According to a 2022 Gallup Poll a declining proportion of the overall American population–a record low 20%–believes the Bible is literally true, word for word.
A new high of 29% say the Bible is a collection of fables, legends, history, and moral precepts recorded by man.
This marks the first time significantly more Americans have viewed the Bible as not divinely inspired than as the literal word of God.
This trend is part of a general pattern of declining religiosity among the adult American population, as well as in populations in other parts of the world.
The increasing decline in religiosity will continue as more and more people understand that these dated beliefs, thousands of years old, are the products of the infancy of our intelligence.
The historical context and ancient mindsets that produced these beliefs are abundantly evident.
Clearly, they are all part of our very early efforts to understand and cope with the withering and unrelenting demands of life.
Before there was science, humans wanted to know about the cause, purpose, and nature of life and the universe.
Priests and priestesses, who invented themselves and claimed “divine revelation” (communicating with “gods” and other supernatural entities) attempted to explain life.
With zero science, as it would come along thousands of years later in the 16th to 18th centuries, priests, priestesses, and theologians explained life by creating gods, fabricating creation stories, writing books, and forming fiercely tribal religions with rules and theatrical rituals, costumes, and music.
This is becoming evident to increasing numbers of people and accounts for the ongoing and escalating decline in religiosity.
This is an essential step for humanity that needs to get grounded in reality and rise to a higher level.
The “higher level” includes understanding that what is sacred in our lives is that which, at our peril, we cannot violate, damage, dishonor, or destroy.
This has nothing to do with anything supernatural; it’s about life here and now.