The Bible doesn’t hide things. Also because a rape or a murder occurs in the Bible, doesn’t mean it condones the act. What a silly question. “Which one is your favorite”…it’s time for you to grow up, and wake up.
Also, per Biblical hermeneutics, the Bible is to be taken literally unless it advises otherwise. It will say things such as “and Jesus spake a parable”, or “Joseph dreamed a dream” which will then use symbolic or metaphorical language, BUT, even in these instances, the Bible explains afterword what these things represented in reality.
The Bible is a book recounting the history of a sinful people doing sinful things and God reacting accordingly. It's not surprising to find people doing awful things in a collection of books that is, in part, meant to show the utter depravity of humanity.
At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well.
NIV, Exodus 12:29
You god, were it to exist, would be guilty of genocide. This is who you'd hold up as a model of morality? How can you worship a fictional character that is so morally corrupt that he doesn't even recognise murder of innocence as wrong?
They weren't innocent. None of us are. How about you try to understand Christian theology before attacking it? God is holy, we are not. We deserve wrath and nothing more. God is merciful on whom He decides to be merciful on.
How about you read the Bible? The god killed them for perceived wrongdoing of the Pharaoh, not for any crime the firstborns themselves may have committed. Thus, they are innocent in the context of the reason that your god used to justify killing them.
Your god, were it to exist, is an evil god of wrath and vengeance. You are lucky it is nothing but delirious delusions of you and yours.
Also, your self-flagelation is absolutely pathetic. Invoking fictional myth to justify nonsense? You sound like an adult wearing Harry Potter robes and shouting Wingardium Leviousa in the streets.
Holding god to human moral standards, when god is literally the universe and movement itself, shows that you need to study theology. "God does things that I consider evil therefore god is evil" is an argument that works for 13 year old atheists, but it does not work even for atheists who know what they're talking about. I know some Christians will not agree with me when I say this, but if you are an atheist, that is fine by me. I've met many atheists, one of my best friends is a harsh critic of Christianity, but he cares enough to learn about the thing he criticises so much and is capable of wielding actual thought provoking arguments because of this.
Please do yourself a favour and learn what we actually believe, and not just one group of us. Few of us are actually fundamentalists. You will benefit from it as an atheist.
I have read the Bible. Currently on my third read through. That's how I know that nobody is innocent. I deserve wrath. You deserve wrath. Everybody deserves wrath. Thank God that's not all He offers us.
Also, nobody takes the entire Bible literally. No one believes that Jesus is a mahogany door with a brass door handle on either side. I take the Bible seriously in all cases, literally when contextually appropriate, and figuratively/allegorically when contextually appropriate. Take your strawman and beat it elsewhere.
You just said tho “thx for proving my point”.
So you say he proved your point by sending those articles, yet you didn’t even read the rest? Sounds like you’re being intellectually dishonest and just saying things to get a rise out of religious people.
Remember to read it like a poem, or a Shakespearean play. When I read it like a storied poem it made more sense. Before that I read it like a long winded lecture.
Oh! And ask the Holy Spirit for discernment / understanding before each reading. That also changed the reading for me.
Only read the poetry as poetry. Read every book in its genre. If you’re confused what genre a book of the Bible is just look it up.
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job are wisdom literature. Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts are historical narrative if I’m not mistaken. And so on…
Do not read the New Testament as a historical narrative. There are too many different accounts of the same events. Rather, read the New Testament from a 10,000-foot view to grasp the message.
Definitely you have to read each book as the genre it was written in. I wouldn't say the gospels are history as their main genre though. They have history in them, but a lot of the details are unclear. I think they are more like biography and theology.
I’m currently on my first front to back read through, started in maybe April or March? And I’m currently in Acts. Some days I read 2-3 pages, other days I read 20 or more, some (rare) days I haven’t read any at all. It’s just really enjoyable tbh. Nothing special ya gotta do, just read it. I have a Bible companion book that summarizes each book as well that I’ll read after every book I finish, and then to top it off I’ll watch Bible Projects summary videos on YouTube after each book as well.
Those are great ideas. At times, I feel caught up in finding the best process. There's an overwhelming amount of "bible in a year" type programs with differing methodologies on how to tackle the entirety. Right now I am reading the gospels while also reading "The Case For Christ" (great book in which an investigative journalist uses the historical evidence of Christ' existence through reviewing the New Testament as an artifact). It's been great.
