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because people do not like to bother to do their own personal research. instead they rely on the opinions of others. many thinking their spiritual leaders are telling the truth, think it is unnecessary to study the bible any further. i had an interesting experience many years ago in the door to door ministry i participate in. upon conversing with the local catholic priest
about what he had learned at the seminary he attended, he very candidly admitted he did not study the bible, they would read it once a week for an hour outside in the courtyard. i was startled by what he admitted. this is typical of what many people do not know, that their religious leaders for the most part do not themselves know their bible.
by Twisted Taco on February 11th, 2010
Are you sure it's the most bought book and not the most given away? I've never met anyone who bought one. I've known a lot of people who stole them from hotel rooms though
by Just A Girl on January 18th, 2010
Guilt...
by Sergmaster00 on January 7th, 2010
I think it is because it is more of a decoration than a book. Or consider this point of view: Nobody reads an entire dicionary, yet when needed you search a word. There are people who do the same thing with the Bible.
by warex255 on January 10th, 2010
Because of guillable idiots. You really dont need to buy one. Just go to your closest church and take one.
by Moongrim on January 10th, 2010
One carries more weight in an argument when you're waving around an example of that which you're misquoting passages out of.
You're assuming of course, that there really is anything printed outside of the cover.
by giocomocasanova on February 23rd, 2010
People buy the book as some kind of " charm" as a article of superstition, or hoping to impress others by owning a copy. Most people do not read period, let alone something this boring uninformative and useless, so I can not really blame them for not reading it.
by humanity74 on January 18th, 2010
In my personal experience, I've been given four Bibles as gifts. I'm assuming they feared for my immortal soul and presumed that I'd never read the Bible.
So, there's 4 unread copies right there :-)
by RC loves ice cream on January 7th, 2010
Because Christians feel obliged to own a Bible. If they go to a religious school, they probably are required to buy one as a textbook. Also, lots of them are bought by missionaries to distribute.
by vew573 on November 11th, 2010
Good question Strength. Somehow this makes me think of an essay that was written by a high school student. I will post it here..perhaps some of you will enjoy reading it as much as I did.
Could it be that people have been led to believe that personal reading of the Bible is not necessary? (If the Bible itself cannot be fossalized, (Kept out of the language of the common people, than perhaps convincing people that it is full of errors, or just some ancient stories, will serve the same purpose.)
Amazing depth of spirituality in our young lady: Monika Rike is a member of the Kingwood Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She wrote this essay for an English class at Kingwood Park High School . She had to pretend she was an inanimate object and describe a full day as though she were that object. She chose the Bible, specifically, an illegal edition translated into English in the late 1500s.
Her inspiration was the martyrdom of William Tyndale who was notorious for translating the Bible into English and was burned as a heretic as a consequence. She poses as one of Tyndale’s editions that was purchased by a commoner.
Dawn till duskSunlight streamed through the open window, warming my binding and dispelling the nighttime chill. The brightness revealed my aging features, my once black cover now a faded gray and my edges bent and torn from use. But I do not mind; I still have many years to go before my glue comes undone.
I smile as I remember when I was fresh off the printing press. I was so nervous about my purpose in life. I found joy when William More bought me because he was so eager to read the Bible in his own language, English, instead of the official Latin of the Church. He found solace in edifying himself through my scriptures.How happy I was when I finally discovered the elusive use of my pages. Comforting people with hope for the future and educating them on God’s will is what I was created for. Therefore, I continue to be a loyal aid to my Master William.
Now I relax in the sun as I wait for Master William to awake. Mornings are my favorite. This is our time, when Master William settles at his desk and soaks up the inspired words from my passages. I watch as he wakes with the sound of songbirds and wait patiently as he shuffles toward me, still groggy from a restless night’s sleep. He sits at his creaky chair and opens me wide, giving me a breath of fresh air, his fingers a gentle breeze turning my pages.Hmmm… I sense he needs courage to face the day, so I hope he turns to Hebrews, chapter 13, verse 6. And he does. I listen contentedly as he murmurs, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”I hope he takes that to heart, for he has been unusually somber lately. I assume it is because of Richard, his brother-in-law, who has been overly officious lately and even accused Master William of heresy. However, our problems are momentarily subdued as we spend the morning reading God’s word.
