Tuesday, 03 March 2009
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Is It Wrong That We Have to Pay for Bibles?
This post from NVRSAD_DAY made me bring up this question:
In the Bible, there are many scriptures, especially the ones where Jesus states that the Word of God should be given freely and without restraint. Should we have to purchase God's Word, the Bible? Shouldn't it be free to those who actually want to read it?
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- From: hyunj09@xanga
- Name: 09
Stats: This Week All Time Posts: 0 1 Views: 0 2809 Comments: 0 109 View all posts by hyunj09@xanga
Comments (110)
You CAN read it for free. You can't have it for free though.
Capitalism kids. It still exists.
That is a really good question........
I know that it can be read for free online and there are many places that give out free bibles to people, So it really would be possible to get the bible free.
I can understand the need to cover the printing cost though too.
There are TONS of organisations where you can get free Bibles. Also, you're not really 'purchasing' God's Word, rather you're purchasing a modern-day translation of it, which is more than likely copyrighted.
i recently learned from a Hindu speaker in a class, that Hindu's would prefer their followers to pay for their sacred texts and that is not asking a lot at all in their opinion.
But I think the Bible is a lot easily accessible and affordable in most places and if you go to many evangelistic churches, you can easily receive a Bible for free. It's not really valid to argue that Bible's should be free because of this concept. However, some Bibles do cost a lot more because of their scholarly content and commentary which does makes sense because it offers more than just the regular text of the Bible and is often a hard cover book or leather bound book...anyways those are just a few of my opinions and thoughts.
@hubbaduh@xanga - Very true....The only translation I can think of off the top of my head that isn't copyrighted is the King James Version (The original not the New King James)
STEAL THAT BOOK!!!
Websites like biblegateway.com are the ultimate "online bible", and you can search any verse you like.
It would be truly awesome if bibles were free, though, so more impoverished people would have them.
But sometimes the proceeds from bible sales go to the bible-giving programs for poor/poverished,3rd world countries countries such as India, Sri Lanka, and many African nations...
My school participates in a program where you can order a free Bible in one of many languages.
freebiblenow.org
There are plenty of other places where you can get a free Bible. Most churches will gladly give you a copy if you ask for one. However, if you're wanting special options (large print, wider margins, bilingual, tabs, etc.), then you have to go shopping for one. It may not be right, but then again, it's not like you can't get one for free if you really wanted one.
I think the LDS church will send you a free bible or book of mormon if you request it. Not sure though.
Should you be able to get one for free? Of course, IF you are unable to pay for it yourself. I say this because SOMEONE has to pay for the translation costs, printing costs, editing costs, and all those "special" options in it... and THOSE people need $$ to live just as much as we do.
That being said, if one of my friends needed a Bible, I'd go and get one for them if they couldn't get one themselves.
It really isn't hard to get one if you need one though, even if you don't have access to a computer. Go to any university/college christian group or church and I'm pretty sure they have Bibles that you can have, Christian friends probably have some on hand just to give away, I know I do. Gideon gives free bibles out here to 5th graders IF they (and their parents) want one, and then there's the website above.
Besides, there are much easier ways to get the Bible if you don't want
to pay for it and you have access to technology besides just online
versions. I know there are mp3 versions out there that you could stick
on your mp3 or on a CD and listen to in the car... But this has many more different costs...
Honestly, someone has to pay for it. But it doesn't have to be you if you cant afford it. That's why God has blessed someone people to be millionaires! so they can FINANCIALLY support his Kingdom...there are all types of blessings and talents, and WEALTH (materially speaking) is one of them, and of course the WISDOM to know how to use it, and how to be a GOOD STEWARD...
The Bible is given away for free from different Bible societies, churches and organizations.
The Bible is free online from many different sites and in electronic form.
I think that people should pay for it since the blood of the martyrs and eternal life didn't come cheap.
What I would like to see is people who believe that God's word should be free go out and teach a Bible study or give the true and complete teaching free becuase they want something for free but they aren't willing to give anyone else anything. When they are willing to do the work that I do for free, then lets compare.
Hmm... That's very interesting. Yeah, it costs about $20 for a cheap Bible, which I would not be willing to pay on my own. But, as much as I don't like the idea of profiting off the Bible, how else are Zondervan and those other companies going to stay open?