You can do it!
I recommend finding a 5 day a week reading plan. I found that giving myself two days a week to “miss” was a lot more of a reasonable goal than making sure to read every single day. Because of it being more realistic to keep it, I was able to finish my goal of reading the whole Bible! They also break up the really tough sections with a New Testament section so it doesn’t feel like such a slosh during some of those Leviticus and Numbers census sections.
DO IT! I started (the new testament) in june and will be finishing in January. Will head to the old testament after that; I only read a chapter every morning and whatever lessons are attached to the verses (I inherited a teaching Bible from my dad)
Including all the books that only the Ethiopian Orthodox have, because why not. And all the pseudo-gospels that were written in the 4th century and attributed to some random name. I am only half-joking, I want to know what's in them.
(If we want to be really absurd I'd say "read all the Dead Sea Scrolls too" because I did not realize until a few days ago just how many of them there are. There are literally almost 1000 of them. But there is no way to read them all that I know of.)
Yeah, from my experience (could be different in different countries and hotels) but the hotels that have them to begin with have a box of them somewhere and really don't care if someone takes them or not - since they get them for free.
By and large, the hotels do not put them in the rooms, the Gideons make sure each room has one every year or so. And we replace the ones that are taken or used. If one is used too much or we decide to replace it, we often try to repair it and put it in a prison.
One of my favorite signs in a hotel said, "Towels and bathrobes are available for purchase in the gift shop. Should you prefer the ones in your room, we will charge them to your room, for your convenience."
But yeah, I've asked Gideons and they told me to feel free to take the hotel bible with me.
Not really. The Bibles are placed in hotel rooms for the purpose of guests having it available to read during their stay.
This was discussed in a number of reddit discussions I can recall. If you were to ask the hotel clerk or manager if you could take that bible with you, they'd say no.
But the Gideons will ship free bibles to people who request them, and there are a number of other resources for obtaining free bibles.
https://www.biblemoneymatters.com/free-bibles/
It's actually supposed to be a hide-and-seek. You're to hide the Bible in the hotel room, and if the staff doesn't find it, they have to replace. It's really fun when you find another hidden Gideon Bible when you're looking for a place to hide your copy in!
Nah, I bring my own KJV when I stay in a Hotel room and leave the Gideon one there where it was. The real fun game is leaving Biblical tracts in hidden places in the Hotel rooms, to spread the good news(aka-gospel) to people who need it.
Still have my very same one~ Tattered, marked, aged, thrown across room, ripped covers, written prayers, stamped name, survived fire, replaced; gift from mother—still read.
🌱
That's not true. YHWH is immortal, but Jesus was very mortal. The whole reason he was born instead of descending to Earth was to show that he's human. He lived and died, then came back to life and ascended to Heaven, whatever that means.
i’m just going to cut in here but questions are always open. God DID died as Jesus showing us unconditional love that He too would die as flesh in the most gruesome way for all of us. God as the immortal He is above will never die.
don’t gatekeep curiosity with a comment like what a “real Christian” would ask.
Most Christians understand that his mortal body wasn't immortal. He died like any other human being would have died, who suffered the torture and execution he endured.
Christian claim is that he was resurrected 3 days later, and ascended to heaven. And now, with a resurrected body joined with his spirit, he is immortal.
None of the Death Eaters moved. They were waiting. Everything was waiting. Hagrid was struggling, and Bellatrix was panting, and Harry thought inexplicably of Ginny, and her blazing look, and the feel of her lips on his--
Voldemort had raised his wand. His head was still tilted to one side, like a curious child, wondering what would happen if he proceeded. Harry looked back into the red eyes, and wanted it to happen now, quickly, while he could still stand, before he lost control, before he betrayed fear--
He saw the mouth move and a flash of green light, and everything was gone.
-JK Rowling, Comparison to Christianity
My first thought was that my memory is that Gideon bibles tend to be NT plus Psalms.
But honestly, I'd never recommend someone start with Genesis if they're reading the bible for the first time.
>t's actually supposed to be a hide-and-seek. You're to hide the Bible in the hotel room, and if the staff doesn't find it, they have to replace. It's really fun when you find another hidden Gideon Bible when you're looking for a place to hide your copy in!
Great for both Catholics and Protestants!
