Why don't more Christians read the Bible?

  • Thread starter Thread starter lak611
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

lak611

Guest
On another thread, a poster said, “This is something that has been an enigma for some time. Why is it that so many people who, at least ostensibly, regard the Bible as divinely inspired have not read it?” I know that most of the people on these forums have. For instance, on the thread “Catholics, when did you last read the Bible” most read it almost every day. I know most Protestants on forums have read it also. Why is it, though, that many of our family members, friends and neighbours from Church have not? I know that Bible reading in the United States is not that common amongst Catholics or Protestants. “In a poll taken by Gallup in October, 2000, 59% percent of Americans reported that they read the Bible at least occasionally. This is down from 73% in the 1980s. The percentage of Americans who read the Bible at least once a week is 37%. This is down slightly from 40% in 1990.” pastors.com/articles/AmericansBible.asp What are some reasons why this is so?
 
Hi,
I can only speak for myself. Before I was saved I was simply not interested. Once I became saved I went through a time where I was then a little scared as to what might be in it.:eek: Then finally ,at the right time, God said it is time now start studying it–and who am I to argue with God.😃 So I started 3 years ago and cant seem to get enough.

One of my friends at church was raised catholic and she said her parents never read the bible because that was only for the church to do—her parents are in their late seventies. When she became saved and wanted to start reading the bible her parents still wouldnt let her.😦

My mom was raised episcopalian and her father was a minister and they never opened up the bible at home.:eek: Her and my brother are studying the bible now and she is in her seventies.

Maybe it was a generational thing that way back it was just thought of as only the church was allowed shrug I have no idea.

Well, PTL that is starting to change and churches want their parishoners to read the bible.👍

Who knows why people do what they do.:confused:
 
I’m probably as guilty as anyone for not reading my Bible as much as I should :o If I had to give a reason I suppose I’d have to say it’s because I have it read to me at Holy Mass. And if I had to guess I’d say we Catholics get more of the Bible at Mass than our Protestant friends get at their services so we tend to get a bit lazy when it comes to reading it for ourselves.

What do you think?
 
I think maybe people think it is too difficult. However, there are a lot of newer translations that are much easier to understand. Many people may have tried a Douay-Rheims Version or a King James Version and had trouble with it, and they are not aware of all the translations available that are not so hard to read. Many of these newer translations have only been available within the last 20 years, so people have not seen them.
 
Why not simply get the bible on cd audio and listen to it?
 
Daniel_Marsh said:
Why not simply get the bible on cd audio and listen to it?
Click to expand...
That’s cheating :tsktsk: 😉 (joking of course)

For me I pay somewhat less attention to audiobooks than the printed page. Which means that I find audio great for fiction and lighter reading, but not for really dense works such as the Scriptures.
 
LilyM said:
That’s cheating :tsktsk: 😉 (joking of course)

For me I pay somewhat less attention to audiobooks than the printed page. Which means that I find audio great for fiction and lighter reading, but not for really dense works such as the Scriptures.
Click to expand...
I agree with you. I would also have to keep running the CD back to listen to parts over and over again. I really do not enjoy listening to any books on CD, and I used to work at a library at one time.
 
At present I am reading the daily Mass readings, as well as praying Morning and Evening Prayer from Magnificat Magazine. So, I get readings from the Psalms, the OT and NT, including the Gospels every day. For those already familiar with the Bible meditating on these readings makes for a good dose of Holy Scipture.

For those who aren’t familiar with the Bible, a good overall study of its history and basic theological constructs would be helpful. I know people who actually didn’t know that Moses preceded King David! IMHO, every Christian ought to have enough knowledge to know such things, besides being able to read for devotional purposes.
 
When I was a child, the bible was this dense thing in tiny print that all ran together with no chapter headings and no notes. Furthermore, it used strange language, unpronouncable names, and I had no idea how to put it all together to make any sense. Who was Judah? Was that a man or a city or what??? (Don’t worry, I get it now.) I didn’t know about the Babylonian exile, so that made the prophets and such a tad confusing. I would randomly open it and often could not make much sense of what I read (I mean, “You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk”?? why would I do that anyway:eek:). So, I read it sometimes, but not as often as I could. Also, I didn’t really know what I was reading it for. (note: I grew up mainline Protestant).

It is much easier to read and to make sense of now. What changed? :hmmm:
  1. I know what is in there, what order it happens in, who the main characters are, what the principle events are, what the symbolism is, etc.
  2. I know each book and its special features (okay, don’t press that with the minor prophets).
  3. My bible has headings in it now. Plus the names aren’t in that stupid hyphenated form that the RSV used to have. Also, there is white space in the thing.
  4. I have study aids I can use if I want some assistance. (concordance, etc.)
  5. I have read a few Fathers and seen how they handle scripture, so I better know how I can handle it.
  6. I have personal experience with/of Jesus, so it is more like visiting a friend than wandering in a dark forest.
Am I typical? I don’t know. I think some people think, “what for?” when it comes to bible reading.
 
