Google: Why don't catholics... (read the bible)

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I have read the bible on a nearly daily basis for 30 years. In recent years I’ve been studying the scriptures with the help of commentaries (Anchor, Sacra Pagina, Interpretation, etc.). In the last two years I have done studies on Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekial, I and II Thessalonians, I and II Peter, Jude and Revelation. I’ve also taught courses in Protestant and Catholic Churches on how to use the bible (reading, meditation, memorization, and study), lectio divina, and so on. I organized and led a program in my parish in which over 400 people attended a day-long seminar on the scriptures and more than 100 people participated in a year-long overview of the bible.

Lots of Catholics read the bible. Lots of Protestants (even in evangelical churches) have only a superficial knowledge of the bible. On average, more Protestants read the bible on a regular basis than Catholics, but I think Catholics are catching up.
 
I read the bible on occasion, when I feel drawn to it. Unfortunately when I am drawn to it and begin to read, I can’t seem to get into it! If there was a bible study, or someone else I knew that reads it and would talk about it I believe I would be reading it a whole lot more. But sadly that is not the case.
 
army_girl said:
I read the bible on occasion, when I feel drawn to it. Unfortunately when I am drawn to it and begin to read, I can’t seem to get into it! If there was a bible study, or someone else I knew that reads it and would talk about it I believe I would be reading it a whole lot more. But sadly that is not the case.
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Hi I hope you don’t mind my writing, but, I might have some help for you.
What ever you do in life that gives you joy and you want to carry on with it, that is how we gain a relationship with Jesus.
If you were to read the “new testement” especially about Jesus taking in His words into your heart, questioning them, why would He do these things why did the people follow Him and then kill Him?
Mostly offer yourself up to Him, tell Him you want to know Him , to have a relationship with Him. You would like to love Him for the way He lives. Then don’t stop there, keep on giving yourself to Him and ask Him into your heart.
Then your reading will become more and more the centre of your life, not the flesh, ( not saying it is).
Godbless.
 
I read the Bible every day; I can’t avoid it, since Bible recitation is part of the Daily Office.
 
domini_canus said:
I read the Bible every day; I can’t avoid it, since Bible recitation is part of the Daily Office.
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Good for you keep it up Jesus tells us that man does not live by bread alone but by EVERY WORD OF GOD.
Godbless
 
tobinatorstark said:
I strongly suggest the Douay-Rheims only in this case. It is a true Catholic Bible and has no Protestantism in it. You will be able to refute the fundamentalist and let them see the errors within the truth. One doesn’t need a degree in theology. Theology is well more complicated than the Bible in general. I, myself am not ready to tackle theology.
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All right. But uh, I’m afraid I’m incapable of buying a Bible right now (or, for that matter, anything else that needs a trip to the mall). :o Do you have any good links to some online Douay-Rheims? :o I mostly debate online anyays.
 
MarieVeronica said:
I find that I disagree, pretty strongly… with “Google”. I’d like to know where they are getting their “facts” from.

I believe that it’s a pretty widespread misconception… that “Catholics don’t read the Bible”. And that it’s more or less thrown out there, by the same folks who claim that we worship Mary as a goddess… and pray to statues. 🤷

Not only DO many (if not MOST) Catholics read the Bible on a regular basis… but we may even be receiving more consistent exposure to Sacred Scripture than some who claim otherwise; through the Divine Office readings, praying the Rosary… and daily and Sunday Mass readings.

I was amazed at how much Sacred Scripture I remembered, after having been away from the Church for 10 years. And I have only an average memory. If Catholics don’t read the Bible… how do I account for my memories? Simple… Sacred Scripture is imbedded in the Catholic soul, from a very early age… and on a regular basis.

This may just be my own :twocents:… but I really feel that these folks who say “Catholics don’t read the Bible”… themselves, do not know what they’re talking about. They are badly misinformed. And they spread the misinformation all over. Sad.
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Nicely said Veronica… and better much better than my reply. Blessings!
 
littleone said:
Good for you keep it up Jesus tells us that man does not live by bread alone but by EVERY WORD OF GOD.
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Exactly. And for me and my wife, it really is like nourishment. If I miss morning or evening prayer, it’s like skipping a meal. I feel emptiness encroaching.
 
MarieVeronica said:
I find that I disagree, pretty strongly… with “Google”. I’d like to know where they are getting their “facts” from.

I believe that it’s a pretty widespread misconception… that “Catholics don’t read the Bible”. And that it’s more or less thrown out there, by the same folks who claim that we worship Mary as a goddess… and pray to statues. 🤷

Not only DO many (if not MOST) Catholics read the Bible on a regular basis… but we may even be receiving more consistent exposure to Sacred Scripture than some who claim otherwise; through the Divine Office readings, praying the Rosary… and daily and Sunday Mass readings.

I was amazed at how much Sacred Scripture I remembered, after having been away from the Church for 10 years. And I have only an average memory. If Catholics don’t read the Bible… how do I account for my memories? Simple… Sacred Scripture is imbedded in the Catholic soul, from a very early age… and on a regular basis.

This may just be my own :twocents:… but I really feel that these folks who say “Catholics don’t read the Bible”… themselves, do not know what they’re talking about. They are badly misinformed. And they spread the misinformation all over. Sad.
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You make some good points. I belonged to a different website that was frequented mostly by Protestants, some of whom also wondered why Catholics did not read scripture. One of the contributers mentioned that he had attended a Catholic mass with a friend and had been very surprised at the amount of scripture reading that was present in the liturgy of the word and the frequent scripture passages that are used in the celebration of the mass. He felt that, on the whole, Catholics actually utilized more scripture in Catholic worship than most Protestant communities did. He readily admitted that his image of Catholics as generally avoiding the Bible was false. I was pleased to read this from a Protestant who was willing to confront his lack of information and review his false image of Catholics.
 
Lost_Wanderer said:
All right. But uh, I’m afraid I’m incapable of buying a Bible right now (or, for that matter, anything else that needs a trip to the mall). :o Do you have any good links to some online Douay-Rheims? :o I mostly debate online anyays.
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as mentioned before www.drbo.org is good and so is catholicfirst.com/ in this site you will also find other Catholic treasures like the Imitation of Christ and Rule of St. Benedict. also the Haydock Bible Commentary is great haydock1859.tripod.com/
 
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