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 think we have 3 or 4, maybe more. I couldn't put my hands on them right now, they're just what we and our children had for school. Books are stored in several different places so it would take ages to find one. I know they're there from the occasional book cull. I don't think any of us have opened them since school.

Same here. We have several but I mostly read the You Version Bible app or my NIV version.

Oh I fondly remember the little red bibles we were given at school. I wish I had kept mine.

No. I don't believe in any god or have interest in organised religion so there are no religious texts in my house

Oh and - the King James Bible is an absolute treasure house of fine English prose. I know modern versions are preferred in churches and schools now, but this great work is just breathtakingly beautiful in its use of the English language - contemporary with Shakespeare.

I think atheists who don't value the Bible are missing a lot.

I have two, one I bought myself and one was a gift from the priest in my old parish. They're beautiful books but to be honest I don't tend to pick them up. I am Catholic and go to Mass weekly, pray regularly.

So you don't acknowledge the cultural value of religious writings/texts?

So I should begin with this one if I want to read a Bible?

If you want to dig into the bible and have help understanding it, then I'd recommend getting a study bible. Study bibles include cross-references to other relevant verses, explanations of passages, maps, cultural references etc to give a more complete and deeper picture of what you're reading. I'd also suggest joining a church bible study group - these often run on a weekday evening - as well as going to Sunday services.
Link to ESV study bible on Amazon
(Other study bibles and shops also available)

More than one.

Several. Some family Bibles from the Victorian era. Some from the 70s when they were given to us by the local chapel. The Gideon bibles that my daughters were given in school. Some modern versions that I used during my teaching career. We’re not particularly religious these days!

I don't own a bible. Zero interest in religion, and I see no point in holding onto something that would just gather dust when, if I really wanted to look up a bible reference for some reason, I could do so online.

My interest would purely be literary, artistic and historical etc., since like apparently most people in this thread, I'm an atheist (and a staunch secular humanist).

It isn't really a case of right-wingers insisting the UK is a Christian country, is it? Someone's political persuasion has nothing to do with it.

The fact is that our Monarch is the head of the Church of England, one of many Christian denominations, and that's that. As a country, we have national holidays for Christmas and Easter. There are thousands of churches & chapels everywhere, even in the smallest of villages, and some of those churches have been there for many centuries. Our countryside is littered with the remains of ancient monasteries and abbeys. Almost all of our cities have a cathedral, and until relatively recently, would not be called a city unless it had one. Much of our legal system is based on the teachings of the Bible.

So like it or not, and despite the majority of our citizens not practising that faith, we are a Christian country.

Yes, we’re Christians and own several.

Hear hear

"nation of shopkeepers" springs to mind.

The UK is covered in shops, most of them far more active than a lot of churches. Most people are not shopkeepers though.

It's undeniable Christianity once had far more influence in day-to-day life than it does contemporarily, but I think you're really pushing it to describe the UK as a "Christian country" when the bulk of the population don't even claim to be Christian, and of those who do, a significant number will say so because they consider themselves culturally Christian but otherwise pay no heed to religiosity whatsoever. For a "Christian" country, the Christian faith seems to be struggling somewhat for participants.

As for Christianity underpinning Law, well yes, however, Christianity also co-opted much of its morality itself, so in essence it's really just along for the ride.

"Post-Christian country" sounds more reasonable, and for really quite a long time now.

After all, the UK is described as "post-industrial", yet the industrial age is closer in time than the age in which Christianity played an important role in most people's lives (and anything more than a ceremonial role in government etc.)

I think we should be thankful that science and rational philosophy hold greater intellectual authority and esteem than religion in the modern Western world.

A study bible would definitely cover those interests very well. Especially the historical side. I hope that whichever bible you choose, you enjoy reading it.

I don’t think these arguments are unreasonable – I am non-religious myself – but it’s still the case that there is no definitive description of ‘religious’ when it comes to the individual identifying themselves as such. You can disagree with the what that description should be, but you can’t dictate how someone else describes it in themselves.

Given that 46% describe themselves as specifically Christian (out of 94% of the country, which is a very high uptake), it’s not illogical to assume that this proportion of people agree with CofE being involved in UK governance.

We might not agree on the strength of this – but where do you apply the on/off switch in the sliding scale of to be ‘religious’?

Do I wish the UK was officially secular? Yes. But it isn’t.

I've still got the illustrated children's bible my dad got me in 1970 with his Green Shield stamps.
The pictures are beautiful and the kids at school loved seeing them when I taught them RME.

I have a couple, one is mine and the other belonged to my mother.

It's undeniable we were historically a Christian country.

It is undeniable we have many Christian institutions in the UK.

But I find it very hard to argue we are currently a Christian country when a majority of us don't believe in it.

yes 3 of them, one of them being very small so it fits in my bag. I often read when i’m stuck in traffic (not driving obviously)

Jeez, stop being so prickly!

You can collect something because you believe in its profound truth or whatever. Or because you like collecting. This is not a provocative statement.

Why do you need several if you believe in its proud truth? Does it make it more profound?