Evidently the Bible is the most widely distributed book.

[YoursTrue]

Most widely distributed and least understood...

I surely cannot contest that. I had a conversation today with a lady in a warehouse club having a piece of pizza. And she was insisting that God's name is God. and he is the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in unity. I tried telling her that God is a title, not a name. (I didn't start the conversation.) So I asked her if she has a Bible in the house. She said she has a "Christian Bible." I asked her what translation is she using. She said, "the Christian Bible." Then as I was leaving I hear her calling her friend and asking, "What's God name?" -) )

 

[Kenny]

I can understand that, Kenny. My life changed (oh, by the way, I'm not perfect -- yet) like leaving one room (forever) and going into real freedom (life with blessings and guidance from God). I'll give you one illustration. Years ago I was seeing a mental therapist. I just couldn't figure life out and my life itself was a mess. I had been on medication for years. Well, I began studying the Bible and the doctor kept warning me not to. Can you imagine that? At a certain point, she said, as I was telling her the exciting things I was learning, "Stop that! I don't want to hear that any more!" And I thought -- wait a minute -- this doctor will listen to all the junk (bad things) I was telling her, and now she won't listen to what I was learning? You guessed it! I left psychiatry for good and let God Almighty be my Guide and Helper.
Thanks for your kindness, Kenny.

WOW! (Yes, I’m shouting). What a great example of the life and light that is in the word of God!

I like the way Paul talk about not being perfect, Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"

The way I read it, He isn’t looking at our imperfection but rather sees as a “good work” and working out our imperfection. I love that statement. So many people are told how bad, imperfect or what a mess they are and yet God looks at us and simply says, “No, you are a good work and just needing me to birth it and bring it to completion”.

My wife comes from a violent home where fist fights between mom and dad was common. Her dad left the house and mom had to rent rooms to make ends meet. My wife saw murder, a men dragging women on the floor by the hair just to name a few things she lived through.

I came from a home where dad thought unfaithfulness was a way of life ending his marriage in divorce and sending the 5 children into a spiraling downward lifestyle.

So we get married thinking we were going to make it work with all the baggage we were carrying. Eight years into our marriage, I was ripe and ready to follow my father’s footsteps when we both met Jesus.

The very next day I called her on the phone from work and knew there was just something different in her voice and in my life. I found a love that I could not explain (I was a Bible illiterate) and our marriage was instantly healed. Not that we didn’t have things that needed to be washed out, but God began a good work that He is finishing.

This September we will be 50 years married instead of another divorce statistic ruining our own children’s lives.

 

[YoursTrue]

WOW! (Yes, I’m shouting). What a great example of the life and light that is in the word of God!

I like the way Paul talk about not being perfect, Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"

The way I read it, He isn’t looking at our imperfection but rather sees as a “good work” and working out our imperfection. I love that statement. So many people are told how bad, imperfect or what a mess they are and yet God looks at us and simply says, “No, you are a good work and just needing me to birth it and bring it to completion”.

My wife comes from a violent home where fist fights between mom and dad was common. Her dad left the house and mom had to rent rooms to make ends meet. My wife saw murder, a men dragging women on the floor by the hair just to name a few things she lived through.

I came from a home where dad thought unfaithfulness was a way of life ending his marriage in divorce and sending the 5 children into a spiraling downward lifestyle.

So we get married thinking we were going to make it work with all the baggage we were carrying. Eight years into our marriage, I was ripe and ready to follow my father’s footsteps when we both met Jesus.

The very next day I called her on the phone from work and knew there was just something different in her voice and in my life. I found a love that I could not explain (I was a Bible illiterate) and our marriage was instantly healed. Not that we didn’t have things that needed to be washed out, but God began a good work that He is finishing.

This September we will be 50 years married instead of another divorce statistic ruining our own children’s lives.

Very lovely, thank you for sharing.

 

[Alien826]

"According to Guinness World Records as of 1995, the Bible is the best selling book yet written with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed. Sales estimates for other printed religious texts include at least 800 million copies for the Qur'an and 190 million copies for the Book of Mormon."

List of best-selling books - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Bibles are bought in bulk by churches that put one in every seat.

I'd be interested in a statistic, if such exists, of how many Bibles are purchased by individuals. Another, which is obviously impossible to determine, would be how many are actually read by anyone.