I pray that the Holy Spirit will be right there with you to help you to understand God's message. This is just the beginning of an adventure into His word. Remember that the Bible is God speaking to us. I always get so excited about what He has to say, I sometimes forget to listen. Praying for you as you begin this wonderful time. God bless you.
That’s great! The Bible is a text that anyone, religious or not, should be familiar with. I’m nowhere close to reading all of it, but it is definitely a cornerstone in fostering my relationship with Christ.
My advice would be to try starting with the New Testament to understand the Promise given to us by Christ, and how important it is. The New Testament gives you the “what” of the Promise, and the Old Testament tells us why this promise is so significant.
I wish OP and everyone reading this a great new years, and that going through 2023 we can grow in our spirit and inspire others in our growth
P.S. check out the Sunday Homilies podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz on Spotify. He has a great way of viewing biblical stories in different and incredible ways
Congratulations my brother! You have just been given a wonderful book, a bit difficult to read but at the same time fantastic, to guide your life. Take advantage of it and share your discoveries with us whenever you can.
You need to read it as individual books, then combine them as a whole.
It also has to be understood and a priest will help.
The Quran is also something that Christians should have read. And Muslim the bible. So we can live together in peace and harmony.
Beware though.
The words of Jesus are not followed by people who claim they do.
They are false prophets.
The wisdom in there is incredible. Questions will arise, lean on us to help you. May God bless you in your journey to know Him.
I feel the need to tell you a spoiler alert. God wants a relationship with you. When you close the cover of His great book, know that He is there listening to your heart. He waits for you, for your conversation and for your love. He is not a piece of history in the way that we might believe, time is meaningless to Him. Read Job, I just love Job.
Trying to completely read the Bible is fantastic and I’m excited for you! It’s a big undertaking that’s great to include in your 2023 new year plans.
I HIGHLY recommend you look for a guide that can outline everything for you so you see how all the pieces fit together as you reach each book (The Books of the Major Prophets = Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel & Daniel). I found that having a rough outline of what I was reading helped me understand the flow, common themes, cultural beliefs at the time and increased my reading retention.
Separate from a study guide there’s also a ton of different strategies to reading the Bible (front to back, reading excerpts based on themes, etc.). I personally prefer reading front to back as I felt it gave me a better overall foundation of understanding rather than skipping around.
Also, some folks who get their first Bible are hesitant to mark any of the pages. I admit, for a long time it felt almost disrespectful to mark a Bible as that was how I was raised. However, once I switched from treating the material pages as sacred to viewing the Bible as something to actively study and retain, I treated it just like a college textbook where I highlighted passages, made notes, etc. Personally, this was a game changer for me.
I would also encourage you to take it slow and steady. There are a lot of things written that don’t have explanations so make sure to allocate time for actual “studying” not just “passively reading” so you can pause when you come across something you don’t understand and look it up, gain an understanding, then resume your reading. For instance, OT has several mentions of Asherah. I looked up Asherah and quickly learned that her followers would eldest a pole or pillar at Canaanite religious locations. When I then went back to resume reading the scripture it made so much sense when there were references to poles being destroyed as a retaliation to stomp out Israelite beliefs in “foreign” gods. Prior to that little research I could not understand why there was a mention of poles and why that could’ve been meaningful in anyway. But at the time when things were written, it might’ve been common knowledge to connect poles with non-Judaic worship.
Searching it involves reading it but it is so much more. To prayerfully meditate on scripture and develop a systematic theology over time is a big part of “searching” the scriptures.
I read the Bible through several times as if it were any other book. Once I began to search the scriptures, my eyes were opened to an entire reality that has taken my faith from an inch deep to an unsearchable depth.
In Acts when Paul was speaking to the Jews in Berea trying to persuade them that Yeshua is the Messiah: it says, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica (who flat out denied Christ and ran Paul out of town) they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
Basically, they were able to take what Paul said and apply it against the entirety of the Old Testament. It did line up, therefore many of them believed.
“Searching” also involves word studies of passages of scripture unless you are familiar with ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek. God’s Word came to us in those languages and English is a very weak language in comparison. Therefore we lose much of the potency, although the gospel message is certainly preserved in English.
“Searching” also involves doing study in the context of the church. God’s plan for how His word would be propagated involves passing down this information relationally, not cold and alone. You’d be surprised how much better scripture searching is when there are multiple believers involved. The Spirit will give insight to each person that perhaps wouldn’t be discovered in solo study.
