Bible on the floor question

  • Thread starter Thread starter GreatFaith
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
G

GreatFaith

Guest
I am mostly a reader (lurker) here in the CAF,and I have loved CAF for years! Here is my question, and I really hope I don’t offend anyone with my ignorance- Is it wrong to ever place a Bible on the floor? My husband is going through the RCIA at our local parish, which is lead by one of our Deacons. The Deacon’s wife is very vocal when someone places a Bible on the floor, scolding them in front of the class and even threatening to kick them out of RCIA! I have never seen anyone treat the Bible disrespectfully. The offense usually occurs when someone tucks their Bible under their chair on the floor during the class- we have no tables and sit in chairs arrranged in a tight circle.

I will add that we LOVE the Bible. I have many happy memories throughout my lifetime of casually reading the Bible on the floor! Youth groups and summer camps when I was a child, and now as a mommy reading to/ with my kids as we sit/ lay on the floor. I always was comfortable with the Bible, and want my kids to be comfortable too- not irreverant, but comfortable.

I thank you,in advance, for your feedback!
 
The Deacon’s wife may be admired for her piety but she needs to read Romans 12 and then relax a bit!

I’m a little surprised, as I have seen this kind of Bibleolatry from fundamentalists (I grew up “knowing” that if you were carrying a stack of books the Bible had to be on the top . . . ) but not usually from Catholics.

There’s a pretty wide gap between treating the Bible with disrespect and tucking it under your chair! (And most of the ways we disrespect the Bible have nothing to do with physical copies of the book . . .)
 
Thank you NHInsider! I couldn’t agree more! I had to run and read (my much beloved Bible) Romans 12! Thank you! I have no intention of disputing the pet peeve of the Deacon’s wife publicly. I just wanted to make sure that we are not committing some sort of sin. 👍
 
We all have our beloved personal acts of piety, and sometimes we get offended if others don’t observe them.

I wonder how many Latin Catholics are offended that I don’t genuflect, but make three metanies (profound bow followed by the Sign of the Cross) or kneel for Communion in a Latin Church?

I am making the usual acts of reverence I usually make in my spiritual tradition. Besides, it would be a lot of trouble and effort by other people and disturbance to even more getting me up standing again!
 
The Bible is HIS love letter to us. Do you keep a love letter on top of your books, up on a shelf, do you only proclaim it from the ambo? No, you curl up with it, you tuck it close to your hert, sometimes you even go out and sit under a tree and even set it down beside you as you ponder in your heart what your love has told you. It is much more important where you put the word, than where you put the book!
 
GreatFaith said:
I am mostly a reader (lurker) here in the CAF,and I have loved CAF for years! Here is my question, and I really hope I don’t offend anyone with my ignorance- Is it wrong to ever place a Bible on the floor? My husband is going through the RCIA at our local parish, which is lead by one of our Deacons. The Deacon’s wife is very vocal when someone places a Bible on the floor, scolding them in front of the class and even threatening to kick them out of RCIA! I have never seen anyone treat the Bible disrespectfully. The offense usually occurs when someone tucks their Bible under their chair on the floor during the class- we have no tables and sit in chairs arrranged in a tight circle.

I will add that we LOVE the Bible. I have many happy memories throughout my lifetime of casually reading the Bible on the floor! Youth groups and summer camps when I was a child, and now as a mommy reading to/ with my kids as we sit/ lay on the floor. I always was comfortable with the Bible, and want my kids to be comfortable too- not irreverant, but comfortable.

I thank you,in advance, for your feedback!
Click to expand...
If I can avoid placing the Bible on the floor or any thing on top of the Bible I do.
 
.

i sometimes wonder if people act like that just so they can appear to be “holier than thou”

there is nothing wrong with putting a Bible on the floor…

I think she should be out at abortion clinics having a cow about what is going on THERE.

Then i would think she was pretty holy, maybe even holier than thou or me or whomever…
 
kicking people out of RCIA??? :eek::mad:

if that isn’t the most unChristian thing i have heard of lately…!!!

she is putting a mere book over human souls…

it is not the actual physical book that’s important but living what is INSIDE the book…

and it sounds to me like she has a ways to go… (Yes, i know that may sound judgmental but i am doing as the Bible says to do: judging by their fruit…) i am not condemning her but her behavior is pretty condem-worthy… pretty rotten fruit…) i can u/stand getting a little upset, but telling people to leave???

something is off here…
 
what about what people do to Jesus… not just His written WORDS…

they refuse to visit Him or spend any significant time with Him…

He is in the Church 24/7 and yet most Catholics just seem to ignore Him…

that is much worse than putting a book about Him on the floor…

that’s more like putting Him… uh… in a closet… in another house… far from you… and not caring whether He stays there…

hmmm… 😦
 
distracted said:
.

i sometimes wonder if people act like that just so they can appear to be “holier than thou”

there is nothing wrong with putting a Bible on the floor…

I think she should be out at abortion clinics having a cow about what is going on THERE.

