Do people actually read the BIBLE cover to cover or just pick and choose what they want out of it ?

Question

IDK if everyone has the same bible...

PLEASE stop it with the thumbs downs!!!

Answer 1

I have read it cover to cover at least a dozen times in at least a half dozen versions.
I suppose I have read some parts at least a hundred times, including most of the New Testament in the Greek text.
I read it every day, several times a day.
Still I wonder why I don't read it more.
Maybe too much time on Yahoo Q&A's !

Answer 2

There are a lot of wild answers that have digressed from the question, but expected. Not everyone reads the Bible, but everyone is invited to read it!

Many pastors or leaders will reccommend starting aqt the New Testament or specifiacllly in the Gostpels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) to learn about Jesus first. Then, you can understand the references in other books of the Bible, such as those in the Old TEstament which describe the "savior" to come.

It is very difficult to read the Bible straight through, but since I also listened along on tape, I did start at Genesis and stopped at Revelations. As a bible study leader, I often suggest to new readers that it may be easy to start with a daily Bible which breaks it down "day by day" or if not, then start in the New Testament, as pastor suggested. This may be eaiser to stay on track and digest the 1600 pages.

Since not everyone is the same, I can only give you this one bit of advice about which Bible to choose and how to start...Pick the Bible that YOU will read on a regular basis. That is the best idea...you have to be comfortable with that version.Jumping around in random order is fine!

But, I might suggest starting at Matthew if you are not sure.

Answer 3

There are both, as wellas a mixture of the 2, being someone who reads the Bible cover to cover and picks what they want. The problem is that so many put SO MUCH into the Bible and when they read it they take everything so literally and black and white. Its more metaphorical in my opinion and called the "Living BiBle" because it was meant to live and grow/change and adjust to the times. Of course God wanted everyone to have as many kids and populate the world back then, there weren't very many people...since the world is PLENTY full now, I'm sure God would be fine with everyone not popping out 20 kids anymore, as well as it said that we aren't supposed to wear our hair in braids or wear jewelry- all that stuff that we know with our common sense is not a sin or going against God ...

Basically, People need to focus less on being able to quote scripture word for word and more on living the teachings or lessons of/from it..(which when its all boiled down is basically, 'love eachother') Not judge and all the other crap people do because they read it in the Bible or because their religion said so.

Answer 4

I think that all people just should read the Bible once to understand, if not to accept, the basic moral principles underlying our civilization... Then we wouldn't have so many terrible things happening all across the globe...
But even if everyone read the Bible which is the same everywhere (I personally believe in one God for everyone, notwithstanding different holy books), interpretations would be (and are) numerous and very diverse (remember all these sects...)
Besides, in life people are confronted with some problems which even the Bible can not answer, so they look for a solution elsewhere - and with the time, come to some other 'beliefs'...

Answer 5

I can't speak for everyone, but I can tell you about personal experience.

I have read the Bible cover to cover more than once. While reading I mark things I may want to come back to and study more later. When reading these "pick and choose" verses again, I try to read a bit before and after the verse that interested me, so that I can get the context right.

My fiance (before I met him) went so far as to study Hebrew and Latin so that he could understand the Bible better, as well as it's different translations. (He is agnostic, by the way).

I have met MANY people, both Christian and non-Christian, who like to cherry pick the verses they choose to quote and "live by". They usually have taken these verses out of context and twisted them to mean what they think they should mean.

As I said, I don't speak for everyone, just personal experience. And I don't think that my way of reading the Bible is necessarily the "right" or "only" way... just the way that is right for me.

I use the KJV by the way, and am not a "confirmed Christian". I have read many different religious texts, and don't take any of them as the true and complete word of God... but you asked about the Bible, so that is the only one I elaborated on. =)

Answer 6

The Christian Bible actually tells us to pick and choose only that which is love, mercy, ministry (service), truth, beauty and goodness in the God-Given Spiritual Liberty of Jesus Christ fully here with us now as He the Spirit of ALL Truth ! See now and believe this great Truth in John 16:7-16

Thus, as we read the Bible or any book, we know if it sounds as if Jesus would have said and done that or not !

It is spiritually refreshing to see the many answers here which support eclectic exegeses, (plural) or also called being a Spirit of God-led Cafeteria Christian !

In the bigger picture, we are seeing the great increase of Personal Religionists and less church doctrine-bound or Bible-bound Christians. This is good if you do not throw out the Baby with the bath-water !

There are two types Bible reading fools: Those who reject 100% of it and those who accept 100% of it as all equally true ! Wise Christians know that the Gospel of John is a billion trillion times better than the ungodly rot of Numbers chapter 5 ! GOD NEVER told man to do that ! Evil old temple priests made all of that ungodly "thigh and belly rot" test up !

The parts of the Bible that I teach most are all in John:

1:1-18, 12:31-32, 16:7-16, all of chapter 17, especially the last parts, 20:28-31, 21:25. Also Rev 21:3-7

P.R.A.Y. Personal Religionists Association -You !
This Jesus' Brotherhood is invisible, no church to join, no $$ dues to pay, full free spiritual liberty in Light and Life !

Peace and progress,
Brother Dave, a Jesusonian Christian Truthist
http://www.PureChristians.org/ Gospel enlarging website,
proclaiming worldwide the True Religion
OF JESUS and ABOUT JESUS and IN JESUS
Come and share !

Answer 7

People generally pick and choose.


Heck only about 1/2 of all Americans actually read ANY book during the course of a given year. Only 59% of the population claim to have read the Bible "occasionally." (so people must be lying because more people claim to read the Bible occasionally than claim to have read any book in the last year). 42% of women and 37% of men claim to have read something from the Bible in the last week. These are what people claim. Those claims have to be overinflated given ignorance of the contents of the Bible.

1. Only half of adults interviewed nationwide could name any of the four Gospels of the New Testament.
2. Just 37% of those interviewed could name all four Gospels.
3. Only 42% of adults were able to name as many as five of the Ten Commandments correctly.
4. Seven in ten (70%) were able to name the town where Jesus was born, but just 42% could identify him as the person who delivered the Sermon on the Mount.
5. 38% of Americans believe the entire Bible was written several decades after Jesus' death and resurrection (While this is true of the New Testament, the entire Old Testament was written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ).
6. 12% of adults believe that Noah's wife was Joan of Arc.
7. 49% believe that the Bible teaches that money is the root of all evil. (The love of money is said to be the root of all types of evil).
8. 75% believe that the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves.

Answer 8

I have read it cover to cover several times, but it took several attempts before I was able to get through the "begats". It is a hard book to read that way. But I also think it is vital in order to get the concept of the whole story.

When I study the Bible, there is a lot of turning to other passages that also refer to the subject matter. It is not like a book you read, review and remember, it has too many details, it is more like a map for living and should be referred to often.

Answer 9

In the course of five years, I read it five times...once a year. Three times cover to cover and twice bouncing around. I think most people read scriptures and never read the whole Bible and some don't read it at all...or as one here answered...just obsesses on Revelation.

atheist

Answer 10

I know someone who has 5 different versions of the Holy Bible and she read them all cover to cover more than once.