1/3 of Americans take Bible literally

Once again, a poll shows that almost one-third of Americans believe that the Bible is the word of God and that every word is to be taken literally. Of those who do not believe the Bible's contents are to be taken literally, the majority believe that the book is nevertheless the actual word of God. Not surprisingly, belief in the literal meaning of the Bible is highest among those with the lowest education.

What is frustrating, of course, is that the same people who believe that the Bible is to be taken literally are almost always the ones who push the Bible's so-called teachings down the throats of the rest of us, yet they would kill themselves if they ever attempted to follow the literal mandates of the book.