 

[Kenny]

Bibles are bought in bulk by churches that put one in every seat.

I'd be interested in a statistic, if such exists, of how many Bibles are purchased by individuals. Another, which is obviously impossible to determine, would be how many are actually read by anyone.

What we do, is we buy Bibles and if someone doesn’t have one and wants one, we give it to them. Most churches understand that not everyone can go and just buy a Bible. However, most people actually buy their bibles.

 

[YoursTrue]

In general, I would say that just about everyone has questions about life, suffering, death, and the future. And of course, most of us are concerned about making a living or having a happy family life. Some like myself have found and believe that the Bible not only helps answer life’s big questions but also gives them practical advice on daily life.

 

[Kenny]

I really haven’t found a subject for living that can’t be addressed by the Bible. And I don’t know of any book that has caused thousands of books to have been written about it and still find more to write about the subjects in the Bible.

 

[YoursTrue]

When I would read the Bible before I believed in God, I felt that the teachings or writings came from a higher source. (Even though I didn't know much about them or applying the teachings to my life.)
So I believe a reasonable question is who is the Bible’s author? The Bible was penned by some 40 men over a span of about 1,600 years. Therefore you have to figure there was a long period of time in some cases between the preserved compilation of writings.

 

[Twilight Hue]

When I would read the Bible before I believed in God, I felt that the teachings or writings came from a higher source. (Even though I didn't know much about them or applying the teachings to my life.)
So I believe a reasonable question is who is the Bible’s author? The Bible was penned by some 40 men over a span of about 1,600 years. Therefore you have to figure there was a long period of time in some cases between the preserved compilation of writings.

I'm not sure if the Bible can even be dated accurately.

 

[Alien826]

What we do, is we buy Bibles and if someone doesn’t have one and wants one, we give it to them. Most churches understand that not everyone can go and just buy a Bible. However, most people actually buy their bibles.

Have you heard the old joke about the monks that decided to raise money by selling Bibles door to door? One monk has a very pronounced stutter, and it turns out that he sells a lot more Bibles than any of the other monks. When asked how he does it he tells them "I s-s-say, If you don't w-w-w-want to p-p-pay for it I'll r-r-r-read it to you".

 

[Kenny]

When I would read the Bible before I believed in God, I felt that the teachings or writings came from a higher source. (Even though I didn't know much about them or applying the teachings to my life.)
So I believe a reasonable question is who is the Bible’s author? The Bible was penned by some 40 men over a span of about 1,600 years. Therefore you have to figure there was a long period of time in some cases between the preserved compilation of writings.

Another point is how all of them had the same thread of thought and, if memory serves correctly, some lived at the same time but never knew what the other wrote yet still had the same thread.

 

[YoursTrue]

I'm not sure if the Bible can even be dated accurately.

There are signals in the writings themselves to tell us their historical accuracy. I don't quibble over exact dates in particular because I'm purty sure (but not exactly sure) that the writings were passed on and copied many times by hand before printing presses were invented. That does not mean they are inaccurate, and, as those of us who testify to being moved by the scriptures, we know and believe how understanding them has changed our lives for the better. Thanks for your comment.
But then again, the passing on of the scriptures before the invention of the printing press can be followed with extant manuscripts showing they have not been readily changed over the course of centuries.

 

[YoursTrue]

Another point is how all of them had the same thread of thought and, if memory serves correctly, some lived at the same time but never knew what the other wrote yet still had the same thread.

Yes, indeed. Since many of the authors claimed God's spirit to move them, I'm remember Daniel as a prime prospect, he wrote it was God that spoke to him. He wrote the occurrences down. I remember using the old "Ben Franklin" method of justification years ago when I was studying and believing. There was a plus column and a minus column. I had everything on the plus column and no negatives. Thus I made my decision. Thanks for your comments, Kenny.

 

[YoursTrue]

I'm not sure if the Bible can even be dated accurately.

Here's what I will say if this helps: there have been artifacts revealed from way back re: very powerful rulers and/or wars. In fact, many of them verifying events recorded in the Bible. But here is the question -- whereas the Bible offers an accurate record of wins and losses with the Israelites, many of the historical rulers in the past and even today will erase anything bad about themselves or their losses if they can.