How do you handle the Word of God (hard-copy)?

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

smhbbag

Puritan Board Senior
In my fundamentalist SBC days, I was always taught that we were to treat the Bible with unique physical care. There weren't too many rules, but they included: never lay a Bible on the floor, don't toss the Bible, don't stuff it in a space it doesn't fit so it crinkles, etc.

I would guess this is fairly common in many circles, so I'm wondering if any of you find merit in the idea and why. I'm certainly not zealous for any of those in particular for theological reasons, but only I suppose because I've grown up since then and treat all my belongings with a little more care.

Should we treat the Bible differently in a physical way than other books? Does it matter? Let's say you asked someone to retrieve a Bible for you, and they casually tossed it your direction no differently than he would a Calvin and Hobbes collection....would that bother you or would something seem wrong about it? I wouldn't appreciate someone treating any worthwhile book that way, but for some reason with the Bible I feel it is even more important. Emphasis on the word feel.

Yet, I cannot justify that stance with anything more than, "It's not just another book." Is that feeling right and good, or is it leftover from a worldview I've almost entirely left behind?
 
I was taught the same thing. It has stuck with me. Mostly, I take great care with them because of their great expense.

(I take care with all books though, so I guess this might not apply to me.)
 
If you only have one copy you should care for it, like any other book as a matter of stewardship, but I am against treating it differently - partly because I see my neighbors, both Christian and those in the Religion of Peace treat the Book superstitiously, even while not following its teachings.

When I am to have guest who are of the Religion of Peace I do put the Bible on the top of all other books on my highest shelf so as not to give him wrong impressions though.
 
I was taught to care for my Bible, but I care for all of my books. I won't "dog-ear" a page (one of my pet peeves), but will use light pencil marks on occassion. I have no problem laying my Bible on the floor next to my chair when I pick up a reference book. I actually have too many books next to my chair at the moment!
 
The Bible is just a collection of pieces of paper, not a holy relic. However, the information it contains is unique among books and worthy of respect. While different believers may exercise Christian liberty in how they deal with their Bibles, I am sure that all of us would find some direction from Paul's words:

1Co 8:9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
1Co 8:10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols?
1Co 8:11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.
1Co 8:12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
1Co 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.​

I don't think the above has to apply only to food.

Extreme example -- a Bible that is worn out should probably not be given to children (or college students?) to rip up in their play. If an unbeliever or a believer whose faith was weak, or even the children themselves saw the Bible being treated that way, it would be hard for them not to connect the treatment of the book to a disrespectful attitude toward the information it contains.

Am I saying that it would always be wrong for a Christian to rip up the pages of a Bible? No. Again, it's not a holy relic. But I'm not sure my own faith is strong enough to do that without scruple of conscience! :^)
 
TsonMariytho said:
The Bible is just a collection of pieces of paper, not a holy relic. However, the information it contains is unique among books and worthy of respect. While different believers may exercise Christian liberty in how they deal with their Bibles, I am sure that all of us would find some direction from Paul's words:

1Co 8:9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
1Co 8:10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols?
1Co 8:11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.
1Co 8:12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
1Co 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.​

I don't think the above has to apply only to food.

Extreme example -- a Bible that is worn out should probably not be given to children (or college students?) to rip up in their play. If an unbeliever or a believer whose faith was weak, or even the children themselves saw the Bible being treated that way, it would be hard for them not to connect the treatment of the book to a disrespectful attitude toward the information it contains.

Am I saying that it would always be wrong for a Christian to rip up the pages of a Bible? No. Again, it's not a holy relic. But I'm not sure my own faith is strong enough to do that without scruple of conscience! :^)
Click to expand...


My two year old sees us reading the Bible so he naturally wants to imitate us. Therefore, I gave him a spare copy that we don't use. (We have several Bibles, as probably a lot of us on here do--in fact, my husband has had to say, "I don't like the idea of collecting Bibles," once when I wanted a new one.)
For me, it was a practical decision. I don't want him to rip up the one we use, because then we couldn't read it and would have to buy a new one.
But I wanted him to have one, so he could be like mommy and daddy, and so we wouldn't have to tell him that the Bible is off limits.
And the texture of a leather-bound Bible with shiny, slippery pages is something to share with children.
I would correct him if I saw him ripping it, and he isn't allowed to draw in it, but I would do the same about any book that wasn't a coloring book.


Scott1 said:
I treat it like the most valuable book I own yet not afraid to wear it out.
Click to expand...

This is how I treat my Bible, but not any Bible. Like I said above, we have some that we read very rarely (other translations) or some that we've had for ages. But mine I like to hug to me. But I think my physical connection to it is more of the bookness of it, than the "holiness" of it. I love books, and even my favorite fiction books are prized possessions.
 
The behavior of Orthodox Jews is interesting here.

- Through the Middle Ages, we have record of mild Muslim horror at the practice of the Jews of writing notes in the margins of their Bibles. The Muslims felt it was disrespectful; but the Jews recognized that the best way to respect the Bible was to rigorously study and understand it. (As Mike said above, with his practice of light pencil marks etc.)

