Overcoming Fear of the Bible

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MerryKate

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Hi, everyone-- First time poster here!🙂

During my spiritually tumultuous teenaged years, I struggled under fundamentalist Protestantism, especially 5-point Calvinism and biblical literalism. Even now, as I have returned to the Catholic Church and feel much more secure in God’s abundant love and mercy, I feel the lingering effects of these past hurts.

Perhaps most damaging nowadays is my deeply ingrained fear of the Bible. I have simply felt so much fear–endured so many panic attacks–in those earlier days I spent scouring its pages.

I find spiritual nourishment in many other ways, including Mass, Adoration, the Rosary, music, reading contemporary and Early Church writers, Confession, and simply talking to God as a friend. Nonetheless, I’d like to conquer what I recognize as an irrational fear of reading the Bible. I have completed the New Testament (aside from a few chapters in Revelation due to random panic!) But the Old Testament… I fear reading it could bring back a rush of my past feelings dealing with a wrathful, vindictive image of God.

Any help is greatly appreciated,

Kate
 
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MerryKate said:
Mass, Adoration, the Rosary
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You’ve got a good start there, since after all, Mass has an Old Testament reading and the rosary is also heavily based in Scripture. Perhaps you can take a tiny step like reading one of the books of wisdom (Wisdom, Psalms, Proverbs, etc.). Particularly either Wisdom or the Canticle of Canticles. Do you have a bible with a very solid Catholic commentary? If you don’t, I suggest you invest in one. The Didache bible has quotes from the Catechism in it, so if you start to panic, you could ground yourself with a CCC quote.
 
Wow. You do have panic attacks - lol -
I am reading the Bible - all the way through - just finished up the Old Testament.
Not easy. Started all gung ho. ( started January 1st )

There were times, that it was a chore. Other times I felt overwhelmed.
Other times it was all easy and enlightening.
But I’d say - go at your own pace -

Sometimes I read along, as a youtube voice recites the bible book -
Sometimes I read outside. Sometimes morning. etc .
Remember - it’s God’s book - and he truly speaks to us - through his Prophets.
 
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Perhaps attending a good Bible study group may help? I feel like this is something you could bring up and if it’s a good group, they could help you work through it. Just an idea.
Also, you might consider a book by Trent Horn - Hard Sayings, which may be beneficial. I believe it addresses some of the more difficult areas of the Bible.
 
If you ever have the opportunity, Jeff Cavins’ Bible Study, The Bible Timeline: the Story of Salvation, is excellent. It helps you understand the Old Testament and how it ties to the NT and salvation. We all struggled with parts of the OT, but it was a different time, different customs. We all agreed we could take it again and learn something new. Prayers as you read!
 
I agree with Aquinas above, a good Catholic bible study group would be helpful. I would also suggest Bishop Robert Barron’s videos from his Word on Fire ministry, specifically the Catholicism series. I would also recommend the bookA Father Who Keeps His Promises by Dr. Scott Haun. He goes through the Old Testament covenants step by step and shows the love of God for man building up over the Old Testament into the New Covenant in Christ.

I will be praying for you.

God Bless,
Br. Ben, CRM
 
I empathise deeply with you. I learned Christianity as a Fundamentalist Baptist and honestly, other than a few passages here and there, I haven’t read one of Paul’s Epistles in full since I came back to the Church. Intellectually I know what’s true and what isn’t, but I get anxious opening to Romans and Galatians all the same. “All have sinned…” “No one is righteous…” These passages are deeply ingrained.

One things that’s helped me a lot is reading the Church Fathers. They reference the Old Testament a lot, but those early references to Paul helped me see how truly Catholic Paul is. I also use the Ignatius Study Bible for clarification on Pauline writing. I have a deep love for Scripture, even more so now that I know it belongs within the context of the Liturgy and the Church. One day I plan on devoting as much time as necessary to studying only Paul’s writings (not least of all so I can use him against my Baptist “friends” convinced I’m spiritually doomed). And I won’t be doing it in a group because I just don’t know if I can handle anymore debates about head coverings…
 
Welcome! I came in from fundamentalist Protestantism as well, and I’m quite familiar with what you’re dealing with. It was difficult for me to manage a lot of Bible studies as well - a lot of stuff tends to be aimed at protecting people from worldliness. People with our background, that’s usually the last thing we need to hear about. A good bible study can be helpful, but a bible study with people who are largely unfamiliar with fundamentalist protestantism can be rough.

Personally, take it slow. Sometimes different translations help - Catholics tend to be less attached to this or that translation. And Scripture reading isn’t quite as essential as it is in fundamentalist circles. It’s still very important, don’t get me wrong! But when I was in those circles, you had to be doing your personal bible reading every day or you weren’t doing it right. It’s perfectly ok as a Catholic to do prayers or reading spiritual books or something as most of your devotions, and just doing Scripture reading as you feel up for it.
 
Sweetheart,
On Sunday, after mass and lunch, sprinkle Holy Water on the Bible snd bless yourself w HOLY WATER. That will make you feel united w scripture. The enemy has robbed you of joy in Gods word. Read Matthew 11–Read Luke 11 and 12. Read all of Ephesians. Note Paul’s prayer for His church. I Corinthians 13:1-??LOVE IS PATIENT AND KIND verses. Only read the NT till you are friends w scripture. Then do Psalms and Proverbs and Isaiah. It’ll all work out. Go to Bible Studies.
God set her free from the memories,that hold her back in her journey w You,in all its fullness.
In Christ’s love
Tweedlealice
 
Maybe books like Song of Songs and the Psalms might help.
 
I cannot understand your fear as I never had this. I like the Bible as I like books. I read the Bible for fun as a child - I loved its narratives and stories. It was like a story book for me. Later as an adult, when I become deep in the Lord, the Bible took another meaning, and truly, it is a word of God alive. Not ashamed to confess that I often broke down and cried as the word touched my heart and my life. I have never tired of reading it, and often repeating them over and over again.

I pray you overcome your fear. It is a book of love, a love letter from the Father to you, His lovely daughter. You will discover how loving the Father God is.

God bless.
 
How about every day you read the daily Readings for the Mass?
That has a little chunk of Old Testament, combined with a New Testament reading, and there is a common theme running through both, often about God’s love.
Less scary than reading the OT all by itself.

If you did that for a few months or a year, you would be reading a little bit of the OT each day and hopefully getting past your fear.

God bless and good luck, we’re glad you’re in the Church now!
 
Reuben_J said:
I cannot understand your fear as I never had this
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There are people out there who use the Bible as a club, to show others how they are bad and awful and failing. And it can be very hard to separate those passages from the use they’ve been put to.

Note: The following is nonsense, but it’s a fair representation of the kind of thing I’d have heard.
The Bible talks about the joy of the Lord, right? And it talks about how sin separates you from God. But if you’re walking with God, you’ll have that joy in your life. And the Bible says, the believer can do all things in Christ, and faith can move mountains. But God doesn’t listen to people who are living in sin. So if you’re depressed or anxious, you just need to repent of the sin that is causing you to be separated from your joy, and have faith in God. Secular “science” has thrown out God, that’s why we see all this stuff about evolution and homosexuality. Secular science will tell you to take a pill, they’ll tell you to go to a therapist who doesn’t believe in God’s values, but it will never talk about faith! You don’t need secular garbage, you need to repent and have faith!
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