Why do only 11% of American post-graduates believe the bible is the actual word of God?

http://www.gallup.com/poll/27682/onethird-americans-believe-bible-literally-true.aspx

42% with a high-school education or less believe the bible is the actual word.

I guess education really is the enemy of religion.

2011-06-22T21:49:06Z

-yeah, I'd call it a 'dumbass survey' if it made my group look like buffoons too. most christians are embarrassed by fundies like you, as are theologians and biblical scholars.

prove this then.KJV) Genesis 1:6-7 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

Here, the bible thinks the earth is flat. What about the kingdom in China? Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;


Did the women tell what happened?
Matthew: Yes (28:8)
Mark: No. "Neither said they any thing to any man." (16:8)
Luke: Yes. "And they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest." (24:9, 22-24)
John: Yes (20:18)

When Mary returned from the tomb, did she

2011-06-22T21:51:55Z

It cut me off. But here's a few more:

When Mary returned from the tomb, did she know Jesus had been resurrected?
Matthew: Yes (28:7-8)
Mark: Yes (16:10,11[23])
Luke: Yes (24:6-9,23)
John: No (20:2)

When did Mary first see Jesus?
Matthew: Before she returned to the disciples (28:9)
Mark: Before she returned to the disciples (16:9,10[23])
John: After she returned to the disciples (20:2,14)

Could Jesus be touched after the resurrection?
Matthew: Yes (28:9)
John: No (20:17), Yes (20:27)

2011-06-22T21:56:29Z

And, of course, Jesus' false prophecies about his return:
Matthew 16:28 “There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (Matthew 24:29-35 NAB)

He also said to them, "Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come in power." (Mark 9:1 NAB)

2011-06-22T22:01:49Z

-Farsight, believe in it, to be taken literally. And the level of fundietards still decreases with education while the ones who believe it to be fables greatly increases.

2011-06-22T22:10:53Z

-Pastor Art, the devil can't show jesus all the kingdoms of the world if the earth is round. you couldn't see china from the top of a mountain in the middle east.

and the 'four corners of the earth' is more proof they thought the earth was flat:
Isaiah 11:12 …and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

2011-06-22T22:13:34Z

-Capital, I think you need to tell scooter that. I've heard many educated Christians talk about how bad the fundies make them look.

2011-06-22T22:18:16Z


-I see Scooter deleted her answer. What a coward, lofl!

2011-06-22T22:28:05Z

-Free, I think it's you, like most apologists, that don't want to discern the truth. If we were talking about any other religion, I bet you'd wholeheartedly agree with me. But because it's about the bible, you will disregard anything you hear if it contradicts your religious views.

2011-06-22T22:36:06Z

-Rita, I could also quote things from the Koran or any other book and say you should believe it. But you could probably punch holes all in it like people have with the bible. The only way people can continue to believe in it is with a closed mind.

2011-06-22T22:42:37Z

-Lil Rascal, Oh you did it, lol. It's happened before though. They issued a challenge and then ran off.

And I could see those students faces when the teacher told them how it was. I bet they got tears in their eyes and their lips started quivering, lol.

?2011-06-22T22:06:06Z

Favorite Answer

Some of these high school diplomates have a different religion. But you will
lump them in with Atheists, right?

Some of them have studied Comparative Religions in college. They learned
that most religions consider their Dogma, Book, etc. as being written by God.

The Christian Bible as we know it is a compilation of books approved for binding
by the Bishops at the Council of Nicea, starting in 325 AD. Some books (Book
of Asher, for instance) were left out. The assignment for these Bishops
was to consolidate the new cosmology, sort out the relationship of Jesus Christ
with God the Father, and to include all the enclaves and outposts into one
comprehensible format/dogma.

These books were written by humans. Look at the differences of the writers
Matthew, Luke and John about the life and times of Jesus. Similar, yes. The
facts are the same. But these are human accounts. Since those early days,
this Bible is considered as the Word of God, written by God.

