Your Children

[soul]

Do you make your children read the bible if you are bible readers? If so why? Or do they "choose" to?

Also is the bible something that you feel you could read over and over til you are very old? If so why yes?


he he all these questions in my mind tonight!!

My oldest son aksed me why we never read the bible and I said because it did not interest me and is too old school for me.


So that got me thinking to ones that do, and what they feel they get out of the bible.


I remember when I was younger and the neighbours up the road were mormons and would read it to there two daughters and my sister and I would have to listen while they minded us, well I htink it was a bible and for me it put me to sleep, so I wondered how other children would feel been made to listen or even read such a book.

[Erin_25]

I clearly remember my Father reading the bible to us, we were not regular Church goers, & once old enough were able to make the decision if we did/did not go. He read it to us for education purposes on the subject IYKWIM....no I wouldn't read it over & over but am glad that I have read it & that I'm educated on the subject as it is what we believe.
As for Charlie, I too would like him to be educated & was stoked when for his Christening my Mother bought him a "rhyming bible", so it's been shortened & each chapter are small limericks & this makes it much easier to read. Dad did mention that it was hard reading the bible to us & took a long time & that's why they got us the an "easier" version so to speak.

We certainly were not told "sit here & listen to this", & we didn't quote from it...there were simply a few pages read before bed - to me it was just a bed time story. Same goes for Charlie, I dont intend to make Sunday bible reading day LOL.

[Antheia]

I went to a catholic high school so had to read bits of it in religion class every day. I don't own a bible and would not read it now(as im changing to pagan) but i am glad that i did read it(most of it) just incase the subject ever comes up with our children about it i can answer their questions and know what i'm on about!

[soul]

Thanks ladies!!!

I dont care to educate myself in something I will never use nor care for, unless of course its a education I will need for work, career and so on kwim? I guess its just not a interest for me. My son said he tossed it after the 10th page, it just wasn't for him either, so he invested in the buddha books instead lol, but asked if I have ever read it, I didn't read it but had it read to me.

I would not care of any of my kids wanted to though, we all have different taste in readings.

[widdly]

i have attempted to read the Bible several times but lost interest pretty quickly! It is so old school and boring and hard to understand. i was raised going to Church every Sunday morning, and went to Sunday school and everything but i dont ever remember anyone just reading me the Bible, certainly we read bits and peices though. I doubt that i'll ever read it to Archie, though i do have a Bible around here somewhere...

[christy]

I read the bible and yes have read it a few times.

As for the girls... I read them some of the "Bible Stories" in my own abridged version. Or when we lay in bed together and are having a wind down time I talk about some things that Jesus did like healing a sick man etc...but we don't read the bible together yet. We may as they grow older find something suitable to do together.

As for me... I gain insight & direction through the Bible, depending on where I am reading & how I am reading it. I guess it helps if you believe it to be the Word of God. It changes a lot of the meanings and inspirations behind it. For example when I am pregnant I love using it for speaking words of hope into my child's formation and future, there are verses which say we are formed perfectly to God, there are verses that say God has a plan and future planned for us from when we are formed in our Mother's womb. I draw hope & inspiration from them & they help ease an anxious soul.

[soul]

widdly I understand you. I think inspiration comes from anything that makes your heart feel full and peaceful. For some that may be stories of others, reading singing and so on. And for me inspiration comes from seeing humans being good to one another in the world I am in today.

Thanks christy for your reply, I like to hear all replies!!!

[sneakysparkle]

Hi Soul,
I myself read the bible (with help from other books etc) but I'm not going to force my children to read it! When I was a child my parents read childrens books of stories from the bible (Noah & the Ark, Moses & the Red Sea, Daniel & the Lions etc etc) and I loved them!
For christmas friends of ours (who aren't even religious) gave DD some really gorgeous pop-up bible stories - they are just like any cute childrens stories!
I would like to educate my kids, then they can make their own decisions regarding God!

