Joan Boney
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Some Churches Teach Their People Not To Read Bible.
Jn. 7:45-53 ... Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought HIM (Jesus, The Word)?
The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.
Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on HIM? But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.
Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?
They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. (Being wise in their own thinking, they deceived themselves for Jesus was not born in Galilee but in Bethlehem.)
And every man went unto his own house.
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My housekeeper, a devout Catholic woman, came to me one day and asked, "Aren't you afraid to read the Bible?"
I do treat Bible with reverence and I check carefully to be sure I quote Bible correctly.
When I was a new Christian (1975), I was afraid of scripture. It is not incorrect to pray that God would guide us in HIS Word. At that time, I took NASB version and at each chapter I wrote: Pray for wisdom ...
But the Bible says:
II Tim. 3:16-17 ... All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
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In the 1970's, I met an American Indian potter, Margaret Tafoya, who told me this magnificent story ...
Margaret lived at Santa Clara pueblo in New Mexico (USA) and was a Catholic. She enrolled her 7 children in the McCurdy mission school. The Catholic priest told Margaret she could not do this. He said Margaret must enroll her children in the Catholic school. He asked Margaret why she did this.
Margaret replied: "Because I want them to study the Bible."
The priest was horrified at this idea. He said to her, "People like you don't need to read Bible. We (the Catholic priests) will tell you what to do and what you need to know."
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One thing you would do if you read the Bible would be to stop calling these priests FATHER.
Mt. 23:9 ... Jesus instructed ... And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
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The priest became very angry and said to Margaret ... "If you do this, we will put you out of the church and you will never be able to confess your sins again." (Margaret was obviously very devout.)
Margaret said to me with shame, "I don't know what came over me but I said to priest, 'I don't have to confess my sins to a man like you. I will confess my sins to the Lord.' "
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Margaret said this priest became so angry after she said that. He put her out of church and she could not be buried in church graveyard.
Margaret did send her 7 children to the mission school so they could study Bible.
I did tell Margaret that no man can put us out of the real church. Only God can remove us.
Neither can man add us to the church ... Only God adds us to the church ...
Acts 2:47 ... And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
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