Is scripture reading absolutely necessary?

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kesa82

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I know I’m going to get really hammered on this one, but I really do ask this question respectfully and I really do mean well. So please be nice. :o
I HAVE read the Bible. But truth be told, 90% of the time I would rather read a book on St. Philomena or a papal encyclical - or liscen to someone else read a scriptural excerpt, than read the Bible myself.
Why don’t I want to memorize it and scrutinize it constantly - even though I’m a book worm and like to ask questions like " how many angels can dance on a pinhead" ?
  • because it says things like a child should be put to death for not honoring mom and dad. Surely the death penalty for not wanting to wash the dishes is a bit extreme? Is this REALLY meant to be taken literally? And in one book it says that if a man marries his brothers widow it is incest, and a crime, but in another book it says he MUST marry his brothers widow, and dare I utter the heretical thought ; I’m not sure ANYONE REALLY KNOWS - or CAN know.
    In short, Bible reading often gives me a real headache.
    The only books I really enjoy reading - in the same way I enjoy reading a childrens picture book on Joan of Arc, are Mathew, Mark, Luke , and John.
Then too, full, or nearly full, literacy is a relatively recent development. So, clearly, for fully 90% of church history fully 90% of the congregation couldn’t read anyway. I sometimes find myself wishing that bolt of lightening had hit Luther himself, and Gutenberg too. We once had one Pope, now we have millions of Popes. 😦

I am absolutely sure that I love Jesus and Mary, and St.Joan of Arc, St. Philomena, and St. Dymphna, very very much. Deliriously, butterflies in my stomache , in a romantic sense.
Isn’t it the spirit of the thing that counts?
 
First of all, I am the:) Friendly Neighborhood Methodist, & I probably shouldn’t say anything at all, but 😉 why let that stop me now??

You are reading the Bible; you are reading the 4 Gospels. You are:yup: reading about Jesus Christ over & over, & that sounds to me like a:thumbsup: really good Bible reading plan!

I really don’t know the answers to a lot of what you are asking. I just think you need to keep praying & reading the Gospels, & when you pray, don’t forget to thank God that Jesus Christ has set us free from all those old laws that called for terrible punishments, & gave us the promise of eternal life with Him in Heaven, if we follow after Him.

And please, when you pray…Could you pray for me, a sinner?

God bless.
 
From the sound of your devotion you obviously go to Mass. Don’t forget we hear and read the bible there. You seem to feel some guilt over not reading the bible but from what you’ve said, your getting its message from other sources. I wouldn’t worry yourself over this. Many of us here have taken a serious interest in the scriptures. I’m sure many, saints in the past have not. The important thing is to stay close to the holy table, live a lively sacramental life of faith and by the grace of God do his Holy will. But you’ll find that some Catholics don’t pray the rosary. Some do. Some read the bible. Some don’t.👍
 
Zooey said:
First of all, I am the:) Friendly Neighborhood Methodist, & I probably shouldn’t say anything at all, but 😉 why let that stop me now??

You are reading the Bible; you are reading the 4 Gospels. You are:yup: reading about Jesus Christ over & over, & that sounds to me like a:thumbsup: really good Bible reading plan!

I really don’t know the answers to a lot of what you are asking. I just think you need to keep praying & reading the Gospels, & when you pray, don’t forget to thank God that Jesus Christ has set us free from all those old laws that called for terrible punishments, & gave us the promise of eternal life with Him in Heaven, if we follow after Him.

And please, when you pray…Could you pray for me, a sinner?

God bless.
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Since you asked, I certainly will pray for you !
All of my family since time out of mind are Southern Baptists, pictures of Jesus Christ and St. Robert E. Lee on the wall. I’m the only “heretic” Catholic.
And I hope to see you in heaven, if not sooner ! 😉
 
Ah, my heretic Catholic friend.🙂
I, too, have some struggles with the Bible. For instance, why does Noah’s youngest son get in trouble for seeing his dad passed out naked? Noah was the one who got tanked!
I think if you have children some day, you may wish to be able to explain mysteries such as these to them, and it may be worth your time and energy to find a Bible study group or set of books that will help you understand the little questions you have. I recently saw on EWTN an awesome explanation for why Mary Magdalene was not permitted to touch Jesus when he rose from the tomb, but Doubting Thomas was. Little insights like that really build my faith.
But you have the beautiful legacies of the saints stoking your faith. I guess the answer to your question is, no, it is not absolutely necessary to read the Bible, but i think it would behoove you to ask God for the grace to desire it. Isn’t it lovely that our faith has so many ways of appealing to people?👍
 
This is my opinion. If there is an official Church position on this, please let me know, but even if there is, I imagine it would suppelement rather than contradict me.

