Poll: Most under 35 never heard of King James Bible
'Yet this is work far more influential than Shakespeare in spread of English'
Posted: November 26, 2010
11:45 pm Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
 Reproduction of original King James Bible |
A new poll taken for the occasion of the 400thanniversary of the King James Bible reveals that a majority of those under 35 in the United Kingdomdon't even know about the work, which has been described as a significant part of the estimated 100 million Bible sales annually, making it the best best-seller, ever.
"Yet this is a work which was far more influential than Shakespeare in the development and spread of English," a spokesman for the King James BibleTrust told the Christian Institute in a recent report.
The Christian Institute's report said the translation, which will celebrate its 400th anniversary next year, was the subject of a poll commissioned by the Bible Trust, and a spokesman said it was clear "there has been a dramatic drop in knowledge in a generation."
The results revealed that 51 percent of those under 35 never have heard of the King JamesBible, compared to 28 percent of those over the age of 35.
The institute reported that Labour Member of Parliament Frank Field said, "It is not possible to comprehend fully Britain's historical, linguistic or religious development without an understanding of this great translation."
According to officials who are working on a series of events marking the 400th year of the King James Bible, work on the translation into English of God's Word started in 1604 at the request of King James I. Work continued on the project until 1611, when the team of 47 of the top Bible scholars of the time finished their work.
