speaking to them or perhaps they need to be on meds. How would one know if god is talking to them or its simply a manifestation of ones imagination? I tend to suspect the latter.
For those who have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ – Greetings,
I have been reviewing the latest postings; it is evident that Citizen has refused the kind gestures, prayers, invitation to know and accept the evidence for the Christian faith. Let us continue to lift him up in prayer, -
For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion – Ecclesiastes 9:4. There is still hope for all the living.
At the same time; Jesus told us – “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” - Matthew 7:6.
Let us not continue to give that which is holy to mockers and skeptics who seek not to know the truth in sincerity.
Citizen,
"I'm not obsessed with death as the end of life as you are. I accept that, and in fact it makes life all the sweeter for being so fleeting. This life is an incredible opportunity, and its such a waste if a person refusing to live to the fullest, making things better for everyone now and in the future, and enjoying love, friendship, and all the joys and sorrows that come with being human, and that's enough. "
I will agree with you on that part and I live my life to the fulliest with a wife I love, Friends I adore and a God I choose to serve.I don't find life a waste. I don't find one minute I'm here a terrible injustice. I don't dwell on death or hell because I am sure of my outcome. As Paul says:
"16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
"That only looks like nothing to you because you are greedy for more. It's like saying Arnold Schwarzenegger can't be considered strong because he isn't strong like superman. But Superman doesn't exist."
You terriblly misjudge me but that is OK. I forgive you. I really do I'm not greedy for more. Serving my God is not greed nor is it selfish. It is my choice. You think me foolish but that is ok also. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power to salvation for everyone who believes. I will continue to pray for you Citizen. Good day.
"You had pre-knowledge that touching the stove was wrong, you did it anyway and suffered the consequences."
Except if the parents are your god, after the child disobeys them and touches the stove, they don't kiss the wound, clean it and bandage it, they throw the child out of the house. jThat's not loving, that's totalitarian.
"For someone who thinks this is a myth, you spend a lot of time worrying about Hell."
You mean I spend a lot of time dumbfounded that anyone could think such a thing just, and that such a myth could the foundation of any kind of morality we'd want to encouragae.
"So in your world there is now moral basis for good and evil because there is no punishment or reward for either. Do what ever you want and God has to except it because he created us in the first place."
Yes, there is, because morality has no need of a dictator to impose it, and punishments and rewards come from our fellow human beings.
"So your argument is nothing but dust because all you have is your belief in your disbelief. Again, your world view offers no solution to any of the reasons of existence other than eat, breath die and hope you procreate before you do the last."
I'm not obsessed with death as the end of life as you are. I accept that, and in fact it makes life all the sweeter for being so fleeting. This life is an incredible opportunity, and its such a waste if a person refusing to live to the fullest, making things better for everyone now and in the future, and enjoying love, friendship, and all the joys and sorrows that come with being human, and that's enough. That only looks like nothing to you because you are greedy for more. It's like saying Arnold Schwarzenegger can't be considered strong because he isn't strong like superman. But Superman doesn't exist.
"Well, how unfortunate for you….he cares about you and he may not be sympathetic of you characterization of Him, but the blood of the Lamb will cleanse that and he will forgive you."
Mythical forgiveness for mythical wrongdoing as decided by a mythical being. What's important is what my friends and family think of me.
"No I cannot judge God because his ways and outcomes are perfect"
Then how did you judge those ways and outcomes perfect hmmmm?
Citizen: “Somehow, I really don't care about the wellbeing of such a tyrant. The god character in your myth is not sympathetic at all.”
Well, how unfortunate for you….he cares about you and he may not be sympathetic of you characterization of Him, but the blood of the Lamb will cleanse that and he will forgive you.
“The innocent sacrificed is the victim. That's right, that's what my arguments are based on (in addition to the logical incoherence and lack of evidence), and you can't handle them, because you are locked into claiming that your god is just, merciful, loving, while utterly failing to demonstrate any instances of those traits, at which point you all sometimes claim that humans can't judge god, which leaves the question of how you managed to judge him just, merciful, etc.”
Wow….took you awhile to come up with that one huh? This is not the forum to go over all the evidence out there, nor how your arguments are like some warped vendetta.
I will say that I handle just fine. The Lord is my strength. With that I handle your hate- seeped arguments great. No I cannot judge God because his ways and outcomes are perfect. I give him the traits of merciful, just, loving, ect, from his actions in the Bible and His actions in my own life.
Citizen: “No, I think the myth you believe features such a god, which is not a commentary on whether said entity exists. I've still waiting for anyone to even present a non-logically contradictory god and evidence to support that claim. Your myth talks of free will, but also has eternal torture for choosing not to. That's like claiming that a carjacking victim has free will whether to turn over the car when the 'jacker has a gun to her head.”
For someone who thinks this is a myth, you spend a lot of time worrying about Hell. I guess you live in a universe where nothing comes with a price. I can go through all the attributes of God and his perfection and re-explain to you all of those principles of why God loves us and why He despises sin, and why He wants to punish us for sin but because He loves us, He wanted us to be able to have retribution, but you’ve heard it all before and will come back with all the non-logical, contradictory, ad nauseam.
Citizen: “You claim your god made hell, and if you claim your god is also omniscient, then your god is the type that will devise eternal torment with full knowledge of the suffering engendered thereby. Then he decides that disobedience or lack of interest is sufficiently evil to continue to institute hell. Again, infinite punishment for finite crimes. Your god is a cruel dictator.”
Oh good Lord(shakes head and rolls eyes)….you spend all the time tearing at God and do your best to instill hate into him and then you call him unjust for placing people away from him who don’t believe in him or don’t want to be around him.(Which is what those people want in the first place) So in your world there is now moral basis for good and evil because there is no punishment or reward for either. Do what ever you want and God has to except it because he created us in the first place. You’re the old adage of “Everybody wants to go to Heaven.” But then again, it is a myth to you? You really don’t believe do you? So your argument is nothing but dust because all you have is your belief in your disbelief. Again, your world view offers no solution to any of the reasons of existence other than eat, breath die and hope you procreate before you do the last. These words in our argument are fleeting, just like your world view, but the prophet says: “As the grass withers and the flowers fade the word of God lives forever.” Sorry, I know that is bad news for you.
Citizen: “And if you don't know right from wrong, there is no way to make that choice. Is obeying god right or wrong? without the knowledge from the fruit...how were they supposed to know?”
This logic is so circular. If you were told as a child by your parents not to touch a hot eye on the stove because it was hot and you touched the stove and burned your fingers is it wrong? Yes, you touched the stove and disobeyed your parents. Is disobeying your parents wrong? Yes, because they set up the guidelines for you not to get hurt. You had pre-knowledge that touching the stove was wrong, you did it anyway and suffered the consequences.
Same thing with the Garden. God had one rule:
“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Pretty clear to me….. You have a rule and a punishment for the rule.
Citizen: “Again, they didn't know whether it was good to listen or not. And whose fault was that?”
God created Adam and Eve. He is their Creator and Father. He had the rule and they disobeyed it……it is their fault.