Americans are divided on the accuracy of the Bible, as public trust in religious institutions and family continues to show a mixed picture, according to a new study.
The American Bible Society released the seventh chapter of its “State of the Bible USA 2025” report on Tuesday. This research focuses on Americans’ trust levels in various institutions, including religion and the Bible. The data is based on responses from 2,656 American adults collected through online interviews between January 2 and January 21.
When respondents were asked whether they agreed that “the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it presents,” 36% said yes, while 39% disagreed.
“A half-century ago, Americans generally trusted the Bible. Attitudes are more complex these days,” said John Farquhar Plake, chief innovation officer at the American Bible Society and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible series, in a statement responding to the findings.
### Breakdown by Religious Affiliation
– **Practicing Christians** — Defined as those who identify as Christian, attend church at least once a month, and consider their faith “very important” — overwhelmingly believe in the total accuracy of the Bible, with 88% affirming this view. Only 4% disagreed, and the remainder were unsure.
– **Nominal Christians** — Those who identify as Christian but do not attend church regularly — showed more skepticism, with 32% rejecting the Bible’s complete accuracy and 29% agreeing.
– **Casual Christians** — Attending church at least once a month but not considering faith “very important” — showed a more balanced view. About 45% characterized the Bible as totally accurate, while 23% disagreed.
– **Non-Christians** — The majority (70%) did not agree that the Bible is totally accurate, whereas 12% embraced this perspective.
Additionally, nearly a quarter (24%) of all respondents agreed with the statement that “the Bible is just another book of teachings written by people that contains stories and advice.” This viewpoint was especially prevalent among religious “nones” — those who do not practice any religion — with 60% endorsing this idea.
### Views on the Bible’s Influence and Intentions
Eighteen percent of the public said they believe the Bible was “written to control or manipulate other people,” including half (50%) of the religious “nones.”
Despite this skepticism, a majority of Americans (58%) agreed that “the message of the Bible has transformed my life.”
John Farquhar Plake commented, “The data shows the nation is grappling with Scripture and its meaning for our lives. Our latest survey finds a mixture of belief and questioning among the American public. It’s true that nearly one in five Americans think the Bible was written to control and manipulate, but twice that many trust the Bible as ‘totally accurate in all the principles it presents.'”
### Trust Levels in Institutions
On a scale from 0 to 4—where 0 means “no trust” and 4 means “very high trust”—Americans rated their average trust levels as follows:
– **Religion:** 1.8
– **Families:** 2.4
– **Medicine:** 2.2
– **Education:** 2.1
Conversely, lower trust ratings were given to:
– **Arts and Entertainment:** 1.6
– **Business:** 1.6
– **Government:** 1.2
– **Media:** 1.1
When asked about complete distrust (“no trust”), 17% of respondents reported this attitude toward religion. That figure was higher for government (22%) and media (29%). By contrast, fewer Americans expressed no trust in families (3%), medicine (5%), and education (5%).
### Scripture Engagement and Trust
Respondents were also categorized by their level of Scripture engagement, based on a scale measuring the impact and centrality of the Bible in their lives. Those who were highly Scripture-engaged showed higher average trust levels in both family (2.7) and the Bible itself (2.8) compared to those with moderate Scripture engagement (family trust: 2.5; Bible trust: 2.3) and those disengaged from the Bible (family trust and Bible trust: 1.2).
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The findings highlight the complexities in how Americans view the Bible, religion, and related institutions today—a mixture of trust, skepticism, and evolving attitudes shaping the national conversation on faith and belief.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/a-third-of-americans-say-the-bible-is-accurate-survey-finds.html
