The Life Book

[Cruxis117]

Hello. I currently have a friend who is in high school, who although is Catholic is involved with several protestant friends and organizations. While that does not bother me at all, I know that she wants to organize the introduction of what is known as “The Life Book”, which is primarily a book which introduces high school children to the Bible. While this is an admirable venture, this book is endorsed and printed by the Gideons International, which I’ve heard is anti-Catholic. And, this being in Canada, my friend wishes to put this in her school, which again is Catholic. I’m afraid that this may have unintended results, although I may be sorely mistaken. Any advice on what to do is much appreciated, on this “Life Book” and this introduction of it. Thank you.

 

[Fidelis]

I’ve never heard anything about the Gideons that makes them particularly anti-Catholic. Their main mission seems to be distributing copies of the Bible to anyone who wants one.

Having said that, the Gideons, as far as I know, only distribute Protestant Bibles-- that is, these Bibles are missing seven whole books and parts of two others. The translation favored by the Gideons these days (after many years of favoring the KJV) is the NIV which, as others have pointed out in these fora, has a bit of a Protestant bias. The Gideon Bibles also contain footnotes and helps that are Protestant in orientation.

Taking all this into consideration, I would be very much opposed to a Catholic helping to distribute these Bibles in a Catholic high school full of impressionable, barely catechized young people. If they have an approved Catholic version to distribute there, that’s a different story-- but I saw no evidence of this on their official website.