Please convince me to write in my Bible!

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sugarmouse

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I’m a cradle Catholic who got interested in my faith when I was about 16. For my Christmas in 2013, I asked my parents for a Bible. (We did have one Bible in the house before that, but it was the least read book in the house) In 2014, I read through my whole Bible in a year (yay!).

This year, I decided to begin Lectio Divina, and one of the articles I read suggested that you HIGHLIGHT passages of the Bible that strike you. HIGHTLIGHT! You know, actually WRITE in a BOOK, and of all books, the BIBLE! 😛

Well, I figure that a Bible filled with colourful underlinings is better than a pristine book that’s never read. Plus, after a year, it’s not exactly pristine. It’s a paperback, and the top layer of plastic on the cover is peeling, and I dropped the book face down one point and creased the front cover. I have some lovely coloured pencils that would be perfect for the task, and I already have a basic system for colour-coding worked out (blue for any particularly beautiful passages, red for very important things e.g. law, doctrine, etc. and green for things that would be useful in my daily life e.g. suggestions for prayer, loving my neighbour - and I can use other colours as required). My Bible is going to look just so pretty once it’s all coloured in!

Here’s the thing. I just…can’t…bring myself…to write in it! I NEVER write in books, and I’m a literature student. It’s just not something I do with books! But I know I have to! I will get more from the Bible this way, and remember stuff more. And I swear, God keeps sending me signs. Today, I watched that news report of the ninety-year-old woman who preached to a mugger and he stopped…and the report contained a big, close-up shot of her Bible, and the paragraph she’s highlighted. Like God was waving it in my face. I swear He does that…

I just…can’t…write in it! Please, someone convince me! Keeping separate notes in a notebook is just too impractical. It makes sense, and the colours will look pretty. Did anyone else have this issue when they first took notes in their Bible, or is it just me?

sigh I feel silly asking, but anyhow…
 
sugarmouse said:
I’m a cradle Catholic who got interested in my faith when I was about 16. For my Christmas in 2013, I asked my parents for a Bible. (We did have one Bible in the house before that, but it was the least read book in the house) In 2014, I read through my whole Bible in a year (yay!).

This year, I decided to begin Lectio Divina, and one of the articles I read suggested that you HIGHLIGHT passages of the Bible that strike you. HIGHTLIGHT! You know, actually WRITE in a BOOK, and of all books, the BIBLE! 😛

Well, I figure that a Bible filled with colourful underlinings is better than a pristine book that’s never read. Plus, after a year, it’s not exactly pristine. It’s a paperback, and the top layer of plastic on the cover is peeling, and I dropped the book face down one point and creased the front cover. I have some lovely coloured pencils that would be perfect for the task, and I already have a basic system for colour-coding worked out (blue for any particularly beautiful passages, red for very important things e.g. law, doctrine, etc. and green for things that would be useful in my daily life e.g. suggestions for prayer, loving my neighbour - and I can use other colours as required). My Bible is going to look just so pretty once it’s all coloured in!

Here’s the thing. I just…can’t…bring myself…to write in it! I NEVER write in books, and I’m a literature student. It’s just not something I do with books! But I know I have to! I will get more from the Bible this way, and remember stuff more. And I swear, God keeps sending me signs. Today, I watched that news report of the ninety-year-old woman who preached to a mugger and he stopped…and the report contained a big, close-up shot of her Bible, and the paragraph she’s highlighted. Like God was waving it in my face. I swear He does that…

I just…can’t…write in it! Please, someone convince me! Keeping separate notes in a notebook is just too impractical. It makes sense, and the colours will look pretty. Did anyone else have this issue when they first took notes in their Bible, or is it just me?

sigh I feel silly asking, but anyhow…
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I wish I could help you but I can’t write in my Bible either! I can’t even highlight it! Nothing worse than buying a used Bible (or any other book) on ebay or amazon, and finding out latter that it has been written in or highlighted. 😦
 
Same here. I just can’t / won’t do it.
Sorry. :o
Lots of people do though. LOTS of people.
I keep a journal.
 
Here’s a thought: get an inexpensive “student edition”-type bible for note-taking and underlining. These typically have inexpensive paper and a different “feel.” Keep your “good” Bible for devotional purposes.
 
I have never brought myself to write in my bible simply because any notes I may write are not worthy comments on the Word of God. I believe these words stand alone. I think its foolish to add commentary that strikes our fancy one day only to realize later when we are wiser that the same passage we commented on earlier had even greater and more meaning than our original scrawling had.

