What is the correct way to dispose of a worn-out blessed bible?

[Linda_Marie]

I have a blessed bible which I have worn out carrying it around to prayer group and the like. I know it shouldn’t just be tossed in the bin and I was wondering what was the correct way to dispose of it.

What about other worn out sacramentals like scapulars?

 

[lak611]

I have a blessed bible which I have worn out carrying it around to prayer group and the like. I know it shouldn’t just be tossed in the bin and I was wondering what was the correct way to dispose of it.

What about other worn out sacramentals like scapulars?

Burning the Bible and discarding the ashes in the ground, such as in your garden, not in the trash would be acceptable. The scapular could also be burnt, such as the Bible; or you could bury the scapular in the ground.

 

[JRKH]

I have a blessed bible which I have worn out carrying it around to prayer group and the like. I know it shouldn’t just be tossed in the bin and I was wondering what was the correct way to dispose of it.

What about other worn out sacramentals like scapulars?

How badly is it worn?
Is it totally unusable?

 

[kage_ar]

Bibles can be re-bound or repaired. Donate it to your Parish - we have folks come in who don’t have a Bible, and they will happily take a lovingly repaired worn Bible.

 

[Linda_Marie]

I have taken it to a printer who told me it would cost at least $70 to repair it. For that price, I could get a new one. There is some sentimental value attached. It was my first Catholic bible that I got shortly before I was baptised. It is an NAB, St. Joseph’s Edition. I had only been exposed to the KJV before (rather sporadically, I had no religion) and the archaic language used to put me off. Having it in clear modern English was a revelation.

I am going to have a go at sticking it back together myself and see if it holds. If it falls apart again down the line, I guess I’ll have to burn it. I don’t know, it just seems so odd, perhaps because some people burn bibles to protest against Christianity.

I got a special bible carry case for my new bible (New Jerusalem Bible, Saints Devotional Edition) that I take to prayer group to try to protect it better.

 

[Ghoti]

There’s a difference between burning holy items to dispose of them and burning them as an insult/protest etc.

Just think about the disposal of your national flag. People burn it all the time as a symbol of hate, contempt, etc…but the proper way to dispose of an old, worn-out flag is to burn it with a sense of respect.

So, like the previous posters said, burn it reverently, and bury it in the garden, and say a little prayer of thanksgiving that God brought His Word into your life.

 

[BeeSweet]

There’s a difference between burning holy items to dispose of them and burning them as an insult/protest etc.

Just think about the disposal of your national flag. People burn it all the time as a symbol of hate, contempt, etc…but the proper way to dispose of an old, worn-out flag is to burn it with a sense of respect.

So, like the previous posters said, burn it reverently, and bury it in the garden, and say a little prayer of thanksgiving that God brought His Word into your life.

And while you’re at it, plant a tree where you bury the ashes! Wouldn’t it be nice to go back to that spot and reminisce about your use of that first Bible?

I recently burned my palms from last year’s Passion Sunday and I buried the ashes in a potted olive tree.

 

[JRKH]

And while you’re at it, plant a tree where you bury the ashes! Wouldn’t it be nice to go back to that spot and reminisce about your use of that first Bible?

I recently burned my palms from last year’s Passion Sunday and I buried the ashes in a potted olive tree.

I like this idea

Peace
James

 

[cheeto1]

how about freecycle?

 

[lak611]

I am going to have a go at sticking it back together myself and see if it holds. If it falls apart again down the line, I guess I’ll have to burn it. I don’t know, it just seems so odd, perhaps because some people burn bibles to protest against Christianity.

Do not worry about burning if necessary. Just take it outside and burn it discreetly. After all, burning is the proper way to dispose of a worn out flag. The Boy Scouts do this. It is much different than a protestor desecrating a flag.

 

[chevalier]

Keep it but use the new one so that the old one doesn’t wear out any more?

 

[robert_ambrose]

surely you could leave it to someone, family , friend, or your church,your body is a temple, would you like it to be disposed of when you reach an age where it will be no use to anyoneblessings

 

[Linda_Marie]

Yeah, I don’t think I can bring myself to burn it so it probably will end up sitting on the bookshelf. I’m still going try the repair job first.

 

[Mark_Robert]

Umm, throw it in the trash. Making an idol out of things is wrong too. That “blessed” Bible is not God. It’s paper and ink. Don’t make a golden calf out of your worn-out Bible. It’s ok to dispose of it unless you want to mount it up on your wall. Have a nice day.