- Once in the Hebrew class I took in college, my Orthodox Jewish professor saw a student, who happened to be Jewish, with her Tanach (Hebrew OT) on the floor under her desk. He took 5 minutes out of class to rake her over the coals for that. He wasn't being offensive, just making it clear that was something he couldn't handle seeing. I was pretty careful never to put my Tanach on the floor in his classroom after that!

-----Added 12/11/2008 at 10:57:42 EST-----

he beholds said:
My two year old sees us reading the Bible so he naturally wants to imitate us. Therefore, I gave him a spare copy that we don't use. (We have several Bibles, as probably a lot of us on here do--in fact, my husband has had to say, "I don't like the idea of collecting Bibles," once when I wanted a new one.)
For me, it was a practical decision. I don't want him to rip up the one we use, because then we couldn't read it and would have to buy a new one.
But I wanted him to have one, so he could be like mommy and daddy, and so we wouldn't have to tell him that the Bible is off limits.
And the texture of a leather-bound Bible with shiny, slippery pages is something to share with children.
I would correct him if I saw him ripping it, and he isn't allowed to draw in it, but I would do the same about any book that wasn't a coloring book.
Click to expand...

I am totally with you there. My wife and I do the same with our two year old son. In my extreme example above, I meant giving it to a kid for the purpose of ripping it up.
 
I still have the Bible of my childhood. It has some signs of wear and I did underline verses in it. It's more of a keepsake now. I still have my second Bible that I bought soon after becoming a Christian. It has a lot more wear to it but still intact. I bought this Bible with my own money and for some reason I bought a red one. Some years later when I was in college and still using that Bible our pastor made a comment about my red Bible from the pulpit. He said, "Somebody told Ivan that the Bible should always be read....so he bought a red Bible. I thought it was funny but other members of the church told him to stop picking on me!

I do treat my Bibles with respect but they aren't holy relics either.
 
Daniel Wallace tells a story about the treatment of the RSV by some very unhappy KJV-loving fundamentalists. Go to...

Bible.org: Part IV: Why So Many Versions?

... and search for "blowtorch". :^(

He also mentions the ashes of an RSV that Bruce Metzger kept in an urn in his office, which was the unauthorized offering by fire of a similarly unhinged zealot sent to one of Metzger's predecessors in Bible translation.
 
I had a friend (who barely expresses a liberal American faith) go ballistic when I put a coffee cup down on a hymnal. (How could you do that!)

Anyway, I don't think we should attach practices to the Bible that it hasn't given to itself. Care yes, but overt reverence to its physical presence, no. I don't think you can be too fussy and have it part of your every day life. Mine has taken a beating and I'm in the process of making a cover for it so I can keep on going with it.
 
I don't treat it carelessly, but I mark it up, underline, highlight etc. I use it in order to learn. The paper and ink is not a relic; it's the eternal word that gives it power.
 
I have about two bibles for every three years of age, and I treat all of them with great respect. It is my opinion that nothing should be put on top of a bible, except for another bible. The reason for this is that it is a symbolic action, and, contrary to modern popular belief, symbolics do matter! If I symbolize my belief that the Bible is the most important book on Earth, period, it somehow convinces/reminds me of the fact every time I put one away - I do this, because the Bible is the Word of the Lord.

As for putting a Bible on the floor: I have two of them beneath my bed, mostly because I always read/study/think/work in bed. At the moment, they are accompanied by Spurgeon, Edwards, Immens and Dr. Humphreys; they are in good company.

I also never take notes in my Bible, but that is because I never take notes, period. Not at lessons or lectures or sermons, or in books, and therefore not in my Bible. Usually, if I think something is worthwhile, I memorize it. If I'd take notes anywhere, it most probably would be in my Bible. One of the more robust ones, that is, for my main Bible, which is a wonder and unicum in the art of bookprinting, might tear were I to do that.

As for general neatness, I am pretty strict on that with all books, and even more so with my Bibles. I lent two of my older Bibles to my younger siblings for use in church until they had/have their own Bibles, and made very sure to instruct them on how to use it, and how to use it carefully. They still look good.

I think all of this boils down to a simple question/thought: "How can you profess to set great store to the things represented in the Bible, if you cannot bring yourself to set great store by the Bible itself, which is a far smaller thing to do, and much less inconvenient (from a worldly point of view, as following the Lord is in all ways profitable)?"
 
Is it good stewardship to rip pages out of the Bible just for the fun of it? No, probably not. But if you are strapped for time during the week and need to read the Word at work but can't fit the entire Bible, would it be a good cause to tear a couple pages out each day so that you can actually read the Word at work? I definitely think so.

As for me, I treat all of my books well but I probably treat my Bibles best simply because I want them to last the longest.
 
AThornquist said:
Is it good stewardship to rip pages out of the Bible just for the fun of it? No, probably not. But if you are strapped for time during the week and need to read the Word at work but can't fit the entire Bible, would it be a good cause to tear a couple pages out each day so that you can actually read the Word at work? I definitely think so.
Click to expand...


Although before you do that you should look into purchasing the available "loose leaf" printings of the Bible. Room in the margin for notes, too.

