Americans Believe: A new poll released by Newsweek reveals some surprising statistics on how Americans view Jesus and his birth.

· 93% percent of all Americans believe Jesus really lived.

· 82% see Jesus as God or the Son of God.

· 73% say they believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary.

· 67% of Americans think the entire Christmas story is historically accurate, including the virgin birth, angelic proclamation to the shepherds, the star of Bethlehem and the wise men from the East.

· 84% consider themselves Christians.

· 55% believe the Bible is literally accurate.

· 52% believe Jesus will return to earth some day, and 15% think it will be during their lifetime.

· 11% say American society as a whole very closely reflects true Christian values and the spirit of Jesus; 53% say it somewhat reflects those values.

· 86% think organized religion has “a lot” or “some”

· influence over life in the U.S. (PWB 12/10/04)

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