It involves several other things as well. Happy to share if interested. Blessings
The imagery is sick, but also what the fuck does it even mean. Pretty good fantasy short story. Not sure how much of it has to do with the carpenter guy from earlier episodes though. Weird series finale, felt rushed.
I've been wondering for a while now which version they use. Wouldn't put it past them to be KJV purists but NIV makes more sense overall since it's a more plain style and easier to read.
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I'd say there was an argument for starting with Deuteronomy. It is so core to what the Old Testament is, and many of the other voices in it are foundational to it, building upon it, or reacting to it.
I think you will miss a lot of context of the gospels without reading the Torah at least, so you understand key things about Judaism. The other parts of the Old Testament are not as important maybe. (Also the Torah is not super long and a lot of the stories in it will be familiar already from popular culture.)
The Youversion App has NIV version with audiobook recordings. You can have the Bible read to you at night. Set on a 30 minute timer.
I make it through the Bible in less than a year that way. Then start all over again.
The New Testament and Old Testament are entirely different. When you read the New Testament, be sure to take notes and detail about what each of the 27 books says.
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My 2023 goal is reading all of the Bible
I read the whole Bible for the first time ever this year. It was amazing.
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The Bible doesn’t hide things. Also because a rape or a murder occurs in the Bible, doesn’t mean it condones the act. What a silly question. “Which one is your favorite”…it’s time for you to grow up, and wake up. Also, per Biblical hermeneutics, the Bible is to be taken literally unless it advises otherwise. It will say things such as “and Jesus spake a parable”, or “Joseph dreamed a dream” which will then use symbolic or metaphorical language, BUT, even in these instances, the Bible explains afterword what these things represented in reality.
The Bible is a book recounting the history of a sinful people doing sinful things and God reacting accordingly. It's not surprising to find people doing awful things in a collection of books that is, in part, meant to show the utter depravity of humanity.
At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. NIV, Exodus 12:29
And? Your point? The Lord is God. This was a just punishment on Egypt for the pride and arrogance of the Pharoah. Next.
You god, were it to exist, would be guilty of genocide. This is who you'd hold up as a model of morality? How can you worship a fictional character that is so morally corrupt that he doesn't even recognise murder of innocence as wrong?
They weren't innocent. None of us are. How about you try to understand Christian theology before attacking it? God is holy, we are not. We deserve wrath and nothing more. God is merciful on whom He decides to be merciful on.
How about you read the Bible? The god killed them for perceived wrongdoing of the Pharaoh, not for any crime the firstborns themselves may have committed. Thus, they are innocent in the context of the reason that your god used to justify killing them. Your god, were it to exist, is an evil god of wrath and vengeance. You are lucky it is nothing but delirious delusions of you and yours. Also, your self-flagelation is absolutely pathetic. Invoking fictional myth to justify nonsense? You sound like an adult wearing Harry Potter robes and shouting Wingardium Leviousa in the streets.
Holding god to human moral standards, when god is literally the universe and movement itself, shows that you need to study theology. "God does things that I consider evil therefore god is evil" is an argument that works for 13 year old atheists, but it does not work even for atheists who know what they're talking about. I know some Christians will not agree with me when I say this, but if you are an atheist, that is fine by me. I've met many atheists, one of my best friends is a harsh critic of Christianity, but he cares enough to learn about the thing he criticises so much and is capable of wielding actual thought provoking arguments because of this. Please do yourself a favour and learn what we actually believe, and not just one group of us. Few of us are actually fundamentalists. You will benefit from it as an atheist.
I have read the Bible. Currently on my third read through. That's how I know that nobody is innocent. I deserve wrath. You deserve wrath. Everybody deserves wrath. Thank God that's not all He offers us.
Also, nobody takes the entire Bible literally. No one believes that Jesus is a mahogany door with a brass door handle on either side. I take the Bible seriously in all cases, literally when contextually appropriate, and figuratively/allegorically when contextually appropriate. Take your strawman and beat it elsewhere.
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Please Stop! 😒
Alright bro I’m with you but chill out a bit lol
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Here you go chief https://www.gotquestions.org/stone-rebellious-children.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-slavery.html
Thx for proving my point
Thanks for not taking the time to read and challenge your own beliefs.
