According to a new study from Sociological Perspectives, believers who take the Bible literally are less likely to graduate from college than "non-literalists."
And, if a non-literalist attends church with people who take the Bible literally, they’re also less likely to attend college, the study found.
“It is clear that involvement in a religious congregation with a higher percentage of biblical literalists is at odds with completing college,” the study’s researchers wrote, according to Pacific Standard magazine.
The Sociological Perspectives study found that 57 percent of those who don’t take the Bible literally and attended non-literal churches graduated from college. But 32 percent of non-literalists who attended a church where believers take the Bible literally graduated college, the study found.
This may be because one's religious beliefs and affiliation affect how they decide on his or her future.
A 2007 research paper by Darren E. Sherkat found that religion plays a role in how college-bound students choose their school. Sherkat also wrote that religion impacts what believers do while in college.
"Once in college, religious factors can also play a role in the trajectory of study, impacting the choice of major, courses taken and successful completion," Sherkat wrote.
And some believers often feel called by God to make life choices. For example, The New York Times recently reported that politician Mitt Romney will only run for president if God calls him to do so.
The Bible is also full of stories where God calls on people to act. As I’ve written about before, biblical figures like Job, Abraham and Noah were all called by God to act, which eventually led them to success.
According to a 2014 Gallup poll, 28 percent of Americans see the Bible as the word of God and believe that it should be taken literally. Those numbers suggest that even some non-Christian Americans also see the Bible as the word of God, according to Christianity Today.
Email: hscribner@deseretdigital.com
Twitter: @herbscribner