Then i would think she was pretty holy, maybe even holier than thou or me or whomever…
Click to expand...
That’s interesting, however I still act that way even when I’m alone. Are you saying I’m trying to impress myself? Maybe I should bring that up with my therapist.:eek:
 
Thank you for all of the responses! Rest assured, we love our Bibles and never would disrespect them purposefully. I was just curious what the common reaction would be.
It was almost funny, though, (my husband thought it was hilarious) when I actually dropped:eek: the Bible in front of the Deacon’s wife, last Sunday! We are now expected to juggle Bibles, the CCC, and binders, and sit in chairs in a circle with no tables without ever letting the Bible touch the floor:rolleyes:! There was an audible gasp from the class! I could feel the deacon’s wife’s eyes bore into me. And then, I was embarrassed:o, and being embarrassed makes me mad. So, I wasted an entire RCIA class fuming:mad:. And then, it occurred to me that maybe God is trying to teach me to get over myself a little bit, and focus on things that are actually important. Afterall, after years of praying, God has brought my husband to RCIA:extrahappy:!!! Does it get better than that? And, our RCIA seems pretty solid- faith, scripture, CCC, tradition… a whole lot better than some of the stories I read here. So, let her have her thing. I will oblige. It sure can’t hurt. I have greater joy to focus on!👍
 
mommybug47 said:
The Bible is HIS love letter to us. Do you keep a love letter on top of your books, up on a shelf, do you only proclaim it from the ambo? No, you curl up with it, you tuck it close to your hert, sometimes you even go out and sit under a tree and even set it down beside you as you ponder in your heart what your love has told you. It is much more important where you put the word, than where you put the book!
Click to expand...
Beautifully put, and very true! 👍
 
GreatFaith said:
Thank you for all of the responses! Rest assured, we love our Bibles and never would disrespect them purposefully. I was just curious what the common reaction would be.
It was almost funny, though, (my husband thought it was hilarious) when I actually dropped:eek: the Bible in front of the Deacon’s wife, last Sunday! We are now expected to juggle Bibles, the CCC, and binders, and sit in chairs in a circle with no tables without ever letting the Bible touch the floor:rolleyes:! 👍
Click to expand...
get yourself one of those little folding stools they are selling now at Stuffmart, and ostentatiously set it up in front of chair, and start unloading your bag on it. Maybe she will get the message and exercise a little common Christian hospitality–which is supposed to be one of the hallmarks of RCIA–and have the janitor set up some tables.

The Deacon’s wife is not an authority unless she has been appointed as a sponsor or catechist or member of the RCIA team. yes, she is admirable in teaching respect for the bible, and I wish she would come and talk to some of our teens, but she is also not being logical and charitable.

Next time you are trying to simultaneously read from your bible, CCC and notebook, hand her the bible and say, “I only have 2 hands can you hold this for me please?”

I am of course being facetious, we need to have respect for those teaching and guiding us, but she needs to hear from the class about ordinary housekeeping and administrative details that are frustrating your experience, just as the Deacon needs to hear about problems you are having with learning and understanding.

Hang in there, Easter is only 6 months away. Welcome Home!

and yes I do try never to lay the bible on the floor, and to set a good example to my classes, also if I have a table set up as a shrine I also make the point not to set textbooks, coffee cups etc. on it. It is just part of the teaching. We give our candidates inexpensive bags to carry everything, so they can just set everything on the bag if necessary. We do use tables, but it is frustrating in its own way, since it cuts down on intimacy and group discussion and sharing, but we are doing our best.

what I really prefer is comfortable chairs, padded, large enough, arranged in a circle around a coffee table where people can set their books and bibles, but low enough that we can make eye contact, and have more a living room than a classroom atmosphere, but that is personal preference, not Law of the Church.
 
mommybug47 said:
The Bible is HIS love letter to us. Do you keep a love letter on top of your books, up on a shelf, do you only proclaim it from the ambo? No, you curl up with it, you tuck it close to your hert, sometimes you even go out and sit under a tree and even set it down beside you as you ponder in your heart what your love has told you. It is much more important where you put the word, than where you put the book!
Click to expand...
through going to Mass often, saying the rosary, etc… i have the Word of God where it is supposed to be… in my heart. The Word within you is more important than the Word without you (the physical Bible) ,
 
GreatFaith said:
I am mostly a reader (lurker) here in the CAF,and I have loved CAF for years! Here is my question, and I really hope I don’t offend anyone with my ignorance- Is it wrong to ever place a Bible on the floor? My husband is going through the RCIA at our local parish, which is lead by one of our Deacons. The Deacon’s wife is very vocal when someone places a Bible on the floor, scolding them in front of the class and even threatening to kick them out of RCIA! I have never seen anyone treat the Bible disrespectfully. The offense usually occurs when someone tucks their Bible under their chair on the floor during the class- we have no tables and sit in chairs arrranged in a tight circle.

I will add that we LOVE the Bible. I have many happy memories throughout my lifetime of casually reading the Bible on the floor! Youth groups and summer camps when I was a child, and now as a mommy reading to/ with my kids as we sit/ lay on the floor. I always was comfortable with the Bible, and want my kids to be comfortable too- not irreverant, but comfortable.

I thank you,in advance, for your feedback!
Click to expand...
This is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard of, that’s my feedback.😉
 
I came to a disagreement with a brother and his wife over this very subject which brought me to this Catholic website! The brother was putting (not his own Bible, but my wife’s onto the floor) and I rebuked him for this.
Let the Word of God speak, for we read in Ezekiel that the devil was cast down to the ground on account of his pride … 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Is it right and fitting that we should put the precious written Word in that same place where the devil was cast down to as a punishment for his pride, from the Almighty?
I believe that the lady which was mentioned (the deacons’ wife) in the original post, could have acted with a little more tact, and less severity, but I can understand where she’s coming from.
:confused:
 
I would advise not throwing your Bible on the floor, or you will be hearing from me. 😉 I don’t think setting your Bible on the floor is too bad.
 
I understand the piety and in some respect she’s right, we shouldn’t position the Bible on the floor as she demonstrates a sort of carelessness for the Word of God. However the way she corrects it is too harsh, a gentle reminder would suffice.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top