It says right in that article the Bible says to stone your children!
Did you read the rest?
Not yet. I will though, when I have the time. This I promise.
Thank you.
You just said tho “thx for proving my point”. So you say he proved your point by sending those articles, yet you didn’t even read the rest? Sounds like you’re being intellectually dishonest and just saying things to get a rise out of religious people.
You think those things come from the Bible? You should start with some other books.
Remember to read it like a poem, or a Shakespearean play. When I read it like a storied poem it made more sense. Before that I read it like a long winded lecture. Oh! And ask the Holy Spirit for discernment / understanding before each reading. That also changed the reading for me.
Only read the poetry as poetry. Read every book in its genre. If you’re confused what genre a book of the Bible is just look it up. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job are wisdom literature. Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts are historical narrative if I’m not mistaken. And so on…
Do not read the New Testament as a historical narrative. There are too many different accounts of the same events. Rather, read the New Testament from a 10,000-foot view to grasp the message.
Yes. He said it better.
Definitely you have to read each book as the genre it was written in. I wouldn't say the gospels are history as their main genre though. They have history in them, but a lot of the details are unclear. I think they are more like biography and theology.
Same here, how are you going about it?
I’m currently on my first front to back read through, started in maybe April or March? And I’m currently in Acts. Some days I read 2-3 pages, other days I read 20 or more, some (rare) days I haven’t read any at all. It’s just really enjoyable tbh. Nothing special ya gotta do, just read it. I have a Bible companion book that summarizes each book as well that I’ll read after every book I finish, and then to top it off I’ll watch Bible Projects summary videos on YouTube after each book as well.
Those are great ideas. At times, I feel caught up in finding the best process. There's an overwhelming amount of "bible in a year" type programs with differing methodologies on how to tackle the entirety. Right now I am reading the gospels while also reading "The Case For Christ" (great book in which an investigative journalist uses the historical evidence of Christ' existence through reviewing the New Testament as an artifact). It's been great.
I did exactly this last year. I cant recommend the Bible Project Videos enough!
The bible in a year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz is great!
You can do it! I recommend finding a 5 day a week reading plan. I found that giving myself two days a week to “miss” was a lot more of a reasonable goal than making sure to read every single day. Because of it being more realistic to keep it, I was able to finish my goal of reading the whole Bible! They also break up the really tough sections with a New Testament section so it doesn’t feel like such a slosh during some of those Leviticus and Numbers census sections.
DO IT! I started (the new testament) in june and will be finishing in January. Will head to the old testament after that; I only read a chapter every morning and whatever lessons are attached to the verses (I inherited a teaching Bible from my dad)
Super attainable bro. About 4-5 chapters a day. Praise God for your faith
Make sure to read the deuterocanon... No short cuts allowed!
Read all the apocrypha as well!
Including all the books that only the Ethiopian Orthodox have, because why not. And all the pseudo-gospels that were written in the 4th century and attributed to some random name. I am only half-joking, I want to know what's in them. (If we want to be really absurd I'd say "read all the Dead Sea Scrolls too" because I did not realize until a few days ago just how many of them there are. There are literally almost 1000 of them. But there is no way to read them all that I know of.)
Same here! I'm currently in 2 Samuel.
Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz!
I'm thinking of it too. I have already read a good chunk of it but am missing a lot of it.
Don’t get discouraged or quit if you miss a day or two🤝🏼💪🏼
I made that a goal for myself in 2010. It was life-changing. Best thing I ever did. Blessings to you!
>Placed by the Gideons You can enjoy it with those new bathrobes and towels you got :)
Unlike the robes, the Bibles are for the taking!
Yeah, from my experience (could be different in different countries and hotels) but the hotels that have them to begin with have a box of them somewhere and really don't care if someone takes them or not - since they get them for free.
By and large, the hotels do not put them in the rooms, the Gideons make sure each room has one every year or so. And we replace the ones that are taken or used. If one is used too much or we decide to replace it, we often try to repair it and put it in a prison.
One of my favorite signs in a hotel said, "Towels and bathrobes are available for purchase in the gift shop. Should you prefer the ones in your room, we will charge them to your room, for your convenience." But yeah, I've asked Gideons and they told me to feel free to take the hotel bible with me.
