How Do Protestants Memorize Scripture?

[b_justb]

Try asking them what the NEXT verse after one of their proof-text says, and watch them stumble.

Why? To what end? Why can’t we applaud the good in people and leave it at that? Why must everything be some sort of theological wrestling match? Memorizing Scripture is good. I would think every Christian of any and all sorts can agree to that. Or can we not even agree on that?

 

[Contarini]

How do Protestants memorize verses of Scripture?

I really admire the fact that many protestants really immerse themselves in scripture and are able to recall verses from memory in order to provide evidence for their beliefs. I know that their interpretation is wrong, but I like the fact that they are able to support what they say without having a bible at hand.

I would also like the ability to do this during religious debates. It would be great to be able to provide and quote scripture verses to support and defend Catholic doctrine.

How do I do this? Is there a method commonly used to memorize Scripture?

If you want to memorize selected verses by rote, I think you’re choosing a bad Protestant habit to imitate. I would urge you, instead, to imitate the good Protestant habit of *devotional *reading of Scripture. I do not mean that this is a uniquely Protestant habit, but that Protestants have a particular emphasis on this as a staple of lay piety. In fact, it is a practice deeply rooted in the monastic tradition–often referred to as “lectio divina.” The more you “chew” on passages of Scripture, the more they will lodge in your head.

You might also want to consider the approach I have heard a professional storyteller suggest–she preferred to speak of 'learning" rather than memorizing. Instead of just drilling selected verses into your head, select a story or some other passage and “perform” it. Walk around, wave your arms, retell it to yourself as best you can. By doing this it will become part of you.

Prooftexting sounds impressive in the narrow context of an argument. But there are better ways to get Scripture into your bones.

Edwin

 

[AMDGtoo]

Just my observation with children: when I was teaching VBS (in my chapel both CCD teachers and Protestant Sunday School teachers taught at a combined VBS) everyday there were “Sword Drills” for memorizing Scripture verses with a small treat given out to the child who memorizes it correctly. When most of the children were able to repeat from heart the verse chosen for the day, the pastor would also make a game out of it (again giving out a small treat to the first child who was able to repeat the verse).

 

[PerryJ]

It is a weakness of Protestants. They rely on specific verses to support specific beliefs within their theology. Theology is based upon the entire Bible. Catholics have a "fullness’ or complete theology. For example Purgatory is based upon the enitre contents of the Bible not a couple of verses. Our more advanced theological concepts can not be understood by Protestants because they are use to the quick 10 verse synopsis. One can not advance to a complete theology unless one understands the whole Bible.

I wouldn’t worry about memorizing verses. I believe learning the complete theology of our faith and scripture in general is more important. Knowing scripture does not necessarily mean memorizing 20 verses that are not applied correctly.

 

[allischalmers]

A Christian who does not memorize scripture is a lazy Christian,
Not everyone carries a Bible, so memorizing scripture is a help when we wittness for Jesus Christ, or don’t Catholics do that

 

[O.S.Luke]

Why not practice Lectio Divina? That was pretty much a part of both Augustine’s and Benedict’s life - certainly a Catholic practice.

Y’all let too much of the good stuff get co-opted by us Protestants

 

[SoulEspresso]

For me, I repeat a line, then repeat that line with the line after that, then the next line with the line after that, and so on.

I was gratified to see that a couple of people finally mentioned Lectio Divina. Incidentally this “style” of reading Scripture (which can be used for memorization if you so choose) is making a comeback among Protestants. We’re relearning that the Bible is about formation, not just information.

 

[wisdomseeker]

I often find that protestants quotes only generalized verses that can basically be used to support anyone theories and beliefs. but they often avoid verses contrary to their believes.

with protestants i quote only few verses and use a lot of reason. questioning them is the best way for me. let them answer the question and see them get all confused.

they also like to tell the history of the Church to discredit the CC. knowing the true history should help also.

God bless.

***“I should not believe the Gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church.”
Saint Augustine (354-430), Against the Letter of Mani, 5,6, 397 A.D… ***

 

[MrS]

A Christian who does not memorize scripture is a lazy Christian,
Not everyone carries a Bible, so memorizing scripture is a help when we wittness for Jesus Christ, or don’t Catholics do that

Like Catholics here at CAF have not tried to explain the Gospel of Jesus Christ to you ? ? ? ?

.

