Recently, the National Endowment for the Arts put out a study called, “To Read or Not To Read,” which addresses the issue of declining reading in the overall population of the United States, and makes a number of other interesting observations. Poor reading skills tend to equate with lower pay, lack of or poor employment, and fewer chances for advancement. Poor readers generally don’t read as much as good readers. It is a downward cycle for the poor readers. They don’t read well, so they don’t read much, which means they don’t get the practice they need to improve. Poor readers have lower academic success. Generally speaking, prisoners have worse reading skills than the general population. Also poor readers are less likely to be active in civic life, volunteer less, and vote less than better readers. Being a poor reader definitely brings personal and social disadvantages to the individual and to the society as a whole. “Whether or not people read, and indeed how much and how often they read, affects their lives in crucial ways.”
I think this holds true for the Bible. People who read their Bible tend to live happier, more fulfilled lives…and it affects their lives in crucial ways in this world and for eternity.
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