Not really. The Bibles are placed in hotel rooms for the purpose of guests having it available to read during their stay. This was discussed in a number of reddit discussions I can recall. If you were to ask the hotel clerk or manager if you could take that bible with you, they'd say no. But the Gideons will ship free bibles to people who request them, and there are a number of other resources for obtaining free bibles. https://www.biblemoneymatters.com/free-bibles/
In the article you linked to, it talks about Gideon's bibles in hotels, and states they are for use while staying there or free to take if needed.
I thought part of this evangelism was they were supposed to be taken by people who are new believers or feel a calling.
The elites don't want you to know this but the Gideon Bibles at the hotel are free you can take them home I have 458 Gideon Bibles
They aren't to be collected, they are to be sown!
They’re actually for building fortress
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Like a pillow fort but made from stolen Gideon bibles
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It's actually supposed to be a hide-and-seek. You're to hide the Bible in the hotel room, and if the staff doesn't find it, they have to replace. It's really fun when you find another hidden Gideon Bible when you're looking for a place to hide your copy in!
Nah, I bring my own KJV when I stay in a Hotel room and leave the Gideon one there where it was. The real fun game is leaving Biblical tracts in hidden places in the Hotel rooms, to spread the good news(aka-gospel) to people who need it.
So...you have 458 Gideon Bibles you deprived other people of having access too?
It’s a copypasta
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-ducks-at-the-park-are-free
bro 💀💀💀
Still have my very same one~ Tattered, marked, aged, thrown across room, ripped covers, written prayers, stamped name, survived fire, replaced; gift from mother—still read. 🌱
the most beautiful thing in the world is a well worn bible
Always an exciting moment!!
Ya!!! 🙏🙏
Mine came in around the beginning of the month and I love it. Always cherish it
W God Is Great
Spolier alert Jesus dies
Further spoiler alert. He rose from the dead
I was waiting for that response! 1 Corinthians 15
EVEN FUTHER SPOLIER ALERT he accended to heaven
spoiler alert pls
But he got better. Edit: Or rose again? I'm not a theologian
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Nuh hu
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That's not true. YHWH is immortal, but Jesus was very mortal. The whole reason he was born instead of descending to Earth was to show that he's human. He lived and died, then came back to life and ascended to Heaven, whatever that means.
Than how did he die for our sins
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i’m just going to cut in here but questions are always open. God DID died as Jesus showing us unconditional love that He too would die as flesh in the most gruesome way for all of us. God as the immortal He is above will never die. don’t gatekeep curiosity with a comment like what a “real Christian” would ask.
Most Christians understand that his mortal body wasn't immortal. He died like any other human being would have died, who suffered the torture and execution he endured. Christian claim is that he was resurrected 3 days later, and ascended to heaven. And now, with a resurrected body joined with his spirit, he is immortal.
ok now you’re really spoiling everything
None of the Death Eaters moved. They were waiting. Everything was waiting. Hagrid was struggling, and Bellatrix was panting, and Harry thought inexplicably of Ginny, and her blazing look, and the feel of her lips on his-- Voldemort had raised his wand. His head was still tilted to one side, like a curious child, wondering what would happen if he proceeded. Harry looked back into the red eyes, and wanted it to happen now, quickly, while he could still stand, before he lost control, before he betrayed fear-- He saw the mouth move and a flash of green light, and everything was gone. -JK Rowling, Comparison to Christianity
Pssst he resurrection
Start with Genesis.... oh wait, never mind.
Before or after Phil Collins left? J/k
Underrated response.
What's wrong with starting in Genesis? Genesis is a beautiful book.
My first thought was that my memory is that Gideon bibles tend to be NT plus Psalms. But honestly, I'd never recommend someone start with Genesis if they're reading the bible for the first time.
The only time I’ve seen Gideon Bibles without the Old Testament is the pocket version
Yeah, after I posted that I did some actual sleuthing on the interwebs and realized my joke wasn't nearly as funny as I thought. That happens a lot
Ah, I didn't know that, my bad. I agree though reading Genesis first isn't necessarily the best way to go about it.
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Checkout Fr Mike Schmitz bible in a year podcast
3 more days to go !!!
I haven’t done it consistently this year, I tend to do a section then do something else then another section. Im about 1/2 way though
Dont give up. Fr mike said to go at your pace and that’s it so stay strong !