 

[Cat]

Don’t ever scoff at Scripture memorization. If you are ever in a tough situation, reciting Scripture from memory can be very comforting. Haven’t you ever read those testimonies from prisoners of war who claim that memorized Scriptures kept them going?

And didn’t many of the saints have entire books of the Bible memorized? It seems to me that Catholics invented Scripture memorization, not Protestants.

When I was a teenager, I memorized the Book of James. Now that I am 51, of all the books in the N.T., that is the book I know the best–and it’s Catholic! You don’t suppose that the Holy Spirit used that book to woo me home to the Catholic Church, do you?!

Why not take on a memorization task as a Lenten project? It will help you to be more disciplined.

You could pick a favorite Psalm or chapter, e.g., I memorized Romans 8 when I was a young mother.

Or just do something like the Beatitudes or the Ten Commandments.

Another thing that’s helpful in memorization is doing it with other people, especially children. They memorize so easily–and IMO, THAT’S the secret to Protestant Scripture knowledge–most of us learned those verses when we were kids. When I was a child, we had a weekly Memory Verse in our Sunday School curriculum, and the ones who memorized it got a star. I am very receptive to rewards, so I always memorized my verses so that I would have a whole page of stars.

One more trick that helps some people is singing the verses, but I know from experience on CAF that many people scoff at the Haugen songs (many of which are Bible verses set to music). So make up your own melody to “chant” if it’s more acceptable to you.

I’ve heard ads on Relevant Radio for Catholic Scripture memorization systems.

 

[jmcrae]

When I was a kid, we sang them over and over and over again, and we also had a game where the verse would be up at the front of the room with each word on a big card, and then gradually, one word at a time would be taken away until by the end of it, we knew the verse(s) off by heart.

 

[Syele]

It makes me sad to see Christians here saying memorizing scripture is for weak people, or that people who memorize scripture do it only for unseemly ends.

I have found that I have a much greater understanding of scripture if I memorize a whole chapter than if I just “read it devotionally.”

Jesus fought off temptation from Satan by quoting Scripture. He didn’t tell Satan to hang on a min will I lookup that one passage about this! allischalmers posted the verse about why we learn scripture… to keep us form sinning!

ANYONE Protestant, Catholics, Mormon, JW, whoever, will know more verses that back their own beliefs more than others, especially beliefs that are disputed by another group. Why? Because those subjects come up more! Catholics have their own pet verses same as Protestants. I see the same few about Peter being the rock, about traditions, about purgatory etc. That does NOT negate the value of memorizing Scripture. It is simply normal, you have to answer the same question 40 times you learn the verse.

Cant some of you people start thinking about talking about issues, about unity, about Christian love instead of TRYING to find something to vilify the other side with? Say Im Happy clappy, say I worship the ceiling, I don’t care if you attack me or MY faith, but stop trying to vilify Gods word. It is NOT a weakness to know Scripture, to study it, to memorize it or to read it. And deep down you know good and well that all protestants are not sitting around planning their entire lives on only how to debate Catholics! And yet some people here are talking like that. Protestants know scripture cause we deem it important! If you are sick of hearing John 3:16 then change the topic.

bpbasilphx, do YOU know the next verses after all YOUR proof texts?
PerryJ, You cannot learn the whole of Scriptures if you never begin, and once you have begun, you only know part of it. Good luck knowing ALL of Scripture without learning any part of it.
AMDGtoo, Sword Drills are meant to teach Children to locate verses in Scripture rather than to memorize it. But I like them too.
Contarini, Memorization does not necessarily equal doing things by rote, just as saying the same memorized prayer more than once doesn’t necessarily mean vain repetition.

 

[PerryJ]

Jesus fought off temptation from Satan by quoting Scripture. He didn’t tell Satan to hang on a min will I lookup that one passage about this! allischalmers posted the verse about why we learn scripture… to keep us form sinning!

PerryJ, You cannot learn the whole of Scriptures if you never begin, and once you have begun, you only know part of it. Good luck knowing ALL of Scripture without learning any part of it.
.

First memorizing the Bible and understanding it are two different actions. Your quote to me makes it appear that memoriziation and learning are one in the same. They are not. One can memorize physic equations yet not understand them.

The temptation of Christ by Satan shows my point exactly. First Satan is twisting scripture for his own use. Christ responds to Satan using Scripture with the correct understanding of it.

To fully understand these passage one has to activley read the entire Bible. This would include the Old Testament. Christ is sent to the desert just after being baptized. He is now faced with temptation. Christ learns what it is to be human and face temptation. This is also why he had to descend into Hell. To understand man fully.

