“Ask yourself: ‘Is this necessary for my work or my life?” – Awake!, January 8, 1998, page 11

“‘The faithful and discreet slave’ has encouraged us to read the Bible daily.” (The Watchtower, July 15, 2004, page 12) But isn’t that dangerous? Can daily Bible reading even be harmful to health? This question is very important for true Christians.

Reading is wearisome

The wisest man who ever lived clearly expressed his attitude toward books: “To the making of many books there is no end, and much devotion to them is wearisome to the flesh.” (Ecclesiastes 12:12) A Jehovah’s Witness from South Africa acknowledged this principle and wrote: “When I started reading, I was really feeling down.” – Awake!, July 8, 2004, page 30.

Solomon did not completely prohibit the use of books, but he recommended not to read “much” in them. However, it is also evident that “some books are not worth reading in the first place.” (Awake!, December 22, 1983, page 17) Which writings come into question for us?

As Christians “we need to feed our minds on things that are true, serious, righteous, chaste, lovable, well spoken of, virtuous, and praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8) We do this by being selective in what we … read.” (The Watchtower, November 1, 2000, page 14) We also must consider “that not all writers’ thoughts are really noble – not even those who ‘lived in the past.’” – Awake!, December 22, 1983, page 17.

The Bible as Reading Matter?

This warning is for sure appropriate, as many people trust in the Bible simply because it is so old – but that its writers “lived in the past,” that is, thousands of years ago, does not make it more trustworthy. Accordingly Awake! magazine urges its readers: “Be aware of the fact that all humans are afflicted with a certain amount of bias and are not always totally honest in their portrayal of facts.” – December 22, 1983, page 18.

Indeed, even the writers of the Bible were “afflicted with a certain amount of bias” – they wanted to spread their religion – and hence we can assume that they were “not always totally honest in their portrayal of facts.” The abovementioned magazine continues: “The Bible cautions us against accepting unquestioningly everything we read [in the Bible or elsewhere.]”

Then the article points out another important aspect why the Bible is not for Christians: “What about the book’s characters? Are the ‘heroes’ people who indulge in things God condemns, such as fornication and drunkenness? If so, have the strength of character to put the book down.” (Awake!, December 22, 1983, page 18) The Bible often mentions fornicators and drunkards – including prominent protagonists such as Judah, Samson or Noah. Even God himself, the Bible’s central character, abandoned himself to drunkenness at least once. – Psalm 78:65.

Some people “wonder [with good reason,] ‘How could an ancient book possibly be relevant to my life?’” (The Watchtower, April 1, 1998, page 11) Indeed, “how can we make it a practice to read about … violent crimes?” (Awake!, January 22, 1973, page 4) Also, most Bibles are printed in very small print – and “eye strain can happen due … reading a book with very small print.” (Diet, Nutrition, Exercise for a healthy Life.) So, reading the Bible is out of the question for us. It surely is one of the books that Solomon described as “wearisome.” – Ecclesiastes 12:12; further information can be found in the article The Bible – Is It For Christians? in the May 2010 issue of The Witchtower [PDF] [Text].

Alternatives

If we badly want to read something, the Bible is the wrong choice, no doubt. The book Questions Young People Ask – Answers That Work points out a better alternative: “Pornography is more prevalent and easier to access than ever … As you read, use your imagination. Engage as many of your senses as you can.” (Volume 2, pages 272, 292) The July 8, 1989 Awake! issue recommended reading matter that has practical value: “Some women’s magazines even include coupons for free.” – page 8.

If you are too young for porn or women’s magazines, you could apply the counsel given in another magazine: “Youth is a good time to … spend a lot of time reading comic books, watching television, playing video games, or surfing the Internet.” – The Watchtower, March 15, 2002, page 10.

Such alternative reading matter is usually printed in large font and contains numerous pictures. Accordingly it is less straining to the eyes and not so “wearisome to the flesh” as the Bible. (Ecclesiastes 12:12) But is reading advisable altogether?

Reading at all?

“Reading a book is like spending hours with the one who wrote it.” (Awake!, December 22, 1984, page 18) Do we have that much time? The Bible urges us to “make sure of the more important things,” logically then we have to “buy out time from less important things.” – Philippians 1:10; The Watchtower, January 15, 1991, page 25.

Does reading belong to the “more important” or to the “less important” things? Awake! magazines provides a clear answer: “We do make time for vital activities such as our job, eating, shopping and each night’s sleep.” (July 22, 1970, page 19) Reading is not “vital,” hence, unimportant.

A magazine asks the rhetorical question: “Will you take the time to read the Bible and publications that help you understand it? Remember, what you read can … hurt you.” (Awake!, December 22, 1983, page 19) Indeed, regardless what we read – reading takes time. But “we please God through wise use of our time,” not by wasting it with reading. – The Watchtower, October 15, 2008, page 29.

Reading is wearisome, strains the eyes and takes valuable time. Thus it is harmful, to our literal as well as to our spiritual health. Due to its content and form, this applies to the Bible even more than to any other reading matter. So, if at times we abandon ourselves to the vice of reading, we should resort to less harmful alternatives such as comics, woman’s magazines or porn magazines. But the best would be to avoid reading completely.