Fewer Americans believe the Bible is literally the word of God than ever before, a new Gallup poll shows.

The poll indicates only 20 percent of Americans polled believe the Holy Bible contains the literal word of God.

That’s down 4 percent from the 2017 poll result (the last time Gallup asked Americans the question).

Approximately 3 in 10 Americans said they believe the Bible is merely a collection of “fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.”

Gallup says it was the first time so many Americans see the Bible not as the divine word of God.

Gallup’s Frank Newport writes that such a shift should not be a surprise since other factors indicate fewer Americans identify with a specific religion, fewer regularly attend church services and fewer suggest they even believe in God.

Even among poll respondents who said they were Christians, only 25 percent said they believed the Bible was the literal word of God, with 58 percent of Christians saying the Bible was inspired by the word of God and 16 percent of self-identified Christians reporting the Bible was merely a collection of fables.

To read more on Gallup’s findings visit: https://news.gallup.com/poll/394262/fewer-bible-literal-word-god.aspx