The desert is also opposite of the Garden of Eden. Christ is overcoming temptation and sin. Creation is being restored and harmony between man and God is being reconciled.

The temptation also demonstrates man pushing God aside. To paraphrase Pope Benedict: moral posturing is the essence of temptation. What does moral posturing mean? It means that we cover our evil deeds with plausible reason. We do not set out bluntly to do “evil,” that would be “far too blatant.” No, we pretend to have a “better way.” I see scripture twisted to fit the need of man versus man obeying Scripture. Christ is specifically given a “better way” by the Devil.

There is so much more to this story at so many different levels; however, my point is it is better that one understands scripture than memorize it and not understand it. Spend your time understanding the word of Christ.

Below are several ways scripture has to be read in order to fully understand it.

One must read scripture with intellectual humility. Do not put your opinions into scripture. Let God tell you what it means. For Catholics this is the Church.

Read it from a literal sense: this means reading it as it is conveyed by the words, discovered through sound interpretation.

Read it from an allegorical sense especially the Old Testament foreshadowing what Christ will fulfill in the NT. For example the Eucharist.

The moral sense (tropological) reveals how the actions of God’s people in the Old Testament and the life of Jesus in the New Testament shows how to form virtue in our lives

The heavenly sense (anagogical) points upward to heavenly glory.

If one wants to memorize a verse that is fine. I believe it is better to understand the Bible first.

 

[Syele]

First memorizing the Bible and understanding it are two different actions. Your quote to me makes it appear that memoriziation and learning are one in the same. They are not. One can memorize physic equations yet not understand them.

Very few people memorize quadratic equations and do not make an effort to know what they mean. the same is true for Scripture. No memorization does not prove understanding, but it does show a desire to understand in most cases and I dont think God is sitting around letting such study return void.

The temptation of Christ by Satan shows my point exactly. First Satan is twisting scripture for his own use. Christ responds to Satan using Scripture with the correct understanding of it.

Yes people can abuse the Scriptures. Memorization does not cause that. if someone is going to abuse scriptures a sSatan did, then you should attack their motives, not that they in fact memorized.

To fully understand these passage one has to activley read the entire Bible. This would include the Old Testament. Christ is sent to the desert just after being baptized. He is now faced with temptation. Christ learns what it is to be human and face temptation. This is also why he had to descend into Hell. To understand man fully.

How does memorization prove that a person does NOT read the whole Bible? You make alot of assumptions base don very little info.

There is so much more to this story at so many different levels; however, my point is it is better that one understands scripture than memorize it and not understand it. Spend your time understanding the word of Christ.

When I memorize I choose passages that help me to overcome temptation or that have much meaning to me from what I have learned about God. When I teach passages to children, I also ensure they understand them on at least some level of what they cover. People can profit from knowing Gods word before they know everything there is to know about it.

Below are several ways scripture has to be read in order to fully understand it.

One must read scripture with intellectual humility. Do not put your opinions into scripture. Let God tell you what it means. For Catholics this is the Church.

Read it from a literal sense: this means reading it as it is conveyed by the words, discovered through sound interpretation.

Read it from an allegorical sense especially the Old Testament foreshadowing what Christ will fulfill in the NT. For example the Eucharist.

The moral sense (tropological) reveals how the actions of God’s people in the Old Testament and the life of Jesus in the New Testament shows how to form virtue in our lives

The heavenly sense (anagogical) points upward to heavenly glory.

If one wants to memorize a verse that is fine. I believe it is better to understand the Bible first.

even if one chooses to memorize and then learn about what they have memorized they are still miles ahead of the soul who deemed it too hard to start and never began. Memorizing in itself is not wrong it does not cause people to twist scripture. People who will do what you accuse will do it regardless of method.

 

[PerryJ]

Very few people memorize quadratic equations and do not make an effort to know what they mean. the same is true for Scripture. No memorization does not prove understanding, but it does show a desire to understand in most cases and I dont think God is sitting around letting such study return void.

Yes people can abuse the Scriptures. Memorization does not cause that. if someone is going to abuse scriptures a sSatan did, then you should attack their motives, not that they in fact memorized.

How does memorization prove that a person does NOT read the whole Bible? You make alot of assumptions base don very little info.