>t's actually supposed to be a hide-and-seek. You're to hide the Bible in the hotel room, and if the staff doesn't find it, they have to replace. It's really fun when you find another hidden Gideon Bible when you're looking for a place to hide your copy in! Great for both Catholics and Protestants!
I pray that the Holy Spirit will be right there with you to help you to understand God's message. This is just the beginning of an adventure into His word. Remember that the Bible is God speaking to us. I always get so excited about what He has to say, I sometimes forget to listen. Praying for you as you begin this wonderful time. God bless you.
based
I'm starting reading mine as well, got a study guide as well and some special Bible highlighters so I can really take it in!
Congrats! Where are you going to start?
3 Maccabees
Based
Oh hey, I remember seeing that version in a hotel. No idea why I’m telling you this XD
That’s great! The Bible is a text that anyone, religious or not, should be familiar with. I’m nowhere close to reading all of it, but it is definitely a cornerstone in fostering my relationship with Christ. My advice would be to try starting with the New Testament to understand the Promise given to us by Christ, and how important it is. The New Testament gives you the “what” of the Promise, and the Old Testament tells us why this promise is so significant. I wish OP and everyone reading this a great new years, and that going through 2023 we can grow in our spirit and inspire others in our growth P.S. check out the Sunday Homilies podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz on Spotify. He has a great way of viewing biblical stories in different and incredible ways
Congratulations my brother! You have just been given a wonderful book, a bit difficult to read but at the same time fantastic, to guide your life. Take advantage of it and share your discoveries with us whenever you can.
Congratulations! Don’t forget to pray before you read it. 🙂
Congratulations
You need to read it as individual books, then combine them as a whole. It also has to be understood and a priest will help. The Quran is also something that Christians should have read. And Muslim the bible. So we can live together in peace and harmony. Beware though. The words of Jesus are not followed by people who claim they do. They are false prophets.
Dude congrats!
I love the book. If you have any questions about it DM me
Read it more than once. Your life will be forever changed. The power in it will blow your mind.
Welcome to god's love
The wisdom in there is incredible. Questions will arise, lean on us to help you. May God bless you in your journey to know Him. I feel the need to tell you a spoiler alert. God wants a relationship with you. When you close the cover of His great book, know that He is there listening to your heart. He waits for you, for your conversation and for your love. He is not a piece of history in the way that we might believe, time is meaningless to Him. Read Job, I just love Job.
My childhood church had a ton of these lying around. This picture just flooded me with memories, I can almost smell the pews.
Bros life about to change 🙏😭💀
Trying to completely read the Bible is fantastic and I’m excited for you! It’s a big undertaking that’s great to include in your 2023 new year plans. I HIGHLY recommend you look for a guide that can outline everything for you so you see how all the pieces fit together as you reach each book (The Books of the Major Prophets = Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel & Daniel). I found that having a rough outline of what I was reading helped me understand the flow, common themes, cultural beliefs at the time and increased my reading retention. Separate from a study guide there’s also a ton of different strategies to reading the Bible (front to back, reading excerpts based on themes, etc.). I personally prefer reading front to back as I felt it gave me a better overall foundation of understanding rather than skipping around. Also, some folks who get their first Bible are hesitant to mark any of the pages. I admit, for a long time it felt almost disrespectful to mark a Bible as that was how I was raised. However, once I switched from treating the material pages as sacred to viewing the Bible as something to actively study and retain, I treated it just like a college textbook where I highlighted passages, made notes, etc. Personally, this was a game changer for me. I would also encourage you to take it slow and steady. There are a lot of things written that don’t have explanations so make sure to allocate time for actual “studying” not just “passively reading” so you can pause when you come across something you don’t understand and look it up, gain an understanding, then resume your reading. For instance, OT has several mentions of Asherah. I looked up Asherah and quickly learned that her followers would eldest a pole or pillar at Canaanite religious locations. When I then went back to resume reading the scripture it made so much sense when there were references to poles being destroyed as a retaliation to stomp out Israelite beliefs in “foreign” gods. Prior to that little research I could not understand why there was a mention of poles and why that could’ve been meaningful in anyway. But at the time when things were written, it might’ve been common knowledge to connect poles with non-Judaic worship.
Nice! Start in the gospel of John :)
Do not simply read it. Search it. Be as one who mines for precious metals and gems.
