Finished Reading The Bible

Joined
Mar 16, 2021
Messages
2,895
Location
Western Iowa
I'm not an outwardly religious person, and don't go to church regularly. However, we were raised Christian and went to Christian school through elementary school.

My daughters and I say a prayer before every single deer hunt, and its amazing how successful we've been. We never ask for a trophy, just an opportunity for an animal and his blessing. We ask him to guide our hands, bless the shot, and ask that he reduce any suffering.

My oldest is attending a Lutheran college this fall, and is looking forward to expanding her faith. The school actually stops everything every day so students can all attend chapel if they wish.

Nice thread guys and appreciate the recommendations.
 

Dooms

FNG
Joined
Sep 3, 2022
Messages
16
Congratulations!

That is a lift and a half!

Reading the Bible in a vacuum is a long hard slog. The 73 books of the Bible have enormous amounts of context, and need deep historical depth to unpack fully. It is worth noting that Protestant bible has 7 fewer books (thus 66 books in some bibles, like the New King James) while the Catholic Bible is 73 books. I am Catholic, so my Bible is 73 books. This is worth diving into and understanding, for while our faiths have many common points, there are divergences, and it is a good exercise to understand why these divergences exist and how it influences your faith.

The Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz is a very approachable path to the Bible - 365 podcasts - digging deeply into the history, and how the Old and the New Testament tie together. You can find it in many places, it is by Ascension Presents. He has a very approachable, "Aw shucks" kind of presentation, and doesn't throw rocks, instead he welcomes people in.

Bible in a Year


- Dooms
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2019
Messages
2,260
Location
Missouri
Even some non-Protestant bibles have only 66 books.....like the KJV.
The KJV is most definitely of Protestant origin. It was commissioned by a Protestant king, translated by Protestant clergymen, and is/was widely used in Protestant churches. Original printings of the KJV (often called the Authorized Version at the time) included the 66 canonical books of the Old and New Testaments plus the 14 non-canonical books of the Apocrypha. The Apocryphal books were removed from KJV printings in the early 1800's.
 

Cynoscion

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 11, 2021
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294
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South Texas
There is nothing I would rather do than talk Bible, theology and my Messiah. Truly my favorite topics but I think we as followers of Jesus, tend to forget that being saved and living for Christ is as simple as Romans 10:9.

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

This is the gospel and the only way to salvation. It is a gift from God by His grace alone. All of the other stuff is fun and interesting to talk about and debate but the gospel is what matters most.

I’m so happy that the Op has found the Bible and I pray that the Holy Spirit continues to give him a yearning to read the Bible and know the creator and Father.
 
Joined
Jul 1, 2015
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Colo Spgs
On my to do list….

Have read many sections but never whole thing.

Our phones have the YouVersion bible app which allows you to read it in an entire year but digestible chunks at a time


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Joined
May 30, 2022
Messages
319
Good for you friend! In Infantry basic training the only reading material that we were allowed were religious books. Being a reader I read the Bible, koran, and book of morman......that was my first exposure to it and I still read the Bible to this day.
Seriously? That’s messed up.
 

Kenn

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 3, 2019
Messages
298
Location
Oregon
About 50 years ago I was questioning my faith and decided to read the entire bible. My take was much different than anyone on this thread. I saw examples of a jealous, vindictive, angry God, along with contradictions and inexplicable commandments. I then read a more modern translation, which I believe was the Living Bible, and I became an unbeliever - because of the Bible. After all that, I read Misquoting Jesus, which was written by a Moody Bible scholar and that solidified my disbelief. It's amazing to me how so many people can read the same book and think it's all fiction or it's gospel, but it seems as though no two people agree on everything in it.
 

Cynoscion

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 11, 2021
Messages
294
Location
South Texas
Man, that really stinks and I hate to hear that. One of the things that I find most amazing about God is just how unexplainable His love for us is. He loves us so much, that He will always take us back no matter how far we are from Him. I hope and pray that you give Him another chance if for no other reason than, He’s always willing to give you another chance. The Holy Spirit can and will work miracles in our lives!

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
 

BBob

WKR
Joined
Jun 29, 2020
Messages
3,665
Location
Southern AZ
Misquoting Jesus, which was written by a Moody Bible scholar
Bart D. Ehrman author.

That’s a very interesting read for anyone regardless of what you think of the Bible. His evolution and relationship with the church and Bible were very interesting as well :)
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