AIBU to ask whether you own a Bible?

[BeanQuisine]

Just idle curiosity, really.

We often hear right-wingers insisting "This is a Christian country", whether we're in UK, Oz or the US etc.

So I'm wondering how many of us actually own Bibles, and whether we ever read them. I did read assorted bits of it in my youth, but don't currently own a Bible.

YABU: Whether Mumsnetters own Bibles or not is none of your business.

YANBU: It's a vaguely interesting question.

I also have a Quran handed out in street by local mosque trying to spread the word or reduce anti Islamic sentiment.

I believe I have a “teen” Bible knocking around somewhere as well as the miniature Bible everyone was given by my secondary school. Can’t say I’ve opened either since I finished my philosophy A-level. I wasn’t raised in a religious family and while I love philosophy and theological discussion, I have always been an atheist and I don’t have much interest in the Bible itself.

Yes but it was my parent who was religious, so only theirs and my 'children's bible' kept because it evokes memories of a wonderful community.

If you want to pick up on literary quotes etc (from English writers), King James all the way. For something easier for modern people to read, New International Version.

It's impossible to understand anything about the last 2000 years of Western history, culture and art without the Bible. If you read three chapters one day and four the next, you can get through it in a year.

I'm an atheist, but yes. I find it fascinating to learn about the Bible from a historical perspective and to understand why it has such a profound influence over so many people. I also enjoy watching debates that challenge or question its historical and theological claims, so it's useful to have a copy as a point of reference.

I still have my first Bible from when I was 8 years old. It’s supposed to be a children’s bible but it’s just the king James with pictures. It’s falling apart now.
I also have the NIV, The Message, a New King James,The Spirit Filled Life Bible and an Interlinear Bible which give Hebrew and Greek translations.To go with these I have what is called The Strongs Strongest which helps with the translation of different words from the original Hebrew and Greek. I study the Bible and I attend a Bible college. I am a Christian and attend church regularly. I also own a Koran which I can’t make head nor tail of. I just don’t get the same feeling of enlightenment as it doesn’t sit right with my spirit for some reason.

I have 2. Also a gideon bible every secondary school kid got given when I was 11. It’s small but feels wrong to get rid

Yes, a pocket sized one from when DH was christened, and I highly doubt anyone’s opened it since.

We’re a non-religious but book-loving household and I consider it more as a quaint reference or textbook, much like a dictionary, but if we didn’t already have it it would never occur to me to buy one.

I wasn’t referring to ‘practicing Christians’, I am referring to how people identified themselves on the most recent census.

There is no definitive identifier for if someone is ‘religious’ or not, regardless if they meet the criteria for ‘practicing Christian’. If the those people identify themselves as Christians and would describe themselves as religious, then that’s what they are.

The point being that you can label yourself as any religion you like, but if you are not actively religious - going to church, praying etc - then a label is all it is. If you don't follow any aspect of religion then you are not religious.

I could call myself an athlete but if I spent all my time on the sofa then it doesn't mean anything.

In 2026 the uk is secular, and that is a good thing.

Christian nationalists. Imported from the US and taking over the far right - Tommy Robinson, restore etc. you see Farage dabble with it but he tends to stop after vague claims of ‘this being a Christian country’ because he’s got more brains than to get himself too caught up in that mess. It’s the (sometimes) unspoken second half of the sentence that is the problem along with the Christ is king chanting and a love of overt symbols of Christianity.

Was going to say I had 3 OP - 1 x Jerusalem study Bible, one NRSV - Catholic edition and one Good News version. I had forgotten about the old children’s bible I’ve had since I was a child, the NIV on my kindle, a DK children’s version and a copy of the Jesus storybook bible that’s in my collection of children’s picture books but wasn’t bought because it was a Bible.

I think I might have an old school bible somewhere. I’m an atheist so I don’t ever read it.

Four.

King James Bible that my dad won as a prize in secondary school.

three new ish versions.

We own one because DH was christened and he was given it then. Neither of us are religious, neither of us have ever read it. We keep it in the house for sentimental reasons, and also because it's sometimes a useful reference for crossword clues and the like Oddly, DH's parents aren't religious either, I am baffled as to why he was christened at all.

No. The traditional way of getting rid of a ganglion was to hit it with the family bible, I'm not sure a kindle would have the same effect.

Yes. We own several.

If true then you know an extraordinary selective group of people.

own a bible 75%
”are religious” 23%
go to church 5%

On the proportions that is like knowing noone who is employed, over 65, or vegetarian.

One, possibly two. I definitely have a small white bible that I received as a christening gift. I don't read it though.

Yes I own several.
I'm a history researcher that specialises in the evolution of modern day spiritual and occult beliefs. Basically I teach why we believe what we believe and where it stems from.

Shock horror we actually weren't a Christian country until very recently, there's many traditions and celebrations that are far more "British" that most people don't realise are part of our culture.

Have several but it's much easier to read the Bible online these days. None of that wafer thin paper and small print!

We have several. I am not Christian, but DH and younger DS lean towards Christianity.

Many of these Bibles were MILs and came to us after she died.

Yes- I own 3 bibles. They are well used.

I own several Bibles and read from them at least once a week, currently daily. I have read the whole collection, all 70 books, once and will do so again.

Yes, more than one, although mostly I look readings up online these days. Read a few times a year at my local (small rural) church - as people think I read quite well.
Youngest member on the PCC by a couple of decades. Parents were both on their local church PCC, attended CofE primary school; remain involved because I feel it is good for the community more than because I am really a religious believer.

Yes, I was given it at school in 1964