Religious tradition among adults who say their holy scripture is the word of God but should not be taken literally by belief in hell (2014) Switch to: Belief in Hell among adults who say their holy scripture is the word of God but should not be taken literally by religious group

% of adults who say their holy scripture is the word of God but should not be taken literally who are…

Belief in HellBuddhistCatholicEvangelical ProtestantHinduHistorically Black ProtestantJehovah's WitnessJewishMainline ProtestantMormonMuslimOrthodox ChristianOther ChristianOther FaithsOther World ReligionsUnaffiliated (religious "nones")Don't knowSample size
Believe< 1%29%31%< 1%6%< 1%1%19%3%1%1%< 1%< 1%< 1%8%< 1%6,549
Don't believe< 1%28%18%1%4%5%4%20%5%1%1%< 1%1%< 1%13%< 1%2,255
Other/don't know< 1%25%29%1%4%< 1%1%27%3%< 1%1%< 1%< 1%< 1%9%< 1%738
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: Catholic, Evangelical Protestant, Historically Black Protestant, Jehovah's Witness, Jewish, Mainline Protestant, Mormon, Unaffiliated (religious "nones")