Replies

I have attended services in several Methodist churches, a few Baptist churches, and a few non-denominational non-Catholic Christian churches...and in not one of those churches, have they ever provided Bibles in the pews, for the use of the parishioners...the parishioners are really expected to have their own Bibles...the churches provide the hymnals, and perhaps other materials in the pews, but they dont include the Bibles...indeed why should they, Bibles can be bought anywhere...

So the fact that the Catholic Church does not provide Bibles in their pews, is nothing unusual...and there is nothing of importance, gleaned from that fact...

Most Christian churches of all denominations, may provide those materials, which are unique to that denomination...for instance in the Methodist church, they often provided little booklets called the Upper Room, which provided a short daily message with appropriate Scriptural readings...and most churches provide the hymnals, that that church prefers to use...they provide these things as they would be difficult for the usual parishioner to find elsewhere...

But a Bible?....anyone, who lives anywhere, can go to any bookstore, and have a wide field of different Bibles....indeed, most Christian churches, expect that their members have their own Bibles, for study at home, and to use to follow along in their preferred church service...each member can buy the Bible, that he is comfortable with...

So the Catholic Church does not differ from any of the non-Catholic Christian churches on this score...

I would actually be quite surprised to go into any Christian church of any denomination, to find Bibles provided for all the members in the pews...I would actually expect that situation to the unusual one...

And all of my Catholic friends, do have their own Bibles, that they take with them to Mass...in fact, all of my Catholic friends, are encouraged to read their Bibles daily...

So I dont really understand why you would make a point of mentioning that the Catholic church does not provide Bibles in their pews, when this is also the situation in most non-Catholic Christian churches...and I also do not understand the true point of the conclusion you draw, that because the Catholic Church does not provide Bibles in the pews, somehow the ordinary layman is not allowed to read the Bible....that conclusion, makes absolutely no sense at all...

Every protestant church I have attended since I was a child had, and still has them in the pews. My ex-Catholic wife gave me her perspective after seeing and sticking with the Protestant Church, and when we got married, there was no way she would not be Catholic, ever. Until she got very ill, and a friend called the priest to come see her in the hospital. Now she was a Sunday school teacher, and the priest couldn’t even remember her name. (the same guy who asked us if either one of us was gay when we requested to be married- really happened) and then complained that we should go to a hospital closer to him, as it was an extra 10 minutes away! Anyway, she saw that the masses were constantly the same old ritual,, same stuff being said every week, basically people in a big rush to get in and out as fast as they can, and seemed to be all about the money. Contribute what you could, and the priest snubs you and the secretary calls you at home if they don’t get the envelope for a month.

Just wanted to see what others thought, not meant to offend.
I’m just sayin...