For most of its history, until the Reformation, anyway, literacy was so rare that the question is irrelevant in the first place. Reading scripture was further discouraged by frowning upon rendering it in the vulgar tongues. All that changed with the Counter-Reformation and later the rise of a literate populace.

On the one hand, we get a huge portion of scripture just be going to Mass regularly, but of course it is in a rather disjointed form. So my recommendation, what I’ve done myself, is that every Catholic should “have” the entire New Testament and a large part of the Old. Without intending the list to be exclusive, it seems to me that these books of the Old Testament are essential: Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, and at least one of the major prophets. That’s a pretty minimal list, and if you want to understand literary, ecclesial and cultural references to many other famous stories you also have to read Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Jonah, Daniel, etc.

Of course, if we have any fundamentalists here, the Bible is their life, and they can often literally quote chapter and verse, so before one of them questions me, I will admit up front that I cannot do that. But the basic answer is yes, I think reading in the Bible is important for Catholics.

The other thing that might be considered is that, though it is a big volume when taken altogether, most of the books are an easy read. It takes me about an hour to re-read the Gospel of Mark, and that’s if I’m dwelling on it a bit.
 
kesa82 said:
I know I’m going to get really hammered on this one, but I really do ask this question respectfully and I really do mean well. So please be nice. :o
I HAVE read the Bible. But truth be told, 90% of the time I would rather read a book on St. Philomena or a papal encyclical - or liscen to someone else read a scriptural excerpt, than read the Bible myself.
Why don’t I want to memorize it and scrutinize it constantly - even though I’m a book worm and like to ask questions like " how many angels can dance on a pinhead" ?
  • because it says things like a child should be put to death for not honoring mom and dad. Surely the death penalty for not wanting to wash the dishes is a bit extreme? Is this REALLY meant to be taken literally? And in one book it says that if a man marries his brothers widow it is incest, and a crime, but in another book it says he MUST marry his brothers widow, and dare I utter the heretical thought ; I’m not sure ANYONE REALLY KNOWS - or CAN know.
    In short, Bible reading often gives me a real headache.
    The only books I really enjoy reading - in the same way I enjoy reading a childrens picture book on Joan of Arc, are Mathew, Mark, Luke , and John.
Then too, full, or nearly full, literacy is a relatively recent development. So, clearly, for fully 90% of church history fully 90% of the congregation couldn’t read anyway. I sometimes find myself wishing that bolt of lightening had hit Luther himself, and Gutenberg too. We once had one Pope, now we have millions of Popes. 😦

I am absolutely sure that I love Jesus and Mary, and St.Joan of Arc, St. Philomena, and St. Dymphna, very very much. Deliriously, butterflies in my stomache , in a romantic sense.
Isn’t it the spirit of the thing that counts?
Click to expand...
The Bible is the other half of Devine Revelation. To ignore it is to ignore half of God’s message. Is it difficult? Of course, when we are required to interpret it in a way that might not fit our life style or accepted beliefs. When we are not free to make it say what we want it to say.
 
St Jerome would agree, he said ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. A relationship with a saint, including Mary, however devoted is of value only insofar as it draws us closer to Christ, it is never a substitute. Gods speaks directly through scripture, through the events about Christ, words of Christ, and the foreshadowing of Christ recorded there. Christ is God’s full complete Revelation, and scripture is the human record in human language of the human understanding of that Revelation, recorded for human benefit.
 
I know how you feel. Honestly, the Bible can be kind of a drag to read. I had to wrestle through that same problem. But there is a solution – I suggest that you try to find a different Bible version. I used to stick to the New American Bible. I’d sit down and force myself to read it but I wouldn’t be able to because of how it’s written. I began to start using the New Jerusalem Bible and it was much, much easier to read.

So maybe you might wanna try that. Try going to a website that has a bunch of different Bible versions. Compare some verses and pick which one you like best. Of course (needless to say), be sure to find a good, Catholic version.

Should we read Scripture? I think the answer is yes. There was a saint who said that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. I don’t remember for sure who that saint was. I’d need to look it up if you want me to find out for sure, but I think it was Saint Jerome. Either that or an early Bishop or Pope.
 
If you ignore the scripture, yes you would ignore Jesus. Here are the verses to support it:

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Ephesians 6:
[Battle against Evil] : …take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Ever since my brother had showed me those verses I keep reading the Bible daily.
 
Strictly speaking, do we need to be regular readers of the Bible to be saved? No.

As someone has pointed out, there were hundreds of years where people couldn’t read, and yet many great saints have come out of the Church.

