minsocal Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 This came as a bit of a surprise. Frequent Bible Reading Tied to Social Justice, Openness to Science What daily practice may help American Christians become more concerned about issues of poverty, conservation and civil liberties? Reading the Bible. The answer may come as a surprise to those locked into viewing religious practices in ideological boxes. However, a new study by Baylor University researcher Aaron Franzen found frequent Bible reading predicted greater support for issues ranging from the compatibility of science and religion to more humane treatment of criminals. The study, one of the first to examine the social consequences of reading Scripture, reveals the effects of Bible reading appear to transcend conservative-liberal boundaries. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-briggs/frequent-bible-reading-ti_b_897017.html Myron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenellYB Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Actually, this doesn't surprise me. When I was attending church locally (which in this communtiy means evangelical and fundamentalist) and generally more involved in attending bible study classes and the like, I was uncomfortably surprised at how really reluctant so many in that environment were about actually discussing scripture. Even more so, when again and again people that had a long involvement in that environment admitted that they had never managed to read the whole bible! Some that admitted this were even involved in such "studies" at their church as how to "rebuke" others of their sins and wrong beliefs!!!! Of those that would say they had read the whole bible, quite a few showed me theiir "method" for having done so...everytime they listened to a sermon or SS class teacher, the person highlighted, check marked, or other means they used, whatever scriptural passages were used in that sermon or Ss class...and thus, over the years, when they had marked all the passages of text in their tattered old bible, they figured they had accomplished reading the whole bible! I often wondered what would happen if they were to lose that tattered old bible....how would they ever find their place in their 'reading the whole bible' method! Many often misquoted snippets of text, sure didn't like having it pointed out they were doing so, and often defended with "well, that's what it MEANS, anyway!" My expectations for intelligent discussion of scripture got squashed rather quickly. Jenell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glintofpewter Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 The problem with well done studies is that the answers are complicated. Thus, even as opposition to same-sex marriage and legalized abortion tends to increase with more time spent with the Bible, so does the number of people who say it is important to actively seek social and economic justice, Franzen found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 In some ways this makes sense. Christians who take their bible seriously will already likely be the type of person who enjoys going to church a lot and participating frequently in social justice activities like missionary trips and charity events as opposed to just going to church because your parents made you. But the question I'm really interested in is how do they read their bibles. It's been my experience that while many fundamentalists do study their bibles a lot and are well versed in conservative apologetics, few of them have read the entire bible and most of them study the bible by reading selected passages in carefully controlled bible study classes. I'd be interested in seeing how reading the entire bible and not just select passages influences your social values. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yvonne Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I've often wondered how people who claim to have read the entire bible can believe in its inerrancy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 But I question how reliable and unbiased the study is since it was conducted by a conservative Baptist university in the middle of Waco Texas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenellYB Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Neon, you are on exactly the same point I was in a previous post, discovering how few in churches or Christian communties I've encountered have really read and studied the bible. What seems most often to pass for reading and studying the bible is actually being taught by some preacher or teacher using a few loosely attached bible verses pluucked out of context, and used to 'support' some pre-conceived notion, whether it actually would, in conntext, or not, and without regard to whether one could make the reverse journey, ie from reading the actual text come to that notion as a valid conclusion. I have sometimes thought that even many of the preachers and teachers have only 'studied' in this way themselves. Jenell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minsocal Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 But I question how reliable and unbiased the study is since it was conducted by a conservative Baptist university in the middle of Waco Texas. Baylor has its critics, to be sure. I'm trying to find more information on the study and how it was conducted. http://www.secularhumanism.org/greg-paul-baylor.pdf Myron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenellYB Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Oh, my, yes, considering the source, I agree there might be room for caution in accepting the validity of the study and results. I didn't pay attention to that. A few years ago, in Texas Baptist Newsletter, the same source cited a "study" that supposedly proved, of all things, that Christians "hug their children more than non-Christians." Go figure THAT one, lol! Jene;; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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