Numbers

I have often long heard the excuse of Bible reading as one that states that the "Bible is too long" for reading. This article will attempt to lightly humorize (see completely make fun of) those individuals :-) I do love you though.

Little numerology:

An average bible contains about 1500 pages, but for the sake of argument lets just up that number to 2000 cause the whole thing is probably in a smaller font than most books (Espicially in that clever little lucerna font designed to pack more words together...ok so I'm a nerd). So 2000 pages of reading for the average person.

Now a comparison, because this wouldn't be a true numbers post unless we had some interesting statistics.

The entire Harry Potter series is a total of 4175 pages, mostly read by children of ages 7-20, twice the size of the bible. Many of these read the novel more than once, making it possible that a child could read the bible twice before they've ever learned how to drive a car or ride a bicycle, or learn the Transitive Property of Equality. Over 400 million copies of Sir Potter have been published in over 65 languages, making it one of the most widely distributed books ever. The bible, in comparison, has sold 2.5 billion copies worldwide, and yet has never been read cover to cover by most people who have read it.

And while 1 Chronicles listing of names may not have the same intrigue as Harry finding the Snitch through the rain under the influence of Dementors, the importance of said names in the history of the gospel of Christ far outweighs Cho kissing Harry and then freaking out (Typical for the Asian girlfriend to freak out on Harry. Of course. Korean last name. Of Course.)

Well, what about the notion (see: excuse) that the Bible chapters are simply too long?

Welllllll, lets see. There are 1189 chapters in the Bible, with 444,395 words (In the NIV version), making it a ratio of 373 words per chapter in the bible, compared to the absymally long 1,084,170 words in 198 Chapters in Mr. Sir Gentleman Potter. Now before I hear the shouting of those saying that harry potter has less chpaters, consider the breakdown.

That's a ridiculously long 5475.6 words per chapter for Mr. Potter. Even if you say that reading 6 chapters of the bible is a long read, you wouldn't even come close to a HALF A CHAPTER of Harry Potter in terms of content. You would have to read about 15 chapters of the bible to equal one chapter of Mr. Potter. When you consider that the average adult reads at about a speed of 300 words per minute, this means that an average bible reading, even at half speed to obtain full comprehension, could take 12 minutes for 6 chapters. For Dumbledore? 36 minutes, 30 seconds. You could basically read 18 chapters of the bible in that amount of time, making it possible to read the bible amount 6 times in one year in just a little more time it takes to watch an episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Not that brevity should be the reason why we read the bible, but that the argument shouldn't be because "It is too long". Right?