Wow, has time flied! I realize our reading is up when Master William sees the time is 12:30.
Suddenly, a harsh rap on the door startles us. Master William closes me, gently places me in the bottom drawer, and covers me with his notebooks. I hate this stuffy place. It bemuses me why every time someone visits I get hidden in this claustrophobic darkness, although Master William must have a reason.I listen attentively as he opens the door.
To my horror, several men forcibly push past him into our house. I start shaking as one of them begins tearing books off Master William’s shelves, letting them fall to the floor with loud thuds, and the other two men grab Master William and tie his hands behind his back. What is going on? The first man heads toward the desk. He takes out the first few drawers and empties them, despite my master’s protests. It hits me like a thousand chariots: these men are looking for me.After being hurled upside down, bruised to Revelation, rudely examined and jostled around in a stinky carriage, Master and I are dragged before some judges.
Master William stands erect before them, my beloved and honest master, charged for heresy. An accuser slams me on the nearby table for evidence, sending a shiver of pain up my spine.This is not judicious; I should be evidence that he is not a heretic, but they are saying that reading the Bible is forbidden to the laity and that possessing a vernacular translation is extremely seditious. Wait a second, the common people can read “Robin Hood” but they cannot read me? I pity the church leaders that concocted this, but mostly I pity the poor people who are prohibited from reading their personal Bible.
I pause from my thoughts and listen to them declare Master William’s sentence. The head judge’s words cut as sharply as scissors slicing through my soul. I am in disbelief, utter shock. We are to be burned alive at the stake. I can already feel the flames eating away at my edges, my words choked by the smoke.But I watch my words ring clear in the heart of my master. I see him standing firm in the face of death, assured that he is innocent in the eyes of God. Reflecting on precious memories with him calms me in this time of turmoil. The joy I gave Master William when he read me. The peaceful, perfect morning, before fear and prejudice swept it all away.Now I understand why he hid me all those years.
The leaders of these dark ages feel threatened by the veracity interwoven in my writings. I pray that despite however tight the clergy clench their fists, streams of knowledge will eventually flow to peoples of all nations and they will be refreshed in its truth. Alas, that day is not today. Thus Master Williams breathes his last and I shrivel to ashes at his feet.
by Sorrow on March 8th, 2010
i think the main reason is that a lot of people are hypocrites. and that a lot of people pretend to be holy that they read the bibles they bought just to make other people be impressed and say (oh, wow! this family/person reads the bible).. thats what i think.. and just like what autumn said people dont bother to do their own personal research,
though the bible says that people ought to know the bible byself..
by lucas6 on March 4th, 2010
It's better than Toilet Paper
by Charlie is a girl on January 10th, 2010
They think owning a bible will help them not burn in hell.I have no opinion either way.
by Texasescimo on January 9th, 2010
Perhaps because alot of preachers teach that all you have to do is pay your tithes and believe. The teaching of once saved always saved may have something to do with also.
If you truly believe, then you will believe what the Bible says and do it.
by Scotslass on November 11th, 2010
I read my bible when I got it as a youth. I stil have it out of sentimentality for the person who gave me it, but the pages have not been opened for a good thirty years and will probably remain unopened until someone picks it up from a charity shop when I am no doubt shovelling coal in the bowels of hell.
Is there a study guide along with"Know the Bible in 30 Days"?
by Answerbag Staff on July 11th, 2010
| 1 person likes this
What year did ronald knox publish the new testament?
by Answerbag Staff on July 6th, 2010
| 1 person likes this
How firm of a grasp do you think you have on scripture, especially relating to end time events?
by drequeen on January 14th, 2012
| 1 person likes this
According to the bible.. has God always been honest?
by aldonoir on January 17th, 2012
| 3 people like this
Who publishes the new King James Bible?
by Answerbag Staff on June 14th, 2010
| 1 person likes this
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Comments
Most Christians I know just listen to their preachers, they don't read it for themselves. That is sad.
:)
by Strength on January 28th, 2010