Is a person better off reading the Bible if they are able? Of course! As Puzzleannie quoted St. Jerome “Ignorance of the Scroptures is ignorance of Christ.” Our responsibility as Christians is to imitate and grow into the image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. What more direct way to do so than read the inspired account of his life and teachings?

What if parts of the Bible, as a whole, are confusing or even disturbing? You can do either one of two things: either educate yourself on how to take the problematic passages in context from the standpoint of 2000 years of Church reflection, study, and guidance of the Holy Spirit, or you can just skip over the parts that don’t edify you, while not ignoring or rejecting the truths they may contain. God didn’t inspire the Scriptures for nothing. If there is something in them that doesn’t float your boat, it may for someone else.

Finally, speaking as an apologist, I think that knowing the Scriptures is vital if you are ever going to be in a position to defend your Faith. Certain non-Catholic Christians won’t accept anything the Church teaches unless you can show it to them from the Bible.

So what if you’re not the type to engage in apologetics or you just don’t care what they think? If it turns out to be one of your children (or someone else that’s close to you) who ends up being deluded by one of these groups and ends up leaving the Catholic Church because they “just don’t see it in the Bible,” you’ll care pretty quick. The time to prepare is now: if you wait until then to become familiar with the Scriptures, it’ll be too late. Don’t think it can’t happen, or that there can be a quick fix when it does. As a person who teaches apologetics, I’ve seen it time and time again, and it’s heart-breaking.
 
This topic brings up an interesting point.

Some historians or self-proclaimed historians (seemingly only American protestants) say that our Church kept the Scriptures away from the people lest it undermine their authority, and that’s why Latin was the only permissible language for the vast majority of Catholicism, since only priests would really understand it.

Is this anywhere near accurate? It seems pretty stupid to me, as stupid and dishonest as those claims about popes making fasting necessary just to prop up the fish industry. Can anyone cite why this claim is untrue, if indeed it is? I want to be able to defend the Church’s stance when I hear this again in the future.
water said:
If you ignore the scripture, yes you would ignore Jesus. Here are the verses to support it:

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Ephesians 6:
[Battle against Evil] : …take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Ever since my brother had showed me those verses I keep reading the Bible daily.
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JesuXPIPassio said:
This topic brings up an interesting point.

Some historians or self-proclaimed historians (seemingly only American protestants) say that our Church kept the Scriptures away from the people lest it undermine their authority, and that’s why Latin was the only permissible language for the vast majority of Catholicism, since only priests would really understand it.

Is this anywhere near accurate? It seems pretty stupid to me, as stupid and dishonest as those claims about popes making fasting necessary just to prop up the fish industry. Can anyone cite why this claim is untrue, if indeed it is? I want to be able to defend the Church’s stance when I hear this again in the future.
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The real question is can anyone provide proof that these claims are even remotely true? No!
 
JesuXPIPassio said:
This topic brings up an interesting point.

Some historians or self-proclaimed historians (seemingly only American protestants) say that our Church kept the Scriptures away from the people lest it undermine their authority, and that’s why Latin was the only permissible language for the vast majority of Catholicism, since only priests would really understand it.

Is this anywhere near accurate? It seems pretty stupid to me, as stupid and dishonest as those claims about popes making fasting necessary just to prop up the fish industry. Can anyone cite why this claim is untrue, if indeed it is? I want to be able to defend the Church’s stance when I hear this again in the future.
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Latin was the universal language of the day!
In point of fact, there were many translations into other languages, but the simple truth is, that if you learned to read at all, the first language you learned to read in, was Latin!
Did you know that in Ireland, as recently as the last half of the 19th century, many Irish-speakers & English-speakers communicated in the open markets in Latin? It was their common language.
I think that a lot of people have little or no idea of how common a language that Latin was, nor for how long. As a result, someone who wants to accuse Catholics of something nefarious, will seize on Latin as being this rare & exotic tongue that nobody but priests knew. The truth is just the opposite. Using Latin was then, much like using English today, now that the internet has made it (English) a universal language.
 
Zooey said:
Did you know that in Ireland, as recently as the last half of the 19th century, many Irish-speakers & English-speakers communicated in the open markets in Latin? It was their common language.
Click to expand...
That’s hilarious. I can just imagine the English and Irish refusing out of sheer cussed stubbornness either to learn or to speak each others’ languages :rotfl:
 
JesuXPIPassio said:
This topic brings up an interesting point.

Some historians or self-proclaimed historians (seemingly only American protestants) say that our Church kept the Scriptures away from the people lest it undermine their authority, and that’s why Latin was the only permissible language for the vast majority of Catholicism, since only priests would really understand it.