I say it is not. I would have been burned at the stake as recently as 1800 for
saying this. You have very old, traditional texts here. People have been
working on this for ages, trying to get every bit of possible meaning out of
who begat whom, and how a father was told to slay his son, and that an 80 year-
old woman had a child. It's gossip to me.

Pastor Art (((SFECU)))2011-06-22T22:00:10Z

According to your link 41% with high school diplomas or less believe the Bible is Inspired by Word of God.

For those with some college, that increases to 48%

For those who have a four year college degree that increases to 53%

For those with post graduate work, that increases to 57%

You mention that you think the Bible thinks the earth is flat. Yet nothing you quoted says that.

The Bible tells us in Isaiah 40:22 that the earth is a circle, and remember that back then about 800 years before Jesus was born there was no word in the Hebrew language to indicate solid or 3-D object.

The Bible in Dt 4:19 also teaches that the world is round when it says that the stars are apportioned to all the nations. If the world was flat, then everyone would see the same stars.

You have certainly shown to all of us your level of education by this question.

Free To Be Me2011-06-22T22:04:53Z

Interesting that you don't question the quality of your education, but insinuate that the problem is with the Bible.

The reason is in the Bible: spiritual things are discerned spiritually. To comprehend scripture requires help from God, which He freely gives to every person who humbly asks Him for it. That defies the Scientific Method that skeptics adhere to.

Educators insist that any evidence requires that only the five scientifically allowed senses are used. Yet scientists who are unafraid to defy the current scientific dogma are discovering amazing things about all living things that disproves the restrictive "five senses" requirement. We are capable of at least one measurable ability beyond the five, electromagnetic sensitivity, and several others not yet measurable by lab equipment, including non-verbal communication.

True religion and science should be great partners. Unfortunately, arrogant and misled educators have made that impossible for an entire generation of misled, howbeit educated, graduates.

Ultimately, no one can discover truth unless they WANT to know the truth that can be obtained from God by sincerely asking Him for it. I have done that, and been blown away by His answers.

Edit: you added several scriptures while I was writing. I will not address each reference, and I will keep this brief. These accounts were written years after the events. As in any court trial, even the most reliable and honest witness will sometimes remember things differently. With some of the other apparent contradictions, for example, touching the Savior, it was a matter of timing: before and after being with the Father. After that, He encouraged others to touch Him to prove that He was truly resurrected.

But once again, desire to know is what is missing here. You have demonstrated that you are only interested in solidifying your position, not discerning truth. Sad.

Anonymous2011-06-22T21:57:48Z

A lot of times the word "man or men" refers to the entire human race male and female equally. I don't think it really matters about education because it's the Holy Spirit that works through us. When it comes to proof, I'd rather leave that between the person seeking and God himself. God uses people from all walks of life from Doctors to homeless people who have wonderfully smart people.

An education does not prove ones intelligence, I know a great many people who never even graduated High-school who could outsmart most college graduates any day. A diploma or degree is a piece of paper, yes it is a good thing to earn for the right person. But being wise, real wisdom comes from God and experiencing life and learning from your mistakes.

Teawitch2011-06-22T21:50:53Z

1. Statistics are set up to prove what the person asking the questions wants to prove (usually his/her own point.
2. Religion has nothing to do with education nor intelligence. There is a large cross section of all believers and non believers which range from very smart to the uneducated. There are scientists, teachers (both college and university levels), lawyers and doctors who are very religious and those who are not.
3. The bible is a compilation of the old testament (Laws and traditions of the hebrew/jewish people) and the new testament (the public life of Jesus Christ as told by his apostles). Both have conflicting writings because both were told by the view points of many different MEN. To those who believe GOD INSPIRED the words which these men wrote down. IE: He gave them the idea and they put the idea into their own words. Might not have been GOD's words, but it might have been GOD's ideas.

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