As someone who has taught Adult Ed, Apologetics and Bible study, I’ve had occasion to ask a lot of people this very question, so I’m not being ignorant or judgmental, but just going on what they tell me.

Many people **these days **who bear the name Christian (including Catholics, of course) might not read the Scriptures because they don’t feel the necessity to do so. For the same reason you have to pull a gun on people to make them come to church for a talk, or mission, or anything other than a funeral, wedding or Sunday Mass or service, to these folk, reading the Bible is just a time-consuming “extra” for super-pious people. Many people develop the attitude that, after 12 years of Catholic school or CCD, or after they’ve been confirmed, there’s nothing else for them to learn – unless you’re one of the aforementioned super-pious. “Why do I need to read the Bible? That’s for priests/nuns/Protestants/old ladies.” Or even, “Yeah, I guess I should. One of these days I will.”

Is there some laziness or fear of commitment mixed in there too? Probably, though I can only speculate on that part.

In all my years I, personally, have never met anyone who was *afraid *to read the Bible, but rather, many, many people who wanted to read the Bible, but were unsure on how to read it or where to begin. That’s why I created my web-site, linked below.
 
Fidelis said:
because they don’t feel the necessity to do so.
Click to expand...
This thread inspired me to ask my spouse, and I have permission to report the answer as to why he currently doesn’t read the bible much:

“Been there, done that.”

He also clarified, “I read other things now.” Now, to be clear, he has read the *entire *bible and studied it extensively in the past. He is aware of the contents. Also, he clearly hears it regularly at mass (and reads it in the missalette while in the pew before mass). I think this answer falls perfectly in line with the italics that Fidelis gave above.
 
I think the statement that the Bible is hard to read is just plain lame!

Children in High School read Shakespeare and Chaucer which are much harder to read than the Bible.

People who want to maximize deductions on their taxes read some of the most difficult IRS instructions on the planet.

The real reason that people don’t read the Bible is because the truth of it cuts like a sword. That is true for all of us.

If you don’t want to progress in the spiritual life and if you don’t want to know God better you don’t read the bible–it’s that simple!

What percentage of people who don’t read the bible also don’t watch EWTN? I suspect the percentage would be high.

There may be some who watch EWTN and don’t read the bible but I would guess that most that wartch it also read the bible.
 
Jerry-Jet said:
I think the statement that the Bible is hard to read is just plain lame!

Children in High School read Shakespeare and Chaucer which are much harder to read than the Bible.

People who want to maximize deductions on their taxes read some of the most difficult IRS instructions on the planet.

The real reason that people don’t read the Bible is because the truth of it cuts like a sword. That is true for all of us.

If you don’t want to progress in the spiritual life and if you don’t want to know God better you don’t read the bible–it’s that simple!

What percentage of people who don’t read the bible also don’t watch EWTN? I suspect the percentage would be high.

There may be some who watch EWTN and don’t read the bible but I would guess that most that wartch it also read the bible.
Click to expand...
You may have hit on a good point there. Students are forced to read Shakespeare and Chaucer. Citizens must pay their taxes. However, the Church doesn’t make anybody read the Bible. In many cases people only do the bare minimum, not anything more. Some do not even do the minimum, such as people who do not bother going to Mass every Sunday.
 
I have been listening to the Bible Experience - the NT on cd with sound effects, inflections with voice… It is awesome. I never thought I’d get much out of listening to scripture as reading but I was very wrong. Hearing it gives a different perspective and since the Word is alive it penetrates no matter how it is received. I spent three days relistening to one tract in Luke because I kept meditating on a thought from a certain passage.
 
I used to read it almost every day, but as time passes I become more and more aware that I am not qualified to read the bible.

Just look at some of the discussions here or at jimmyakin.org. I don’t know greek, I don’t know ancient jewish traditions, I don’t know palestinian geography, …

I feel my time is better spent here reading forums or somewhere else researching my “question for the day” (and squaring the bible with church teaching and my behavior) or praying than sitting and reading the bible like a story book.

There are only so many hours in the day. Why would I want a hack like me trying to interpret this stuff?
 
The Bible, like other areas of Christian belief, is as deep as you are willing to go into it. It’s simple enough for children though hard enough for lifetimes of scholarship. So that shouldn’t discourage you from dealing with it where you are.

The Bible’s also one of God’s most important ways of talking to us – a truly interactive book. And if we don’t show up, He can’t use it to tell us what we need to know. Don’t miss His words meant for you personally!

Don’t get me wrong; the history and etymology is cool. But it’s the simple moral stuff that usually hits me where I live. You don’t have to be any kind of scholar to understand that.
 
Mintaka said:
Don’t get me wrong; the history and etymology is cool. But it’s the simple moral stuff that usually hits me where I live. You don’t have to be any kind of scholar to understand that.
Click to expand...
And the really cool thing is that there are all kinds of new translations that are easy to understand. I happen to be gifted in English, but I still like the new translations (because they give a fresh outlook on stories/lessons that I have heard many times). I recommend The Message** Bible for anybody who thinks the Bible is too hard to read. It is very up-to-date, and it is not boring in the least! I just ordered one myself.😃
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top