Do you find it helpful to read religious books other than the Bible?

Question

I mean if you were interested in a biblical topic, would you rely solely on your own reading of the Bible? Do other books help you understand the Bible better?

Answer 1

Most certainly. It is encouraged if it helps you to understand what is written in scripture!!

Answer 2

I have a ton of different books I use when studying the Bible. Of course, I'm an avid reader so that helps. : )

When I am preparing to teach a Sunday school class or when I would do lessons with the youth group I had a ton of different resources I would use to help others gain more understanding and help myself at the same time. I have also used different interpretations of the Bible.

I always start with the Bible. If I didn't understand something in one interpretation I would check another and continue on until it became clear. Plus, even though I'm not crazy about the KJV I go back to it when reading the Psalms, beautiful poetry there. I should also note the reason I'm not crazy about the KJV is only because I have always struggled with Shakespearean english. Never was too keen on ole Will, even in school. : )

I see nothing wrong with using other books to gain more knowledge of what's in the Bible. I figure the author of said books has done his/her research in a better fashion than I could. I would caution against relying on books that go against biblical teachings or are in direct contradiction to something listed in the Bible.

Have a great day!

Answer 3

2nd Timothy 3:16 tells us that all scripture is from God and good for learning about God.

Understanding a couple of things might help you learn what that means. The Bible was not compiled then, scriptures were hand copied and passed around by people. If you wanted a copy you had to hand copy it yourself. I am sure some people copied verbatim and some paraphrased. Who knows which copies we have used for the Bible.

This is why Christ gave us the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit, AND ONLY the Holy Spirit, could help us understand scripture, all the scripture and Paul tells us all scripture is good for learning about God.

God is the only savior. Not a book. Not a person. We can learn about God from these places, but, only through Christ can we receive salvation.

Answer 4

No. I find that reading the bible helps me to understand the other books better. Most other books usally have an agenda. I would rather rely completely on the bible alone. Now of course, that does not exclude reference books such as a Lexicon/Concordence/Bible Encyclipedia. These are valuable, helpful "Bible Tools" which helps one to use the Bible to its fullest advantage...theBerean

Answer 5

Yes, including the Oxford Companion to the Bible.

Answer 6

No kidding.

FAQ: Is Swedenborg a Universalist?


Swedenborg speaks of universal principles of religion from a Christian standpoint but the term "Universalist" has come to refer to a set of beliefs that are distinctly not part of Swedenborg's doctrine/theology. Some of the universals of religion are as follows:


"That God is one, and that there is a conjunction of charity and faith" (Soul and Body n. 20).


Also, "This only One and very Self is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. This also every Christian acknowledges from his doctrine and every gentile from his religion. In consequence, wherever he is, a man thinks that God is there and that he prays to God at hand; thinking and praying so, men cannot but think that God is everywhere, that is, omnipresent [in all places at all times]; likewise omniscient [all knowing] and omnipotent [all powerful]. Everyone praying to God, therefore, implores Him from the heart to lead him because He can lead him; thus he acknowledges the divine omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence, doing so in turning his face to the Lord; thereupon the truth flows in from the Lord" (Divine Providence n. 157).


Also, "There are three essentials of the church: acknowledgment of the divine of the Lord, acknowledgment of the holiness of the Word [Bible], and the life which is called charity" (Divine Providence n. 259[3]).


Also, "Every man [or woman] can be saved, and those are saved who acknowledge God and live rightly" (Divine Providence n. 325).

Answer 7

I have many commentaries I use along with my bible when I am stuck on a verse or something. I also use a concordance as well so I know what words mean. Commentaires are not the word of God so I never take to heart what they say without studying what they say.

Answer 8

I read many other books, and yes, combining them with the Bible is very helpful.

Answer 9

I teach a class in religion. I was raised catholic although I do not believe in Catholicism. By reading other religious teachings and texts, it has given me new views on the bible (both positive and negative) but not so much taught me anything about it.

Answer 10

Yes, but it depends very much on the book.

Confessions by St. Augustine, (in fact anything by St. Augustine) is, and has been for centuries, one of the best books of spirituality there is. It is the story of how he searched for God all his life, and finally became a Christian and a Bishop late in life, and one of our greatest Saints. There isn't a Christian alive who can't learn from his struggles and his journey and what he learned along the way.

St. Thomas Aquinas is also one of the best Christian writers, though he is not an easy read. .One of the smartest men who ever lived he takes complex and difficult ideas and eats them for breakfast. However, he is able to express his thoughts systematically, clearly, and simply. Reading Aquinas is not a problem of "what is he saying?" but one of trying to keep up with him. He believed that by using our God given reason and studying the logic and order of God's creation we can logically discover important conclusions, such as the existence of God. Aquinas is well known for his quinquae viae, or five rational proofs for the existence of God. (Aquinas did not believe that Science and Religion were required to be opposed to each other.) He is good not just for Theological and Philsophical ideas, but also for ethics, morality and even legal theory.

Some of the Spanish Mystics of the 16th and 17th Century are also very very good, though they come at God from a very different direction. Aquinas and St. Augustine are more about using ones God given reason and the observable logic and order we see in God's creation to figure out things about God, though Augustine emphasizes the soul's search for God, made possible by the illumination of the mind of God. ( I think it was Augustine that said we all have a "God shaped hole in our heart" that only God can fill.)

The Spanish Mystics, (St. John of the Cross, St. Theresa of Avila) are close to St. Francis of Assisi in their approach. They emphasize mysticism as direct experience of God that is physical and undeniably real; but it is attainable only through prayer and denial of the self. (Hence the vow of poverty taken by Franciscan and Carmilte Monks and Nuns.) Think of their approach to God like living across the street from a stadium where there is a sold out concert going on. If you turn off everything in the house, and tune out all the outside sounds, you can hear the beautiful music of the concert... but you have to turn off the TV, ignore the traffic noise from the street, and concentrate on the sounds from the concert.

Personally I tend to avoid more modern writers. Dietrich Bonhoeffer and C.S. Lewis are my favorites, G.K. Chesterton is good too so I am told. But C.S. Lewis correctly observed that much of "modern" Theology is just ancient heresy re-cycled under a new name. Since God is both timeless and eternal I tend to prefer the older books to the new ones. What was true and valuable 1600 years ago is still true and valuabe today, but erroneousness from that era would have been proved to be such and forgotten long ago.

Answer 11

Yes, I enjoy Christian writers like Ravi Zacharias. Lee Strobel, Rick Warren, Beth Moore..I love to ge the insight of trusted authors. : )