31% of American adults believe the Bible is Literal Word of God - Belief strongest among those without college degrees

[one...two...tree 2,762]

...with only 20% of college graduates holding that view and 11% of those with an advanced degree.

Liberal professors poisoned the well.

I've heard that before - and its really not surprising. Though there have been allegations that the education system somehow 'discourages' people from pursuing a religious faith. I'm not sure I agree with that. More likely that a lot of people are simply naive. After all, if your faith is really that strong - there's no reason that you can't be religious and educated. I mean... many people are...

Of course - we've seen a few of the people who dogmatically in the "literal truth of the bible" - remember that guy from a few months back who tried to "prove it" with all sorts of wild "new-age" theories - about mathematical patterns in the text. I read up on one of the authors he quoted - and apparently the guy made some claim about extra-terrestrials burying secret texts in the Mojave desert. Unsurprisingly, the expedition he mounted didn't find anything...

It's hard to get a Biblical literalist to embrace any wisdom or moral truths from Buddha, or Mohammed, Vishnu, or any other resource outside of their limited understanding of faith. They consider it secularist...outside of faith. It either comes from the Bible or doesn't come from God.

There certainly is a fundamentalist element like that in most religions. Some of those people are pretty out there - especially when we start talking about finding ways to "prove it". Always seemed contradictory to me - as faith doesn't require proof, nor should faith be threatened by things that question the "literal truth" of the text. That whole debate over the science of creationism is completely bogus IMO. Science used for political purposes is just propaganda.

But at least you can understand how they take something like evolution and feel their faith is being threatened by it. Perhaps in some way they rationalize just what you said, that because faith is not something proven, they hang on vigorously in their faith that the very words in the Bible are God's and no human can take that away from them.

[Alex+R 0]

But again if a person's faith is really that strong then it shouldn't be a problem.

Well that goes to the old argument of balancing respect for peoples feelings with the right to freely express oneself. Yes, they should be able to handle criticism of their faith, but if they're being repeatedly singled out by a professor (I'm not saying that's commonplace), I'd consider that a problem that needs addressing.

True but that doesn't really suggest that a rude professor is "converting" their students to atheism or something. I've never understood that.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I'm now going to add another spoiler--I became a Christian ONE YEAR AFTER I got the MSCS.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I'm now going to add another spoiler--I became a Christian ONE YEAR AFTER I got the MSCS.

Srinivasan,

May I ask - do you take a literal approach to the Bible?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Believe in the literal word of the Bible is strongest among those whose schooling stopped with high school and declines steadily with educational level, with only 20% of college graduates holding that view and 11% of those with an advanced degree.

Converts from Hinduism, and among the 11% (I have an MSCS, Pras an MBBS).

Srinivasan,

May I ask - do you take a literal approach to the Bible?

He's already answered that.

[ILIKEALLCAPS 0]

I'm now going to add another spoiler--I became a Christian ONE YEAR AFTER I got the MSCS.

I'm not sure it's so much a spoiler if 11 percent are with you. That'd indicate you're aligning WITH the data. It's semantics, but that's generally what the literal view of the bible is as well.

And no, no "Religion Bashing 101" at my public university either. Not sure what department that'd be in....probably philosophy.

(edited cuz I typed the wrong percentage)

Edited May 26, 2007 by ILIKEALLCAPS

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

But again if a person's faith is really that strong then it shouldn't be a problem.

Well that goes to the old argument of balancing respect for peoples feelings with the right to freely express oneself. Yes, they should be able to handle criticism of their faith, but if they're being repeatedly singled out by a professor (I'm not saying that's commonplace), I'd consider that a problem that needs addressing.

Well that really depends on "if" and "why".

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

...with only 20% of college graduates holding that view and 11% of those with an advanced degree.

Liberal professors poisoned the well.

I've heard that before - and its really not surprising. Though there have been allegations that the education system somehow 'discourages' people from pursuing a religious faith. I'm not sure I agree with that. More likely that a lot of people are simply naive. After all, if your faith is really that strong - there's no reason that you can't be religious and educated. I mean... many people are...

Of course - we've seen a few of the people who dogmatically in the "literal truth of the bible" - remember that guy from a few months back who tried to "prove it" with all sorts of wild "new-age" theories - about mathematical patterns in the text. I read up on one of the authors he quoted - and apparently the guy made some claim about extra-terrestrials burying secret texts in the Mojave desert. Unsurprisingly, the expedition he mounted didn't find anything...

It's hard to get a Biblical literalist to embrace any wisdom or moral truths from Buddha, or Mohammed, Vishnu, or any other resource outside of their limited understanding of faith. They consider it secularist...outside of faith. It either comes from the Bible or doesn't come from God.

There certainly is a fundamentalist element like that in most religions. Some of those people are pretty out there - especially when we start talking about finding ways to "prove it". Always seemed contradictory to me - as faith doesn't require proof, nor should faith be threatened by things that question the "literal truth" of the text. That whole debate over the science of creationism is completely bogus IMO. Science used for political purposes is just propaganda.

But at least you can understand how they take something like evolution and feel their faith is being threatened by it. Perhaps in some way they rationalize just what you said, that because faith is not something proven, they hang on vigorously in their faith that the very words in the Bible are God's and no human can take that away from them.

I guess the question there is whether religion is being used as some sort of emotional crutch to fill in for something else that's missing. I think its fair to say that this usually in the absence of education - you need only look at the indoctrination of suicide bombers to see that.

[Oath 0]

I've downed 18 bottles of beer tonight, and if you care :

The bible is a collection of works by MEN about the works of this SO CALLED god.

For the record I don't for a second belive in this GOD many people do, but I do belive in FAITH.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

...with only 20% of college graduates holding that view and 11% of those with an advanced degree.

