Paper or Plastic, which is your favorite? (Electronic or hard copy?)

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CalCatholic

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Hold on!!! Before you notify the moderators about spam, I am not asking you how your groceries are bagged!

I, like many people on this forum have many Bibles which I use. I have numerous physical Bibles on my bookshelves (Paper) but I also have numerous Bibles that I have collected on my ipad and kindle (Plastic).

Now I use both paper and plastic Bibles because they both have their pluses (and minuses). But that is not the question; It is Paper or Plastic? :confused: Not both! :eek:

So if you could only choose one, which would it be???
 
CalCatholic said:
Hold on!!! Before you notify the moderators about spam, I am not asking you how your groceries are bagged!

I, like many people on this forum have many Bibles which I use. I have numerous physical Bibles on my bookshelves (Paper) but I also have numerous Bibles that I have collected on my ipad and kindle (Plastic).

Now I use both paper and plastic Bibles because they both have their pluses (and minuses). But that is not the question; It is Paper or Plastic? :confused: Not both! :eek:

So if you could only choose one, which would it be???
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Plastic paper. 😃

Nah. Nowadays I tend to search the net whenever I need to look something up in the Bible, but when it comes down to it I would still prefer holding an actual book in my hands. It’s not just Bibles I’m talking about here: all the newfangled thingies make things easier for us today, but that’s the thing - they make things too convenient. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but I’m a bibliophile. E-books can never replace hard copies.

But hey, what about audio? 😉
 
I tend to use my “plastic” a lot more simply because it’s always with me. I usually have my tablet close by so the bible is right at hand. The dead tree version may not be where I am.
 
patrick457 said:
Plastic paper. 😃

Nah. Nowadays I tend to search the net whenever I need to look something up in the Bible, but when it comes down to it I would still prefer holding an actual book in my hands. It’s not just Bibles I’m talking about here: all the newfangled thingies make things easier for us today, but that’s the thing - they make things too convenient. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but I’m a bibliophile. E-books can never replace hard copies.

**But hey, what about audio? **😉
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If you have a visual impairment which does not allow you to use one of the other options, then yes you can choose audio. 👍
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
I tend to use my “plastic” a lot more simply because it’s always with me. I usually have my tablet close by so the bible is right at hand. The dead tree version may not be where I am.
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Yes, the Plastic version is very convenient, that is what makes this question, Paper or Plastic (or audio)? very hard!!!

As Jesus said in the Gospel reading from a few Sundays ago:
"Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division."

So the question remains, Paper or Plastic (yes, or audio :))!!!

Isn’t audio really a kind of Plastic also?
 
Walk into a coffee shop and put a Kindle on the table and you have done just that, put a Kindle on the table.

Walk into the same coffee shop and put a Bible on the table and you have claimed that space for Christ. No one who walks by will be ambivalent. People will scowl, laugh, smile, give you the thumb’s-up and engage you in conversation, but not a single person who sees the Bible sitting there will be without reaction.

Try the same thing in your living room next time you have company. Put a kindle and a Bible on the coffee table and see which one generates more conversation.

People can make dead-tree comments if they want and complain about wasting resources but every tree should have the privilege of dying to become a Bible so that man could better know his God. Becoming a Bible is the ultimate use for a tree.

Having said that, searching is easier online.

The OP asked about which is a personal favorite. My favorite is paper. There is something sublime about a fine leather and parchment paper Bible. An electronic Bible has it’s place in my life but will never replace a good Bible.

-Tim-
 
TimothyH said:
Walk into a coffee shop and put a Kindle on the table and you have done just that, put a Kindle on the table.

Walk into the same coffee shop and put a Bible on the table and you have claimed that space for Christ. No one who walks by will be ambivalent. People will scowl, laugh, smile, give you the thumb’s-up and engage you in conversation, but not a single person who sees the Bible sitting there will be without reaction.

Try the same thing in your living room next time you have company. Put a kindle and a Bible on the coffee table and see which one generates more conversation.

People can make dead-tree comments if they want and complain about wasting resources but every tree should have the privilege of dying to become a Bible so that man could better know his God. Becoming a Bible is the ultimate use for a tree.

Having said that, searching is easier online.

The OP asked about which is a personal favorite. My favorite is paper. There is something sublime about a fine leather and parchment paper Bible. An electronic Bible has it’s place in my life but will never replace a good Bible.

-Tim-
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Good point about the Paper Bible being a good starter for evangelizing.

I have to admit, for me I still like holding and turning the pages of a physical ‘Paper’ Bible the best. Plastic will never replace that for me. But Plastic is so easy to carry with me when I go walking to the bookstore for a cafe latte 😊???
 