Is this anywhere near accurate? It seems pretty stupid to me, as stupid and dishonest as those claims about popes making fasting necessary just to prop up the fish industry. Can anyone cite why this claim is untrue, if indeed it is? I want to be able to defend the Church’s stance when I hear this again in the future.
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Not really. There is a translation of the Bible known as “The Geordie Bible”. For American readers, Geordies are people who live in the North of England and have a very distinctive dialect.

“The Geordie Bible” is the sort of thing you buy at the office secret Santa as a joke gift. No one would think of using it in worship.

Now in the medieval period, people had the same attitude to the vernacular as we do to Geordie. It was the language of the farmyard and the nursery. No one would write a serious book in it, no one would use it for official business. For that you used Latin. Similarly for liturgical texts.
 
puzzleannie said:
St Jerome would agree, he said ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. A relationship with a saint, including Mary, however devoted is of value only insofar as it draws us closer to Christ, it is never a substitute. Gods speaks directly through scripture, through the events about Christ, words of Christ, and the foreshadowing of Christ recorded there. Christ is God’s full complete Revelation, and scripture is the human record in human language of the human understanding of that Revelation, recorded for human benefit.
Click to expand...

Nothing in Catholicism strikes me as so alien as the weird idea that we can safely ignore the Bible.​

“It’s difficult” - so what ?* Of course it is - anything* worthwhile is difficult at first - people should be told not to be so lazy. What is wrong with people, for crying out loud ? They bother learning to drive, they bother learning how to use a computer, & with other stuff they will have no need of after they’re dead - but finding out about the earthly Life of Christ ? That’s difficult; or rather, it’s not worth the effort. IOW, Jesus Christ can take a running jump at Himself, because He’s not nearly as worthwhile as the latest upgrade from Microsoft.

That’s what’s implied - that Jesus Christ is an insignificant nobody; so insignificant that what He said, did, & means as stated by those who were nearest to Him, is not worth reading, not worth knowing, not worth quoting, not worth understanding, not worth loving.

A Christ of such trifling - not to say negligible - importance is a Christ Who is easily ignored, & soon lost; and if He goes, the rest of one’s personal faith will collapse as well. Christians who find the Life & Teaching of their own Founder a nuisance & a bore, are not in position to communicate to others what they do not themselves know of Him; we cannot share with others a love & a zeal we do not have ourselves.

Is this the New Apologetics ?

“So you say I have to believe in this Jesus guy”
“Yes”
“So what did he teach ?”
“I don’t know”
“Where can I find out ?”
“I don’t know”
“Very well - what did he do ?”
“I don’t know”
“Do you know anything about him ?”
“Um…actually…no, I don’t”
“But you say I’ve got to believe in him, or go to this hell of yours ?”
“Yes”
“Yet you don’t a thing about him - I’m sorry, but if he’s that unimportant to you, why should I bother with him ?”
“Because the Church says to”
“And why should I care what a bunch of old men in shiny hats say ?”
“Because Jesus said it’s the Church”
“How do you know ?”
“Because the Church says so”
“If that’s the best you can do, your men in tinfoil hats can get lost - & so can you !”
 
kesa82 said:
In short, Bible reading often gives me a real headache.
The only books I really enjoy reading - in the same way I enjoy reading a childrens picture book on Joan of Arc, are Mathew, Mark, Luke , and John.
Click to expand...
I get your frustration.
I had decided I’d read the whole thing through and so I started.
First 5 books of the OT. Then the NT. Then the rest of the OT.
I started in about 1997. I finished a couple of months ago.
:dancing:

It seemed that every time I got some other book, i’d put down the bible.
It took me YEARS, but I eventually got through it.

Having done that, here’s two options I would advise.

One.
Read and listen to books/tapes on Catholic Apologetics.
This will teach you TONS of scripture and at the same time, really show you how it all ties together … seamlessly.

The version I toughed 90% of my way through was the New American Bible. I recently got a New Jerusalem!!! WHAT A DIFFERENCE. The NewJ is great to read.

Two.
Keep reading the gospels… over and over.
Eventually, you can read the notes that go with them that tie in other areas of scripture. This is another good way to expand on the scripture you like to read.

cheers!

michel
 
Well as a Christian, i’m lousy in this area, which i should be ashamed of. Becoz when i’m not a Christ believer, i finished reading the entire Old Kings James bible in two weeks, but when i became a Christian i forgotten that reading bible is also important. Thks for this posting here, i certainly encourage everyone to read the bible before or after prayer time. It is interesting to find that God’s speaking to you through his words found in the bible when you ask him for an answer. Coz it happend to me many many time 😃
 
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