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hrmjustin

(71,265 posts)
Mon Dec 15, 2014, 11:44 AM Dec 2014

65% of US adults believe the Christmas story is literally true.

Interfaith post

Pew Research

This is an excerpt from the middle of the link.

The new survey also suggests that most Americans believe that the biblical Christmas story reflects historical events that actually occurred. About three-quarters of Americans believe that Jesus Christ was born to a virgin, that an angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus, and that wise men, guided by a star, brought Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh. And eight-in-ten U.S. adults believe the newborn baby Jesus was laid in a manger.

In total, 65% of U.S. adults believe that all of these aspects of the Christmas story – the virgin birth, the journey of the magi, the angel’s announcement to the shepherds and the manger story – reflect events that actually happened. Among U.S. Christians, fully eight-in-ten (81%) believe in all four elements of the Christmas story. Even among people who are not affiliated with any religion, 21% believe all these events took place, and 37% believe at least one (but not all) of them occurred.



http://www.pewforum.org/2014/12/15/most-say-religious-holiday-displays-should-be-allowed-on-public-property/

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65% of US adults believe the Christmas story is literally true. (Original Post) hrmjustin Dec 2014 OP
Intriguing. okasha Dec 2014 #1

okasha

(11,573 posts)
1. Intriguing.
Mon Dec 15, 2014, 06:18 PM
Dec 2014

Last edited Mon Dec 15, 2014, 09:42 PM - Edit history (1)

It seems that the point of greatest consensus is that Jesus was born into poverty. (Take a flying leap, Osteen!) I wonder how that item might vary with the country's economic condition. The best that can be said for the current "recovery" is that it's pretty limp, and more and more Americans perceive themselves as sliding downward out of the middle class. "Jesus was poor like me" becomes a powerful point of identification with him.

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