Liberal professors poisoned the well.

I've heard that before - and its really not surprising. Though there have been allegations that the education system somehow 'discourages' people from pursuing a religious faith. I'm not sure I agree with that. More likely that a lot of people are simply naive. After all, if your faith is really that strong - there's no reason that you can't be religious and educated. I mean... many people are...

Of course - we've seen a few of the people who dogmatically in the "literal truth of the bible" - remember that guy from a few months back who tried to "prove it" with all sorts of wild "new-age" theories - about mathematical patterns in the text. I read up on one of the authors he quoted - and apparently the guy made some claim about extra-terrestrials burying secret texts in the Mojave desert. Unsurprisingly, the expedition he mounted didn't find anything...

It's hard to get a Biblical literalist to embrace any wisdom or moral truths from Buddha, or Mohammed, Vishnu, or any other resource outside of their limited understanding of faith. They consider it secularist...outside of faith. It either comes from the Bible or doesn't come from God.

There certainly is a fundamentalist element like that in most religions. Some of those people are pretty out there - especially when we start talking about finding ways to "prove it". Always seemed contradictory to me - as faith doesn't require proof, nor should faith be threatened by things that question the "literal truth" of the text. That whole debate over the science of creationism is completely bogus IMO. Science used for political purposes is just propaganda.

But at least you can understand how they take something like evolution and feel their faith is being threatened by it. Perhaps in some way they rationalize just what you said, that because faith is not something proven, they hang on vigorously in their faith that the very words in the Bible are God's and no human can take that away from them.

I guess the question there is whether religion is being used as some sort of emotional crutch to fill in for something else that's missing. I think its fair to say that this usually in the absence of education - you need only look at the indoctrination of suicide bombers to see that.

Yep. I've said before...we should declare war on fundamentalism. :yes It wouldn't require guns or bombs...just a decent exposure to good literature.

[Artegal 1]

The only controversy I saw at my public university was some sexism--Men Haters, and Republican bashers--too bad I didn't have the dirty old men professor that invited the strippers.

As a side note you need to find out the political-social personality of any university you want to attend--that is all of my A papers that I wrote I gave a bias toward hating men and anti-republican. I never took the opposite view as this was sure to get me something less than an A.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

However, I do agree with erekose that it is rare that the prof's views make much difference in students' faith (IMO, most profs and students know 'squat about the other's faith).

Any course I took, the main concerns were:

• competence of the prof in the subject (not trivial--as turned out for one of my grad-degree courses)
  
• comprehensibility of the prof's teaching in class environment
  

[Artegal 1]

I had one professor that stated on the first day of class that over half of us would fail--that she only gives out an A or an F. About half of us stood up and left, including me--We went and dropped the class and I enrolled in a different class same subject but different professor. I guess anyone who is inflexible and thinks in absolutes really shouldn't teach--but then she was a tenured professor so no hope in getting rid of her--there was actually a website at one point that listed which professors to avoid. Word-of-mouth was another way information to skip problem professors for whatever reason.

[Anais Nin 0]

Believe in the literal word of the Bible is strongest among those whose schooling stopped with high school and declines steadily with educational level, with only 20% of college graduates holding that view and 11% of those with an advanced degree.

One would want something to believe in when you're living in a country with no socialised health-care, social security, or any support for the poor, and the rest of the country is saying, "Not my problem! It's everyone for themselves." Either that or you join the military and be part of the "poverty draft."

[Anais Nin 0]

...with only 20% of college graduates holding that view and 11% of those with an advanced degree.

Liberal professors poisoned the well.

I've heard that before - and its really not surprising. Though there have been allegations that the education system somehow 'discourages' people from pursuing a religious faith. I'm not sure I agree with that. More likely that a lot of people are simply naive. After all, if your faith is really that strong - there's no reason that you can't be religious and educated. I mean... many people are...

Of course - we've seen a few of the people who dogmatically in the "literal truth of the bible" - remember that guy from a few months back who tried to "prove it" with all sorts of wild "new-age" theories - about mathematical patterns in the text. I read up on one of the authors he quoted - and apparently the guy made some claim about extra-terrestrials burying secret texts in the Mojave desert. Unsurprisingly, the expedition he mounted didn't find anything...

It's hard to get a Biblical literalist to embrace any wisdom or moral truths from Buddha, or Mohammed, Vishnu, or any other resource outside of their limited understanding of faith. They consider it secularist...outside of faith. It either comes from the Bible or doesn't come from God.

There certainly is a fundamentalist element like that in most religions. Some of those people are pretty out there - especially when we start talking about finding ways to "prove it". Always seemed contradictory to me - as faith doesn't require proof, nor should faith be threatened by things that question the "literal truth" of the text. That whole debate over the science of creationism is completely bogus IMO. Science used for political purposes is just propaganda.

But at least you can understand how they take something like evolution and feel their faith is being threatened by it. Perhaps in some way they rationalize just what you said, that because faith is not something proven, they hang on vigorously in their faith that the very words in the Bible are God's and no human can take that away from them.

I guess the question there is whether religion is being used as some sort of emotional crutch to fill in for something else that's missing. I think its fair to say that this usually in the absence of education - you need only look at the indoctrination of suicide bombers to see that.

I disagree. Not usually. There would be a very strong chance that these suicide bombers have had their family, or someone close to them wiped out by Amerikan Aggression.

The Amerikans (pathetic, unlawful, disrespectful lot that they are) have entered Iraq and killed hundreds of thousands of people (Baghdad, Falluja, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay - name your atrocity). Regardless of education, one can see a reason for any of the remaining relatives wanting to be a suicide bomber.