[Jesswith6]

Soul hun,
My children, up until 6 months ago, were regular members of our local church and they still go everytime they are in Euroa.
The gospel is read then and they listen intently and they can remember it. I believe that with them listening to the bible, it teaches them the way of the church and they way that Jesus(new testament) and the Prophets (old testament) lived their lives.
I was raised in a Catholic household, went to Catholic Primary and Secondary schools and am raising my children to be active members in the Catholic Religion. I may not be the most regular church goer but I know my bible and I know the way that Jesus wanted us to live our lives.
As for reading the bible over and over until I am old? Yes, there are specific parts in the bible that I love and will read over. My grandfather read his bible up until he got very sick. The day he died, he waited until he received Communion and then he slipped away into God's arms.

[Caramello]

Hey Soul,

I read the Bible when I was a teenager because I was curious about the cornerstone of my Catholic religion at the time. It actually helped because a lot of western literature takes images or refers to stories from the Bible.

When I changed to a more Metaphysical belief system sometimes I would use the Bible to receive answers to questions that I had and I felt to go to the Bible rather than using Angel cards (etc). Actually the answers were inspiring and spot on.

If my children in the future want to read the Bible, I have no problem with them doing so. I have a vague intention of bringing the child up in their 'ancestral' religion ie Catholicism, so that they are aware of their roots, but also explain the many other religions that exist. Obviously this may change when I have children, but that's what I think at the moment.

[Amity]

I read the Bible to my boys. We have a number of children's Bibles, which they were given at their Baptisms. Alex loves it and often asks for different stories - Noah is his favourite at the moment. Ned likes Daniel! I don't push it onto them, it's another story for them.

[Nelle]

Do you make your children read the bible if you are bible readers? If so why? Or do they "choose" to?

I don't imagine I'll force my kids to read the bible, I can't see how that would be helpful. I'll definitely encourage them to, because I know the positive difference it makes to the way I live my life.

I read River stories from his kids bible - though he just likes to turn pages, so it goes more like 'there's Noah, and he...oh okay, well I think that's Job and...oh alright, well there's Jesus and oh okay back to Esther hey?'
My Dad or Mum used to read at nights to us from a kids bible and we loved it! We'd ask questions at the end - it made a difference that they believed it was true too - like we'd read about Daniel and then ask 'is that why you pray so much Dad?' or about something Jesus taught and ask 'is that why we have to be kind Mum?' So it was a time of learning too.

Also is the bible something that you feel you could read over and over til you are very old? If so why yes?

I love to read my bible, because I believe that it's God's word - I think if I didn't believe that, I would be less motivated to read it, because I have a million books to read! But I believe that God speaks to us through the bible, that it is true, and that we can look the bible for guidance.

I believe the bible is jam packed full of stuff, my nan read it pretty much every day until she died (at ninety-something!) - I think there will always be new stuff that God can teach me. I've been reading it since I was a kid, and still I will sometimes read a bit that I thought I knew and then suddenly realise something about that part, or appreciate something new.

So yeah - all in all, I think that, because I believe that the bible is God's words for us, it's definitely worth a read, and something I want to help my children establish as part of their lives. Something I need to do more often also - life gets in the way at times, and then when I read it again I wonder why it's been so long inbetween reads!

[Zee]

As a child I went to Sunday school every Sunday etc and had quite a few childrens bibles. I did attemt a few times in my teenage yrs to read the bible but i quickly got bored, mainly cause I didnt understand.

DD has a few childrens bibles that I have read to her & I will encourage her to go to Sunday school aswell (not if DH had a say) but not force. She will also go to a catholic private school.

[Bathsheba]

I went to a catholic high school so had to read bits of it in religion class every day. I don't own a bible and would not read it now(as im changing to pagan) but i am glad that i did read it(most of it) just incase the subject ever comes up with our children about it i can answer their questions and know what i'm on about!

How true! You can't dismiss something until you understand it, just my opinion Well said Tegan.

There are lots of Children's Bibles. I think it's also a good excercise to do so that you can compare the teachings of the Bible to that of other religions... there are many many simularities.

[soul]

Nelle that is so sweet!!! awwwwwwwwwwww

My children understand that they have "Thier" God, and their god does not have to be like everybody elses. God is whom ever they see him as. I teach my children to follow what they feel is right and not what everyone else says is right.

My kids ask me questions about war sometimes, and I am honest with them, I dont have the answers because it is not something that is of interest to me, but if they feel the need to understand it all, they should gather information. I don't feel I "Have" to know everything because I have children and they may ask me questions. They should know that adults have interests too and not all the answers to everything .