Im not saying we shouldnt study the bible and make notes. Im just saying doing so in my bible is silly. I make notes on note cards or in bible commentaries, but I dont think they belong in the bible itself. In short there are two main reasons not to write in the bible. First, if we wrote everything of importance on each passage in the bible we would have an indecipherable mess that we could endlessly add to. Its ridiculous to think one note we add one day is the final word on any single bible passage! And the second reason I dont write in the bible is that I dont deem my words or any others , even Saints or popes , to be worthy to stand next to the text of the bible itself.

Having said that, we should notebooks filled with comments on what we have learned as we read the bible. Of course what I have could fill not much of anything! So on the one hand pretending a bunch of notes written in the bible means we are great disciples of Christ is ridiculous. But using these two reasons for not writing in our bibles as an excuse to not carefully read and study and take notes on the bible is even worse! Im guilty of the being on the worse side. But I still think my reasons for not writing in the bible itself are valid.
 
CalCatholic said:
I wish I could help you but I can’t write in my Bible either! I can’t even highlight it! Nothing worse than buying a used Bible (or any other book) on ebay or amazon, and finding out latter that it has been written in or highlighted. 😦
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Ditto. It was suggested to us on the 24 week Great adventure Bible Study and I clutched my Bible to my chest and threatened physical violence on anyone who tried to violate my Bible (I hasten to add the priest was splitting his sides laughing). Marking the Bible does not work for me, so I use Pinterest to highlight particular verses and Church teachings and notebooks.

Perhaps you could have a clean Bible for private reading and a separate study Bible where you comment, underline or highlight. That way you will have a Bible where your eyes will not be drawn away from the fuller context of any particular verse or chapter?
 
I studied the whole Bible over a two year period with a group of non Catholic friends who all wrote or highlighted in their Bibles. I highlighted my Bible in yellow as we read and loved it once I could get over the “NEVER write in a book, little lone a Bible” thought I had as well. It helped me pay closer attention to what I was reading.

Now I go back and read again what I highlighted and it brings me closer to God knowing what stood out as important to me at the time …a Psalm, a Gospel portion, or something particularly pertinent to Catholicism.

I say go for it. I never intended to get rid of this Bible and is shows a lot of wear but I love it now more than ever, so I say Go for it!~

Mary.
 
I can’t write in books either. My mother highlighted her Bible with colored pencils - it helped in her Bible study. My husband is an underliner & margin-noter - I cringe every time I see him do that.

I can’t even write in a workbook that is intended for personal notes. What I do in that case is dedicate a spiral notebook to notes and answers to questions.

I managed to take the Women of Grace study 3 times without ever writing in the workbook! 😃
 
A Protestant coworker once had a book “Games Christians Play”

One of them was, “my Bible is more underlined than yours.” 😃

Personally I find underlines more distracting than helpful. If I want to note one important thing on the page, I might make a note or a little star in the margin but that’s about it.

Another option if to get a Kindle Bible; you can go the other way. Highlight in all different colors, search the highlighted sections, and all sorts of stuff. And you can choose to see or not see them while you’re reading on my Kindle apps, if I remember right.
 
I also never write in any book; even my well-used books look just like new. I was brought up to respect all books, but that must’ve come from my dad’s side-- when I lend one of my pristine books to my mom, invariably it comes back completely trashed…I think that’s just her way of getting free books, cause I never take it back then.

That being said, I have my NAB “My Daily Catholic Bible, 20-minute Daily Readings” that has a checkbox in front of each OT and NT reading for the day, and I not only checkmark that box when completed, but I underline all the verses I really love or find useful. It’s truly liberating, you must try it! I recommend you don’t use your special Bible but get yourself a heavyweight paper, large letter Bible and go to town. It’s well worth overcoming the initial reluctance!
 
Actually one need not underline the pages of Holy Writ to practice Lectio Divina. I read a book called Sacred Reading, the Ancient art of LEctio Divina by Michael Caseya Cistercian monk and he discouraged the practice actually.

Pax
 
sugarmouse said:
I’m a cradle Catholic who got interested in my faith when I was about 16. For my Christmas in 2013, I asked my parents for a Bible. (We did have one Bible in the house before that, but it was the least read book in the house) In 2014, I read through my whole Bible in a year (yay!).

