NEW YORK /Christian News/ — Americans are confusing President Barack Obama’s messages of hope with quotes from the Bible. A survey released today found 54 percent of U.S. adults attributed a Bible verse about caring for the poor and oppressed to celebrities, politicians, and others including Oprah, Bono, and Angelina Jolie rather than the Bible. Obama received the highest percentage of attributions.

The survey found a quarter of U.S. adults attributed the Old Testament verse “You must defend those who are helpless and have no hope. Be fair and give justice to the poor and homeless” to either President Obama or the Dalai Lama. Only 13 percent correctly identified the source as the Bible.

The survey — conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of the American Bible Society to coincide with the release of its new Poverty and Justice Bible — also found that:

• Although 80 percent of adults claimed to be familiar with the Bible – the best-selling book in history – 46 percent think the Bible offers the most teachings on heaven, hell, adultery, pride or jealousy. In fact, there are more teachings on poverty than on any of those topics.
• Approximately one in four men (23 percent) do not think it is their responsibility to help the poor.

“The survey illustrates the reason we created The Poverty and Justice Bible – to highlight God’s concern for the poor, marginalized and oppressed,” said Lamar Vest, president of American Bible Society.

“The Poverty and Justice Bible seeks to challenge the notion that the Bible is outdated and proves that God – not politicians, celebrities or even our greatest activists – was the first to speak out on today’s most pressing issues of poverty and injustice,” said Richard Stearns, president and CEO of World Vision, an international relief organization and collaborator on the Bible project.

Not a new translation, The Poverty and Justice Bible is the first to highlight the more than 2,000 verses that refer to poverty and justice. The integrated study guide offers practical ideas for helping with local issues including homelessness, healthcare, literacy, wages, immigrants, abuse and even toilets.

The Poverty and Justice Bible is available now at Bibles.com and in Manhattan at the American Bible Society bookstore. Starting Dec. 1, it will be available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, LifeWay and Family Christian stores. For more information visit JusticeBible.org.