Many say the bible is a hard book to read, is it this way intentionally so the average Joe needs a Priest?

Question

sort of like job security. I dont really see how a book can be so hard to understand. I have read it on several occasions and its pretty straightforward fiction.

Answer 1

Oh please. Don't you know that half of the population is below average in IQ? The average ones aren't too smart either. These people have trouble reading ANY book, and most don't read books at all. The majority of these weak minded people are the people that christionity goes after as followers. THEY are the ones for which the religion was designed. The educated people were the priests who made their LIVING running the church and taking in tithes.

Look at the splendor the pope lives in while encouraging the poor in india to keep having babies and not use birth control. He was just in mexico, a country of poverty and disease, a country where its people are fleeing north.. he was just there telling them that to use a condom is to be excommunicated!

And you think these people can read a book???

Oh please!

Answer 2

Consider an instruction book to C++, quantum theory, automotive mechanics, or Euclidian Space. Even the ones written by masters in their field are complex and can be difficult at times to understand. These books are necessarily complex because of the nature of the subject matter.

The Bible is such an instruction book. It is an instruction book for life, full of allegory, analogy, parables, direct guidance and wisdom, among others. I would say that life is considerably more complex and demanding than a mere programming language. Hence, although God, who created the universe and all the life in it, authored the Bible, it is, by necessity, complex. Often times, just like with other books, it may be wise to get other people's opinions on it. People who are more experienced in that particular field.

How much research have you done regarding the nature of the Bible? Your seemingly inflammatory statement at the end about it being "pretty straightforward fiction" suggests to me that you either have no real desire for a serious answer to this question, or that you have done no real feasibility studies regarding the contents of the Bible.

Answer 3

Keep in mind that the version most people are familiar with is the "King James Version".

This book was translated by scholars appointed by King James, and as such was written in a language style that, at the time, was VERY readable for its era (assuming we are speaking of those who could read at all back then -- remember that literacy was an elite skill then).

The problem is that the Bible is supposed to remain AS IS, per its own dictate in numerous passages. The King James translation actually violates this, because the scholars took poetic liberties in order to take difficult phrases and translate them. There is no question that in any translation, meanings occasionally get askew, even lost.

Because this was called a "translation" and not a rewrite, it was considered within the allowance of the dictate against reinterpretation and rewriting.

However, the particular dictate about not rewriting it managed to survive the translation. Because of this, it has not been rewritten since then. One of the easiest explanations for this is that we are still able to natively read and understand the passages, although difficult for the average reader.

Theologists and clergymen are more familiar with specific passages, and have spent time trying to understand them, so reitterating their "meaning" comes easier. Although it might be said that because they also have a different, more modern dialect of english, they indeed *interpret* it as best as they can.

Unfortunately, this is a catch-22. There is no way to read the Bible and NOT break its dictate on reinterpretation, since:

1. it has been re-interpreted by King James' scholars, and thus is no longer quite the same content, and
2. Even reading the King James dialect requires modern english readers to reinterpret, with the exception of those who have studied languages thoroughly. Even then they are subject to the bias of King James' scholars and their deviation form the original content, however great or small that deviation is.

The truth is, to fully appreciate the Bible as it says you must, you would have to study it in its native, ORIGINAL language, and disregard the skewed King James translation. Even then, you are subject to your own biases, and as such, like anything, it can never be appreciated in full and exact as intended.

Thus, the nature of any written work, it can never be seen quite the same by everyone, and the author(s) (or sources in the case of the Bible) should never expect more than that. However this is deemed a divine collection, and as such, expected to contain the power to allow for identical perspective.

To the nonreligious, that is impossible, but to the faithful, they believe it to be true.

Answer 4

The "King Jame's Version" bible also known as the "Authorized Version" in the U.K. was translated from the original languages, primarily Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament, during the reign of King James in1611. King James actively had little to do with the actual translation process; lifting the death penalty attached to translating the Bible and setting some guidelines for the translation process, such as prohibiting partisan scholarship and footnotes. English is no longer spoken or written like it was in 1611 and that is why it's difficult to understand.

Answer 5

Many factors as to why it is hard to read:

1. The old language style - that is probably the leading cause.

2. The Council of Nicea - that is where a bunch of old guys, many of which probably were not qualified to do so, sat around and voted on each word of the Bible, trying to propose one accepted version of the Bible. So, some of it is confusing, and doesn't even make sense. For example - "The Lord repented of the evil which he had done...." Do you really think the Lord repented? Repented means to change. And God can't change, or he would cease to be God. They obviously chose the wrong wording.

3. And lastly, because the Bible is meant to be understood by the meek hearted. So, it is required to learn it by being in tune with the Spirit. It is not a text book. It is not a history book. It is a book that is intended to increase your character, by giving you peace, patience, charity, and comfort in this brutal world. And to do that, you have to work at it. You can't just read it. You have to ponder.

Answer 6

Some good answers.
My 2 cents:
*It is a difficult subject - life, eternity, imortality. . .
*It was written by people with little or no formal education
*The King James version was translated over 300 years ago. Basic writings from that era are hard enough to read - (Shakespear for example) much less something that was translated from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.

Try the Living Bible, or the New American.

Answer 7

Many people say that because they are poor readers, have poor comprehension, AND...

because they try to read a spiritual text with mere human understanding.

Before reading the Bible, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you the things about which you will read.

Answer 8

Originally the average Joe couldn't read the bible, first he was illiterate, second the church said you should accept the priests interpretation. Literacy was violently discouraged by the church to keep the general population uninformed about anything that might contradict church doctrine.
Catholicism still wants you to accept the priest interpretation.

Answer 9

You will recall that for many centuries it was available only in Latin, so that only priests could understand it and translate the Word of God for ordinary citizens - thereby making themselves hugely important.

When the first translation into English (the 'Vulgate') was made there was massive opposition from the priesthood to this impertinent erosion of their powers.

So if you reckon it's hard to read, think how lucky you are that, despite opposition, you're able to read it at all!

Nothing much of use in there, mind. Just a big fairy tale.

CD

edit: Liver n jello: 'repent' doesn't mean 'change'. If that's the repenting you've been doing, you're going to have to go back and start again. Bummer. God'll be pissed.

Answer 10

If the Bible is hard to read perharps you should look into another translation. Christians today are fortunate to have tons of resources at the palm of there hand. I would say Life is hard so God gave us the Bible.