This year, I decided to begin Lectio Divina, and one of the articles I read suggested that you HIGHLIGHT passages of the Bible that strike you. HIGHTLIGHT! You know, actually WRITE in a BOOK, and of all books, the BIBLE! 😛

Well, I figure that a Bible filled with colourful underlinings is better than a pristine book that’s never read. Plus, after a year, it’s not exactly pristine. It’s a paperback, and the top layer of plastic on the cover is peeling, and I dropped the book face down one point and creased the front cover. I have some lovely coloured pencils that would be perfect for the task, and I already have a basic system for colour-coding worked out (blue for any particularly beautiful passages, red for very important things e.g. law, doctrine, etc. and green for things that would be useful in my daily life e.g. suggestions for prayer, loving my neighbour - and I can use other colours as required). My Bible is going to look just so pretty once it’s all coloured in!

Here’s the thing. I just…can’t…bring myself…to write in it! I NEVER write in books, and I’m a literature student. It’s just not something I do with books! But I know I have to! I will get more from the Bible this way, and remember stuff more. And I swear, God keeps sending me signs. Today, I watched that news report of the ninety-year-old woman who preached to a mugger and he stopped…and the report contained a big, close-up shot of her Bible, and the paragraph she’s highlighted. Like God was waving it in my face. I swear He does that…

I just…can’t…write in it! Please, someone convince me! Keeping separate notes in a notebook is just too impractical. It makes sense, and the colours will look pretty. Did anyone else have this issue when they first took notes in their Bible, or is it just me?

sigh I feel silly asking, but anyhow…
Click to expand...
I enjoyed reading about how you use your Bible. It reminded me of this saying. “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t”!
 
My mother, the librarian, would still stand me in a corner for writing in any book! If I see something I want to remember in my bible, I note the citation on a piece of paper, so I can look it up later.
 
  1. How about ust Post-It Notes?
  2. It isn’t the book that’s sacred, it’s the Word.
 
seagal said:
  1. How about ust Post-It Notes?
  2. It isn’t the book that’s sacred, it’s the Word.
Click to expand...
It’s not the book per se for me, I just really dislike anyone writing in any book.
I recall buying used book in college, and having to pay a premium for a book that was virtually ruined by some kid with a highlighter. :mad:
 
My Bible was given to me by my grandparents when I was 7 years old. In the subsequent years (nearly 60 more of them), I have highlighted, notated, underlined and written in it. Blank pages have quotations and dates that meant something to me when I was young. Some notations say things like, “read at [daughter’s name]'s baptism, May 1980.” It is a cherished spiritual record and brings me graces over and over again. Don’t do what doesn’t feel right to you, but I cherish this well-worn Bible far more than many cleaner copies I have had since. When I need solace, comfort and inspiration, that is the one to which I go.

I keep thinking I should have it rebound, as the leather has rotted terribly. I just can’t bear the thought of parting with it, however, even just for some needed reconstruction. 😊
 
There’s nothing wrong with writing in your Bible. If it helps you, go for it. Personally, I don’t like to mark up any of my books, but if someone else wants to do it to theirs, fine with me.
 
Sunbreak said:
There’s nothing wrong with writing in your Bible. If it helps you, go for it. Personally, I don’t like to mark up any of my books, but if someone else wants to do it to theirs, fine with me.
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I agree. There is nothing “wrong” with it, but personally I don’t like to do it mainly because I like reading text without extra marks.

Another thing I did once, is to make a printout of a chapter in the Bible so I could have at it with a pen and connect things and all, but I didn’t keep it.

This never occurred to me before… if we get the Bible blessed, would that change anything? I’d bet “no” because it isn’t “defacing” but “using” it … but I don’t know. 🤷
 
pianistclare said:
It’s not the book per se for me, I just really dislike anyone writing in any book.
I recall buying used book in college, and having to pay a premium for a book that was virtually ruined by some kid with a highlighter. :mad:
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I’m with you, but I remember some kids who LOVED getting such a textbook because all the important stuff was already highlighted.
 
Sandraaustin said:
I’m with you, but I remember some kids who LOVED getting such a textbook because all the important stuff was already highlighted.
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Those would be the low achievers who can follow old highlights to get decent on the exam, while I learn the material properly and thoroughly, ace the test with my super ninja test taking skills, and totally blow the curve so they don’t get the easy A they don’t deserve. 😃
 
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