Bible reading boosts mental well-being among Christians, U.K. survey says March 3, 2021By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: Bible, Feature, News, World News ROME (CNS) — Reading the Bible has had a positive effect on people’s “mental well-being” during the pandemic, according to a Christian Research survey conducted in the United Kingdom. The survey also found that respondents were reading the Bible more and turning to Bible-related videos more during the pandemic. The survey, carried out on behalf of the Bible Society, posed a number of questions to 1,000 people in the United Kingdom who identified themselves as Christians and who had attended church at least once a month before restrictions aimed at curbing the pandemic. The questions were asked in December, and the results were published online by the Bible Society March 1. Forty-two percent of respondents reported that reading the Bible increased a “sense of hope in God during the crisis, rising to nearly half (49%) among 45- to 54-year-olds,” the report by the Bible Society said. “Some 28% said that reading the Bible had increased their confidence in the future,” while 63% said they felt their level of confidence remained the same, rather than dropping, it said. It said 23% of those surveyed said the Bible “had increased their mental well-being, including 47% of 24- to 34-year-olds,” and 33% of 16- to 24-year-olds reported that reading the Bible had helped them “feel less lonely.” The report said 35% of survey respondents were reading the Bible more during the pandemic with the biggest increase among 25- to 34-year-olds in which “53% were reading the Bible more often.” “A quarter of those asked, said that they were reading the Bible ‘multiple times a day’ and half said that they were reading the Bible on a daily basis,” the Bible Society said. It also found that 25% of the 25- to 34-year-olds in the survey said they had begun reading the Bible during the pandemic. While many continue to turn to print editions of the Bible, 23% reported using “a Bible-reading app, 30% are now listening to the Bible” and 59% of those surveyed said that “they now watched more Bible-related videos or had started watching them.” Also see Michigan third grader launches ‘Kid’s Bible in a Year with Teddy’ podcast Bible is ‘key to evangelization’ and soul of theology, says Bishop Barron Matthew, Mark, Luke or John? Who’s your quarterback? Inventive faith-sharing ‘Bible Draft’ comes to parishes Nearly 1,000 Catholic women find peace in the midst of anxiety Annual 100-hour nonstop public Bible reading planned in Louisiana diocese RADIO INTERVIEW: Bible in a Year Copyright © 2021 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Print
Matthew, Mark, Luke or John? Who’s your quarterback? Inventive faith-sharing ‘Bible Draft’ comes to parishes
