Believers need to live the Gospel, not just believe in it.
“If most people believe in many of the stories as fact, then why are they so God-adverse in the personal and family lives?”.
Its quite simple really. It is much harder to live a life dedicated to christian values than it is not to. There is more temptation in this world today and it is much easier to gratify oneself than to turn it away. It really goes to the selfishness of our society. It is very hard to live modestly, and for God, when the Jone’s next door just bought that new car, TV, or boat.