Terry Firma

More than half of Americans think the Bible doesn’t have enough influence on a culture that they see as being in moral decline, a new survey says.

But of course what they mean is that they read and follow the Bible faithfully; it’s those other Christians (not to mention the heathens) who, being insufficiently pious, are helping tilt the country towards Sodom and Gomorrah.

Eighty-eight percent of respondents said they own a Bible, and the average household has 4.4 Bibles. With about 115 million U.S. households, that means we collectively own more than a half billion Bibles.

Not sure the holiness is rubbing off.

How many of those books are just sitting around for show, gathering dust? Here’s an indication: Only one in five respondents say they read the Bible on a regular basis. The majority (57 percent) read the Good Book four times a year or fewer — which probably means they’re going to hell.

The young ‘uns are even less inclined to curl up with the written word of God. Almost six in ten Americans between ages 18 and 28 read the Bible fewer than three times a year, if at all.

Note: The number of self-professed Bible readers is probably inflated, due to Social Desirability Bias.

[image via EthiOrthodox Youth]