Or just read it on the internet, depending on your work situation.
 
Those are possibilities too. The point is that if you aren't reading the Word and growing into the fullness of Christ, it is just another book filled with unread ink...
 
AThornquist said:
Those are possibilities too. The point is that if you aren't reading the Word and growing into the fullness of Christ, it is just another book filled with unread ink...
Click to expand...




Years ago I walked into the bedroom of my deceased great-grandfather and saw his Bible on top of the bureau. The leather cover was cracked and frayed and I got excited at the thought that perhaps he had been a believer. However, the inside pages were as pristine as the day they had been printed - the cover's condition was simply due to its age. What a shame!

I love books and treat them all with respect but my Bible gets an even more respectful treatment. My previous 30yo Bible was literally falling apart when it was replaced - it had highlighting, notes, and several childish pictures drawn by my daughter in it - it was given an honorable retirement on a bookshelf - I couldn't bring myself to throw it away, burn it, or otherwise dispose of it.

As to jotting down notes in a Bible - my replacement Bible is an Allan and is still fairly new. Someday I'll highlight portions of it and write notes, but not now and probably not for a long while to come! :lol::lol:
 
I can identify with most of the posts thus far. I love books, and would have to say that my collection, the foremost of which being my Bibles, are my prized possessions as well. I must admit that I personally do not lay anything on top of my Bible, nor do I "toss" it. Just quirks of mine, I suppose. I had never given it much thought until this thread popped up.
 
I treat it as a Holy Book. I keep a clean linen cloth in my study, I wipe my hands with it before I use my Bible. I avoid placing on the floor. But this is not some legalism people. I am Monk!:):):):)
 
Pergamum said:
If you only have one copy you should care for it, like any other book as a matter of stewardship, but I am against treating it differently - partly because I see my neighbors, both Christian and those in the Religion of Peace treat the Book superstitiously, even while not following its teachings.

When I am to have guest who are of the Religion of Peace I do put the Bible on the top of all other books on my highest shelf so as not to give him wrong impressions though.
Click to expand...

I once read in a book on world religions that if you are among them you should carry the Bible above waist level since If I recall correctly it is considered a sign of respect, valuing it highly etc.
 
Pilgrim said:
Pergamum said:
If you only have one copy you should care for it, like any other book as a matter of stewardship, but I am against treating it differently - partly because I see my neighbors, both Christian and those in the Religion of Peace treat the Book superstitiously, even while not following its teachings.

When I am to have guest who are of the Religion of Peace I do put the Bible on the top of all other books on my highest shelf so as not to give him wrong impressions though.
Click to expand...

I once read in a book on world religions that if you are among them you should carry the Bible above waist level since If I recall correctly it is considered a sign of respect, valuing it highly etc.
Click to expand...

And never translate it from Arabic into another language.
 
TsonMariytho said:
Pilgrim said:
Pergamum said:
If you only have one copy you should care for it, like any other book as a matter of stewardship, but I am against treating it differently - partly because I see my neighbors, both Christian and those in the Religion of Peace treat the Book superstitiously, even while not following its teachings.

When I am to have guest who are of the Religion of Peace I do put the Bible on the top of all other books on my highest shelf so as not to give him wrong impressions though.
Click to expand...

I once read in a book on world religions that if you are among them you should carry the Bible above waist level since If I recall correctly it is considered a sign of respect, valuing it highly etc.
Click to expand...

And never translate it from Arabic into another language.
Click to expand...

I was referring to the Bible.
 
AThornquist said:
Is it good stewardship to rip pages out of the Bible just for the fun of it? No, probably not. But if you are strapped for time during the week and need to read the Word at work but can't fit the entire Bible, would it be a good cause to tear a couple pages out each day so that you can actually read the Word at work? I definitely think so.

As for me, I treat all of my books well but I probably treat my Bibles best simply because I want them to last the longest.
Click to expand...


There are accounts of soldiers on battlefields sharing the Scriptures this way due to a shortage of bibles. The pages were torn out and shared among the troops that wished to read. When one finished a page they traded with someone who had finished theirs.
 
Scott1 said:
I treat it like the most valuable book I own yet not afraid to wear it out.
Click to expand...

Is that a comment on the price of Bibles? :p

:lol:

-----Added 12/12/2008 at 08:09:31 EST-----

I use my Bible, but never abuse it. Underline, highlight, write notes in the margin...anything that helps me to better understand it.

But, I would never consider playing frisbee with it. :duh:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

JimmyH
  • Locked
How Do You Handle The Reading Of Footnotes ?
Replies
16
Views
4K
Jack K
Jack K
D
  • Locked
  • Poll Poll
How hard do you pursue unresponsive people?
Replies
13
Views
3K
caddy
caddy
dsanch1120
  • Locked
Good TR Hard Copy
Replies
5
Views
768
J.L. Allen
J.L. Allen
Backwoods Presbyterian
  • Locked
How Do You See the PB?
Replies
25
Views
5K
Solus Christus
Solus Christus
J
  • Locked
"Adding to the Word of God"
Replies
6
Views
2K
larryjf
larryjf
Back
Top