“Yet few of them pause from their busy schedules long enough to consider that the problems they see are the result of increasing numbers of American adults making decisions based on shifting foundational beliefs and values,“ he wrote. “In fact, the social problems troubling the majority of Americans are likely a symptom of the unprecedented change in worldview preferences, in which longstanding biblical beliefs are being discarded in favor of a wide range of alternative views.”

The fact that only 4 percent of Americans hold a biblical worldview, Barna wrote, has a devastating impact on society.

“American adults are increasingly embracing a host of unbiblical perspectives — and this profound shift in beliefs is causing many of the disturbing social patterns and lifestyles responsible for the deterioration of our society and leading to the overwhelming level of national dissatisfaction.”

The survey found that Americans hold a host of unbiblical beliefs. For example:

-46 percent believe that “people are neither good nor bad when they are born, but become either good or bad through their accumulated life choices.”

-35 percent believe that “when determining what is right and wrong, you are most likely to rely upon your reason and emotions.”

-31 percent believe that “all animals, plants, the wind, and water have a unique spirit, just like human beings do.”

-26 percent say “a higher power may exist, but nobody really knows for certain.”

The overwhelming majority of Americans, 92 percent, hold a syncretic worldview, meaning their belief system is an inconsistent mesh of different philosophies and worldviews, the report said.

The survey of 2,000 adults was conducted in January.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Theerayut Kaenthao