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W HETHER WE realize IT OR NOT, the Bible has made a great impact on the modem world. Each one of us, consciously or unconsciously, comes in contact with it or is influenced by the Holy Scriptures almost every day o f our lives. To many the Bible is a closed book; to others it has become so commonplace that it carries no meaning or value; and to some, like me, it is a priceless treasure and an infallible guide for daily living. No matter what is our attitude toward the Bible, I think it would be of value to stop and consider some of the ways in which we are affected by it in our everyday lives. Most obvious, of course, is that the Bible is the accepted handbook for the three most prominent religions in our society—Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Judaism. Each of these groups rec ognizes a different form of the Bible: the Jew reads the history of his people and God’s commands of them in the Old Testament; the Protestant and Catholic, believing that Christ is indeed the promised Messiah, accept also the New Testament, and in the case of the Catholic, the Apocrypha (the fourteen books contained in some Bibles between the Old and New Testaments). Even if they neglect religion as adults, most people OCTOBER, 1964
remember the time when as children they were either taken or sent to Sunday school. Though the passing years erase the details, the stories of those great old Bible heroes remain strangely familiar, and the lessons learned so long ago linger on in the memory. We also come in contact with the Bible through its common usage in public. The programs for many public and organization meetings include reading of the Scrip ture and an invocation. Until recently, Bible reading began each school day. In our courts, people who haven’t the faintest idea what the Bible says, pledge their honor on it as the symbol of all that’s sacred and true. In fact, the very laws that govern our nation are based on those commands given by God to His people many hundreds of years ago. George Washington once said, “ It is impossible to rightly govern the world with out God and the Bible.” The Bible is the very founda tion upon which our country is built. Andrew Jackson, speaking of the Bible, said, “That book, sir, is the rock on which our republic rests.” No doubt we have often heard sayings such as, “ It’s the little foxes that spoil the vines,” 1 or, “ Pride goeth 'The Holy Bible, Song of Solomon 2:15 21
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