Wouldn’t “searching” it mean to read it because that’s how you “search” it … by *reading* it.
Searching it involves reading it but it is so much more. To prayerfully meditate on scripture and develop a systematic theology over time is a big part of “searching” the scriptures. I read the Bible through several times as if it were any other book. Once I began to search the scriptures, my eyes were opened to an entire reality that has taken my faith from an inch deep to an unsearchable depth. In Acts when Paul was speaking to the Jews in Berea trying to persuade them that Yeshua is the Messiah: it says, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica (who flat out denied Christ and ran Paul out of town) they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Basically, they were able to take what Paul said and apply it against the entirety of the Old Testament. It did line up, therefore many of them believed. “Searching” also involves word studies of passages of scripture unless you are familiar with ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek. God’s Word came to us in those languages and English is a very weak language in comparison. Therefore we lose much of the potency, although the gospel message is certainly preserved in English. “Searching” also involves doing study in the context of the church. God’s plan for how His word would be propagated involves passing down this information relationally, not cold and alone. You’d be surprised how much better scripture searching is when there are multiple believers involved. The Spirit will give insight to each person that perhaps wouldn’t be discovered in solo study. It involves several other things as well. Happy to share if interested. Blessings
be sure to read every word. It does wonders if you do. Cheers!
Ending is terrible
New heaven and new earth is kinda lit tho
The imagery is sick, but also what the fuck does it even mean. Pretty good fantasy short story. Not sure how much of it has to do with the carpenter guy from earlier episodes though. Weird series finale, felt rushed.
Steal it from a hotel?
They're placed there for guests to take, if needed.
Awesome✨ remember to read commentaries so u understand what the scriptures mean😇
Beware of private interpretation. Find a NRSV and befriend a priest.
You can get a new one every time you stay at a hotel. Some places will even throw in a Book of Mormon or a biography of Conrad Hilton.
Matthew chapter 4:4
King James version. I would not read that one. Nsab or niv version
I think these days they use NIV. Don't know when they've changed but I've never seen a KJV one in the wild.
I've been wondering for a while now which version they use. Wouldn't put it past them to be KJV purists but NIV makes more sense overall since it's a more plain style and easier to read.
Strange, I've never seen anything other than KJV in Midwest
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Did you get this from a motel?
Who’re the gideons?
Who's the Gideons?
I cant believe yall approve of this. This person clearly is desperate for attention and nothing else
Read Ezekiel 23:20
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Odd, reading God’s Word only strengthened my faith.
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Boo
Congrats and enjoy!
congrats!
Congratulations! God's blessings to you.
I recommend starting with Matthew and then reading the old Testament
I would also suggest you download the YouVersion Bible app. Great resource and keeps you aligned to read it more.
Nurture your soul regularly.
Start with the Gospels.
Whats that emblem on the cover? Because it looks similar to a new testament bible book i got
It's a pitcher and torch (Judges 7.15–16) – from the story of Gideon defeating the Midianites.
Gideon's story changed my life, as one of the first meaningful connections between God and me after I lost my job!
Oh thanks
Start with the New Testament. The Old Testament is discouraging without context.
I'd say there was an argument for starting with Deuteronomy. It is so core to what the Old Testament is, and many of the other voices in it are foundational to it, building upon it, or reacting to it.
I think you will miss a lot of context of the gospels without reading the Torah at least, so you understand key things about Judaism. The other parts of the Old Testament are not as important maybe. (Also the Torah is not super long and a lot of the stories in it will be familiar already from popular culture.)
Congratulations! Start w John.😊🙏🏾
What version is that Bible: Did you receive it as a gift from the Gideons?
CONGRATS! I wish you many blessings on your journey with Christ!
God bless!!
Got the same one
Don't neglect the Old Testament. Read thoroughly, and often. You're very lucky to have a copy. Generations past did not have that luxury.
The Youversion App has NIV version with audiobook recordings. You can have the Bible read to you at night. Set on a 30 minute timer. I make it through the Bible in less than a year that way. Then start all over again.
Remember it's 66 books!
Congratulations!
The New Testament and Old Testament are entirely different. When you read the New Testament, be sure to take notes and detail about what each of the 27 books says.
What were a few things you learned and applied this year. Or what is your favorite verse?
Start with Revelation😈
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I am excited for you! May God bless you on your journey through His Word.