In my case I use my computer far more than any real book these days. It’s just so convenient. And with FMS, holding books for any length of time is painful. Online I can read the daily Mass readings, look up any book or verse I want, and read any passage. I’m something of a hermit in that I rarely leave my house and almost never have company. I’ve got shelves full of books that I hardly look at anymore. It’s just the way technology has gone. At one time books were very rare. Only the very rich owned them and Bibles had to be chained to keep them from being stolen–not to be read but to be sold for their monetary value. I’m fine with keeping up with the tech for my own use. Using a Bible as a evangelization tool is a good idea, as CalCatholic cited. But, it’s not really an issue for me since I don’t haunt coffee shops and other such places. But, it’s a good thing to do if one has that opportunity. 🙂
 
CalCatholic said:
Hold on!!! Before you notify the moderators about spam, I am not asking you how your groceries are bagged!

I, like many people on this forum have many Bibles which I use. I have numerous physical Bibles on my bookshelves (Paper) but I also have numerous Bibles that I have collected on my ipad and kindle (Plastic).

Now I use both paper and plastic Bibles because they both have their pluses (and minuses). But that is not the question; It is Paper or Plastic? :confused: Not both! :eek:

So if you could only choose one, which would it be???
Click to expand...
I agree that each have a pluses and minuses, but if I had to only choose one, I would go with Paper! There’s nothing like the feel of the binding, the weight of the pages, the smell of the paper. Plus, I can’t just sit and read the Bible from front to back. I’m always skipping around, and as such, have several makers from where to pick up from.

I know a lot of what I do can be done with an electronic device, and might even be easier with certain search features. But, for me, I feel like I understand the material better when my hand can run across the pages.

Ask me if it was 100-years from now, and I’d probably ask you what paper was. 😉
 
Paper, leather bound, is my favorite . (With lots of ribbons.)
 
CalCatholic said:
If you have a visual impairment which does not allow you to use one of the other options, then yes you can choose audio. 👍
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Audio is also useful if you want to share something, like in a bible study, or checking another Bible version at the same time. 🙂 🤷 :gopray:
 
Paper, of course, as I love the feel and smell of a real book in my hand. It’s easier on my eyes, as screens tire my eyes out too soon.

When I first saw the title, I was going to say that while I do like my plastic debit card, the feel of real paper money in my hand makes me feel just a little bit more prosperous.😛
 
CalCatholic said:
Hold on!!! Before you notify the moderators about spam, I am not asking you how your groceries are bagged!

I, like many people on this forum have many Bibles which I use. I have numerous physical Bibles on my bookshelves (Paper) but I also have numerous Bibles that I have collected on my ipad and kindle (Plastic).

Now I use both paper and plastic Bibles because they both have their pluses (and minuses). But that is not the question; It is Paper or Plastic? :confused: Not both! :eek:

So if you could only choose one, which would it be???
Click to expand...
I have both also, and I much prefer the “paper” because on a nook or Ipad, etc, it is difficult to cross reference or even read footnotes while you are reading a passage. I downloaded the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible on to my Nook, and wish I had not because of the problem of not being able to cross reference easily. You can’t flip around the pages to locate something, or just look at the bottom of a page for the footnote.
 
CalCatholic said:
So if you could only choose one, which would it be???
Click to expand...
Definitely paper. Reading the Bible on the computer screen is OK for a couple minutes if looking up something, but for any length of time and to have it sink in this thick skull, paper is the way to go. 🙂
 
As an iPad owner, I can understand the appeal of e-books or e-bibles, but I still love my paper. There are a lot of things I’ve read on Kindle, and I like it for novels and things, but for reference or anything that is going to be well-loved and meditated over, I want an actual book.

A screen just cannot replace the physical experience of holding a book. Reading is an experience that exists not only in our imaginations but also in the physical world. Also, I find that actually holding a book (i.e. no wifi included) helps me concentrate. I just can’t meditate properly with a screen. Also, you get to flip pages and write in the margins of books.

My only exception is the LOTH. I have iBreviary on my iPad and usually pray with it. I’d prefer a book, but when your backpack is already stuffed to the brim with anthologies, binders, novels, and writing implements, there isn’t much room for a breviary. I do have the paper set, and I use it on weekends or when I’m in my room. Definitely a better experience, but alas, not always practical.
 
For finding stuff, definitely plastic. For just reading, paper.

But if I had to choose - plastic. I can never remember where anything is, and the ability to search is awesome. Not to mention that while reading on a standard LCD computer/tablet screen for extended periods can lead to that whole want to claw your eyes out feeling, the kindle style e-ink things are actually extremely readable.

So - plastic. I prefer my dead trees to be a few million years old.
 
Both 😃

However, if it came down to choosing one over the other…

I’d have to say paper. As geeky as I can be, nothing beats having a leather bound Bible and going through the pages. Feeling the weight in my hands and in my lap, looking at the worn out pages and the smell of old paper…

I do enjoy having the Liturgy of the Hours and the Missal and the Catechism with me in electronic form. I mean, you can’t beat being able to carry around with you a library of over 300 books in one tiny electronic tablet.

Peace,
 
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