Interpreting scripture among Mainline Protestants who say they believe in God; absolutely certain by religious group (2014) Switch to: Religious family among Mainline Protestants who say they believe in God; absolutely certain by interpretation of scripture
% of Mainline Protestants who say they believe in God; absolutely certain who say the holy scripture is…
| Religious family | Word of God; should be taken literally | Word of God; not everything taken literally | Word of God; other/don't know | Not the word of God | Other/don't know | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baptist Family (Mainline Trad.) | 53% | 27% | 4% | 10% | 6% | 482 |
| Congregationalist Family (Mainline Trad.) | 20% | 43% | 3% | 22% | 12% | 148 |
| Episcopalian/Anglican Family (Mainline Trad.) | 18% | 46% | 1% | 26% | 9% | 380 |
| Lutheran Family (Mainline Trad.) | 24% | 45% | 2% | 19% | 11% | 577 |
| Methodist Family (Mainline Trad.) | 34% | 44% | 3% | 11% | 7% | 1,211 |
| Nondenominational Family (Mainline Trad.) | 18% | 42% | 4% | 23% | 13% | 244 |
| Nonspecific Protestant Family (Mainline Trad.) | 29% | 33% | 4% | 20% | 14% | 381 |
| Presbyterian Family (Mainline Trad.) | 27% | 43% | 3% | 15% | 11% | 428 |
Sample sizes and margins of error vary from subgroup to subgroup, from year to year and from state to state. You can see the sample size for the estimates in this chart on rollover or in the last column of the table. And visit this table to see approximate margins of error for a group of a given size. Readers should always bear in mind the approximate margin of error for the group they are examining when making comparisons with other groups or assessing the significance of trends over time. For full question wording, see the survey questionnaire.
Learn More: Word of God; should be taken literally, Word of God; not everything taken literally, Not the word of God