You know all those capitalist, atheist book manufacturers and book store owners? I'm pretty sure they don't care about "Jesus states that the Word of God should be given freely." If they can make money, then they will do whatever they can to make money.
Let's all bring this back to the basics. It has little or nothing to do with capitalism, as evil as everyone apparently thinks it is. We are or have been a prosperous nation. Most companies that print Bibles sell them here, so that we can have the funds to send them to other countries and/or people who can't afford it. We are helping other people have access to the Word. Â Not every company does this, but a good portion do. I just think it's ridiculous that you balk at buying a Bible that will most probably last you a good portion of your life for what, twenty dollars? That's just kind of sad if you ask me.
1) I can't find the reference mentioned, but I don't think Jesus ever talked about the price of scripture, because scriptures weren't bought and sold like they are today. It's a mistake to try to apply any such saying to capitalism.
2) Jesus lived in an oral culture. Scripture was located in the temple and synagogues. Not everyone had their own copy.
Whether people should charge for scriptures, I don't know. But I don't think we're able to draw parallels from the New Testament on buying and selling scripture.
It's easy enough to get for free if you truely can't afford it (in addition to online versions, hotel rooms and some libraries).
If anyone's really worried about it I'm sure you can donate your extra copies (come on, we all know you more than likely have them) to a local church and they'd probably give them to people without one.
We send out missionaries with the Word of God to give to people for free.
The difference is the Levites were paid tithes to keep and interpret the word of God. When you start to pay tithes to Zondervan and other companies, you can expect the Word of God for free but I can guarantee you that you will pay more through tithes and offerings.
If you're willing to pay for some fiction novel, why do you grudge the money to pay for a Bible? If you can't afford it, then there will be churches who will give you one for free, but if you have the money for it, buy it for yourself.
So no, it's not wrong that we have to pay for Bibles. The people who cut the trees for the paper, that arrange the type, and that create the ink don't work for free. Everyone has to make a living somehow.
Bibles can easily be had for free. Just ask around and you'll find someone, or some ministry, that will give you a free one.
It's in the third world countries, and China, where it's a challenge to get a bible.
@quicksandbuddy@xanga - $20 for a cheap bible? I bought bibles at a dollar a piece for my Sunday school class. This is the whole bible, old and new testaments. Even a copyrighted translation (modern king james). The print is a bit tiny, and it's not my preferred translation, but bibles can be had very cheaply. And as others have said there are so many people giving them away anyone in the United States could get a free bible in a very short time with little effort.
if you want a Bible, there are people who will give you a Bible, the Gidions (sp?) give a ton away every year,
go to any church, methodist, baptist, roman catholic, lutheran
ask the minister or priest for a bible and I am sure they will give you one
now if you want a nice new Bible that is bound in leather or is the translation you like, well yeah, that will cost you, but I am sure anyone can get a free bible in america
also when the Bible says the "word of God should be freely given" it is talking about preaching the Gospel, not the ink and paper, really it was not untill modern times that books became a mass produced object
I don't think it is wrong that we have to pay for Bibles, but I think that the profit made from them should go towards missions, churches in need or persecution, the poor, the sick, basically whoever is in need. That way it would be like an offering. Since we are selling the Word of God then all the money should go towards the work of God, not into the hands of publishers and those who don't really need it.
that's silly... because it's never free. someone has to pay to manufacture it. if there was some rule saying you can't PAY to have a bible, no one would HAVE one. And then people would start paying to make the bible so that people could have it for "free" XD
Yes, most churches will gladly give you a copy of the scriptures. But as someone mentioned earlier, the vast majority of the translations are under copyright. And there is cost in printing and binding, as well as shipping, stocking...
All that to say this "The workman is worth their hire." Whether it is the NIV, NKJV, NRSV, ESV, NASB, NLT, whatever; the time and energy to making a correct and true translation has taken many people countless hours to finalize. The businesses should be compensated for their efforts, and they should be able to make a profit so they can support their employees.
I like Bibles, and I enjoy reading from different translations. I know that I will purchase the ones that I find helpful and true. So, yes we should have to purchase copies of the Bible, or better yet, give one as a gift.
I've noticed several posts lately that hinge upon taking something overly literally.
they should have free ones but if poeple want to upgrade to nicer ones,.... they should pay for those