When I memorize I choose passages that help me to overcome temptation or that have much meaning to me from what I have learned about God. When I teach passages to children, I also ensure they understand them on at least some level of what they cover. People can profit from knowing Gods word before they know everything there is to know about it.
even if one chooses to memorize and then learn about what they have memorized they are still miles ahead of the soul who deemed it too hard to start and never began. Memorizing in itself is not wrong it does not cause people to twist scripture. People who will do what you accuse will do it regardless of method.

Perhaps I am being too literal with my thought. One should understand before memorizing. Memorization does not mean learning and understanding. If one understands and then memorize that is fine. Understanding has to be first. I am stressing this post because I see the Bible quoted without an understanding quite a bit. Some of this is the persons personal theology. Some of this is becuase people have not spent the time to read any history. They do not understand how Christ lived. They do not understand how the Bible was constructed. Many read the Bible as if was written for them. To some extant this is true. For the most part it isn’t. I am still learning as everyone is and I believe this is more important than quoting 20 verses often incorrectly. With that said I do not disagree with many of your points.

 

[Syele]

Perhaps I am being too literal with my thought. One should understand before memorizing. Memorization does not mean learning and understanding. If one understands and then memorize that is fine. Understanding has to be first. I am stressing this post because I see the Bible quoted without an understanding quite a bit. Some of this is the persons personal theology. Some of this is becuase people have not spent the time to read any history. They do not understand how Christ lived. They do not understand how the Bible was constructed. Many read the Bible as if was written for them. To some extant this is true. For the most part it isn’t. I am still learning as everyone is and I believe this is more important than quoting 20 verses often incorrectly. With that said I do not disagree with many of your points.

then what you really mean to say is don’t quote what you memorize till you understand it… memorizing and then understanding makes no difference if you do nothing with what you memorized.

Announcing Memorization is bad in and of itself is silly.

Proverbs 2 1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you, 2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
3 and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds victory in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.
9 Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.

Notice it says first to hide the word within while applying the heart to understanding. Even those who understand wrongly are usually trying very hard to understand. It is God who gives us understanding. You can study history and know many brilliant things but without Gods Help you still wont get it right. You cannot begin to understand something you don fully know of, memorization requires meditation on the words. So it is one way to begin to study. Certainly not the only or the last.

Isaiah 55
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

 

[PerryJ]

then what you really mean to say is don’t quote what you memorize till you understand it… memorizing and then understanding makes no difference if you do nothing with what you memorized.

Announcing Memorization is bad in and of itself is silly.

Notice it says first to hide the word within while applying the heart to understanding. Even those who understand wrongly are usually trying very hard to understand. It is God who gives us understanding. You can study history and know many brilliant things but without Gods Help you still wont get it right. You cannot begin to understand something you don fully know of, memorization requires meditation on the words. So it is one way to begin to study. Certainly not the only or the last.

This doesn’t say anything about memorization. It is referring to knowing and understanding. That is is not the same. I think this proves my point!

 

[Syele]

This doesn’t say anything about memorization. It is referring to knowing and understanding. That is is not the same. I think this proves my point!

How would one hide something within them without memorizing it? If you know something well enough to fully understand it in every context you will have memorized it without even trying.

I am not in any way saying one should not understand what we memorize. You are trying to make memorization the bad thing when the real problem is much deeper than a simple method.

 

[jmcrae]

How would one hide something within them without memorizing it? If you know something well enough to fully understand it in every context you will have memorized it without even trying.

I had the same question. I don’t know what the problem is with memorizing Scripture - after all, we memorize pretty much everything else - the Rosary, the Mass, one’s favourite Novena, and so on.

 

[Phillipos]

For me its immersing myself in the scripture daily. I want to be like the Bereans in Acts who Luke said searched the scripture daily to see if what they heard was true or not.

As a teenager I memorized a lot of scripture because I challenged myself to read about 10 chapters a day and I generally watched nothing but televangelists on tv.

During college I practiced something called Lectio Divina (Sacred Reading) where instead of reading large texts at one time like I was used to reading I would take one part of a chapter (Say for example the letter in Rev 3 to the church at Laodicea) and read it over and over and over and over… Then I would meditate on what I had just read. Next, I would pray the scripture back to God. Finally read the passage one last time. Now as a student pastor I recommend this method to many of the laity in the church for the devotional time. For many of them its no longer informational reading but transformational.

As I said, Im a pastor, thus preparing messages on a weekly basis helps greatly to reinforce the scripture as I read over it, study it, and finally show the students how to apply it in their own life.

Hope that helps…