the bible, not for the frail hearted

by DaCheech 9 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  DaCheech

  my mom told me this the other day (she was born catholic, and converted to jwism in the late 30's):

  when she was a late teen she asked this question to her catholic priest uncle: "why doesn't the catholic church encourage us to read the bible"..... the man told my mom "if the general public read the bible they would be terrorized by scandalous stuff that only the clergy can sift through".

  instead of taking this answer and leaving it alone, it started her quest to find the truth, and what religion would teach the bible.

  as we know, I, through her came in this wreatched religion that hides behind the bible to scam us
• 

  PSacramento

  The bible is indeed filled with things that can confuse and drive a person to drink, no gray area there.
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  alanv

  Interestingly the WT do not encourage anyone to read the bible without WT publications. Try asking your mum if it is good to read the bible itself. If she is honest she will quote the society when they said if you read the bible by itself you will never come to an acurate knowledge of the truth.

  So not very different to the Catholics
• 

  Palimpsest

  Wow, DaCheech, do we have the same mother? It's exactly the same story. My mother's older brother was a Jesuit, and she herself almost became a Benedictine nun. Her being denied (in her view) full access to the Bible led to her conversion.

  She always tells this story about how, in her childhood church, the big Bible on display was chained to the wall. To her, that symbolized them not wanting her to learn. To me, that just symbolized an understanding of the locals and their penchant for thievery, but what do I know. ;)
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  BurnTheShips

  "why doesn't the catholic church encourage us to read the bible"

  My experience with the Catholic Church is that they encourage Bible study.

  BTS
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  Farkel

  :My experience with the Catholic Church is that they encourage Bible study.

  That experience is a bit different than the one William Tyndale had.

  Farkel
• 

  GLTirebiter

  So not very different to the Catholics

  It's true that Catholics, on the average, do read the Bible less than Protestants. That is something that could stand improvement. According to our own apologists, Catholics Need to read Their Bibles.

  The Bible-reading habits of Catholics lag far behind those of Evangelical Protestants...Catholics ought to do more Bible reading, and Evangelicals ought to read more Church history. We can learn from each other.

  The official position is that Catholics are expected to read the Bible. In my twelve years experience surviving Catholic schools, we weren't just expected to read the Bible, often we were graded on it! That experience is consistent with this article: Are Catholics Allowed to Read the Bible?.

  The laity are more than encouraged, they are urged to read the Bible. By Pius VI (1778), bv Pius VII (1820), they were earnestly exhorted to read it, by Leo XIII a special blessing was given to all who would read the Gospels for at least a quarter of an hour daily...

  GLT
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  DaCheech

  my mom's uncle was not a "US" catholic but one from the 'old country
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  dgp

  Nowadays, Catholics do encourage people to read the Bible, and they now quote the Bible for prayers. By "now" I mean many years ago, when I was still a Catholic.

  I agree with Farkel that this was not always the case. And, we don't have to go as far back as William Tyndale. The mass in the native languages is a relatively late development, and now Benedict XVI has reinstated the mass in latin "for those who want it that way". However, all my life I have found a clear difference with respect to the WTBTS. We were told NOT to read many books (those on the "Index"), but no one really paid attention, and no one really expelled you from the church if you chose to read the Bible on your own or study it at home or whatever. Priests and nuns did "explain" the Bible to you, but it has always been possible to disagree. If you want, you could parrot their interpretation but disagree with it with your friends and the people, and that would not result in your excommunication. The Catholic Church has bad points, yes, but their not letting you read the Bible isn't one anymore. When I was a kid, a neighbor gave me a Bible and no one said a word that was not of encouragement.
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  BurnTheShips

  The Tyndale thing was not so much about the Bible in vernacular itself, but about the interpretation thereof. And translation is interpretation also. From the same website linked to by GLTirebiter:

  http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2002/0212fea3.asp

  BTS