ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, November 10, 1996 TAG: 9611080037
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: The Back Pew
SOURCE: CODY LOWE
It is the best-selling book ever published - and, probably, both the best and least understood.
The Bible.
Surveys have consistently shown that a huge majority of Americans - virtually everybody, in fact - believes in God or a "higher power."
Most of them - four out of five of whom identify themselves as Christians - revere all or part of the collection of sacred writings known as the Bible. The collection of books includes the Hebrew Scriptures, most widely known as the Old Testament, and the Christian Scriptures, called the New Testament.
Dozens of translations and paraphrases and types of Bibles are available in bookstores. Nearly every household has at least one copy, either a dust-covered tome on the coffee table or a well-thumbed version on the night stand.
Considering its ubiquitousness, you might think it would be the best-read book in the country as well.
But pollsters indicate that may not be so, and a little later in the column we're going to give you an opportunity to show how well you know it.
One poll found that about half of all Americans do not read the Bible, even if they own one. Another poll discovered that 84 percent of Americans believe the Ten Commandments are still valid today, but fewer than 50 percent could name five or more of those laws handed down to Moses.
Another survey found that 40 percent of people who called themselves Christians could not name all of the first four books of the New Testament, commonly called the Gospels. Among teens who said they attended church "regularly," 20 percent didn't know the significance of Easter to the church.
Another researcher discovered that more than half of all adults don't know who preached the Sermon on the Mount.
Despite those results, millions venerate the Bible as God's word - literally or otherwise. Millions have memorized greater or smaller portions of it that they can recite at will. Millions more who cannot trust their memories can look up a verse fairly quickly. Millions of others can say with some assurance that a particular phrase comes from the Bible.
And millions delve into its pages - either every day or in times of crisis - for guidance, inspiration, comfort, wisdom, hope.
Even a passing familiarity with the Bible, it seems, has led many people to have a favorite verse or passage that means something special to them.
We want to know which Bible verse means the most to you, and we want you to explain why.
This will take a little work, and we'll wait a few weeks - until mid-December - to publish the results.
While we'll consider any verse from any sacred text, we expect most of the responses will come from the Bible.
There are a few verses that are bound to come up any time the subject of "favorite" Scriptures come up:
Psalm 23 - "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. ''
1 Corinthians 13 - "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. ''
Deuteronomy 6: 4-5 - "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."
John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. ''
Psalm 121 - "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills. ''
2 Timothy 4:7 - "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
You're welcome to tell us how any of those has influenced your life, but we'd like to get a variety of others as well.
Please begin your story with your favorite verse, then tell us - as briefly as possible and no longer than a single typewritten page - what that verse means to you and why it is so important. We'll pick some of the most powerful and poignant accounts to publish.
Send your contribution by Dec. 2 to "Favorite Verse," c/o The Back Pew, The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010. You also may use e-mail to transmit your story to clowexc2roanoke.infi.net.
Don't wait until the last minute!
I look forward to hearing from you.
Favorite verse
What's your favorite Bible reading?
The Sermon on the Mount?
The Ten Commandments?
1 Corinthians 13?
John 3:16?
Is it one of these? Or one that's less well-known? Or maybe your favorite spiritual verse isn't from the Bible at all, but from some other sacred text. Let us know what reading means the most to you. Tell us why it's your favorite and how it has influenced your life. We'll pick some of the most powerful and poignant responses to publish in Extra next month.
Please send your nominations no later than Dec. 2.
WRITE: Favorite Verse, c/0 The Back Pew, The Roanoke Times, Box 2491, Roanoke 24010
E-MAIL: clowe@roanoke.infi.net
LENGTH: Medium: 98 linesby CNB