A recent study on Bible reading habits of Americans has revealed that a majority of Christians are picking the Bible over coffee to jump-start their mornings.
The 2018 State of the Bible report, released by the American Bible Society (ABS), has found that 61 percent of Christians prefer to read the Bible to start their daily routine instead of having coffee, sweets or using social media.
The study, conducted by the Barna Group between Jan. 4 and 11, involved 1,004 telephone interviews as well as 1.063 online surveys.
Overall, 37 percent of Americans preferred coffee to jump-start their mornings, while 28 percent picked sweets. Nineteen percent said they kickstart the day by using social media, while 16 percent said they read the Bible.
"What many Americans rightly recognize is, that while coffee provides a nice temporary jolt of energy, only the life-changing message of the Bible gives lasting hope and peace," said ABS president and CEO Roy Peterson, according to Religion News Service. "The Bible provides the wisdom of the ages for today's fears, challenges and struggles," he continued.
Other findings suggested that the Bible is a contributing factor in alleviating the fears of Americans.
According to the report, 42 percent of Americans have said that they are more fearful today than they were in the past. But among those who read the Bible, 41 percent said they feel more at peace when reading the Scriptures.
The study also indicated that the calming effect of the Bible is more pronounced among those who read it more often.
At least 62 percent of those who interact with the Scriptures most often have said that there is no increase in their fear level in the past five years.
The ABS noted that the latest report is looking into the spiritual impact and moral centrality of the Bible, compared to previous studies which only considered the frequency of reading and belief in the Bible.
"American Bible Society took a higher-resolution look into the lives of Americans around the Bible," Peterson said, as reported by Religion News Service.
"We are now able to give better context into how Americans are or are not interacting with the Bible and how that impacts their lives. We are finding the more engaged with the Bible someone is, the more hopeful and peaceful they are, along with a greater awareness of their need for the Bible," he added.
The researchers ranked the respondents according to their level of engagement with the Bible. From the highest level to lowest, the findings showed that nine percent are Bible Centered, 17 percent are Bible Engaged, 15 percent are Bible Friendly, five percent are Bible Neutral and 54 percent are Bible Disengaged.
According to ABS, respondents on the higher levels of the engagement scale are more likely to feel the positive impact of the Bible in their lives.
Among those who are considered Bible Centered, 89 percent have the desire to read the Bible more. A similar proportion said that they believe that the Scriptures contain everything a person needs to live a meaningful life. Eighty percent of Bible Centered believe that the Scriptures are the moral fabric of the U.S. more than the Constitution.
