My son wants a bible for Christmas

[nativa]

Our family isn't particularly religious- Dh is atheist. Our children go to a Waldorf school, and my sons class has been studying the old testament this year. My son LOVES it! He's always been into history, and he is riveted by the stories. He says that he'd like his own Bible for Christmas, and I have no idea which one to get him. I'd like to get him a bible that is in modern English, but not too "childish" (he's 8, but reads at a 11- 12+ yr old level). I also don't want a "fire and brimstone" version that will make him feel guilty and like he's going to hell for everything. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you!

[henny penny]

It's not a bible but Peter Spier has a few illustrated children's books that tell Old Testament stories; Noah's Ark and Jonah and the Whale are two I know of. The stories are told almost exclusively through illustrations and there is hardly any text so you can tailor the story for your child and leave out parts if you choose to make them more age appropriate.

[dogretro]

We are a Christian family & I know that Lux's family is, too. There are plenty of more modern translations that are easy to read. The only two I can think of off the top of my head (dh is WAY better at this than me!) are the NIV (New International Version) and the form called The Message. The Message is not a strict literal translation, so it does flow more easily & will still give you the bulk of what is there. Many Christians who read The Message also keep a standard Bible as well b/c of this. I know there is a newer version of the NIV that is supposed to be super easy as well, but I don't know what it is called. No "thee's" and "thou's" in my Bible! There are also children's, teen's, and young adult's study versions of the Bible.

You may want to ask this question in the spirituality section of the forum. I'm sure the ladies there can help you much more w/ different versions. And it's not the Bible itself that translates into fire and brimstone, that is human interpretation. Over the years, the more I've studied, the more wondrous, mysterious, and incredible existence has become to me. It's complicated, and something I don't really like to discuss online (too difficult!), but there are lots of books on studies so that if your son asked a difficult question, many other people have already researched it for you!

[sbgrace]

http://www.karynhenley.com/site_pages/howsdiff.htm
I picked this for my kids because its in present day language and broken into smaller reads.

Some words which may be readable by the child but not easily understood--such as “glory” and “grace”--are written as “greatness” and “kind love” to provide a clearer, age-appropriate meaning.

The reading level is second grade but when you look on amazon reviews you'll see adults even enjoy it. It's not a translation but a paraphrase. However, Tyndale House translations dept. went over it. I don't think that would matter to your family/what you're wanting but if you're looking for translations the link I gave above gives a chart with reading levels of various bible translations so it might be helpful in that way too.
I like this too:

To keep the text interesting and meaningful, some passages have been excluded. These include genealogies, repetitive passages, parts of long speeches, detailed laws and rituals, extremely abstract and symbolic passages, sexual scenes, and graphic violence which might be disturbing to children in this age bracket.

[LuxPerpetua]

I guess it kind of depends on what he's wanting. Does he want one with illustrations? If so, there are some really good children's Bibles at our local Barnes and Noble, I know. For dd, we have one that is really dumbed down for when she was little, and now that she's 4 we have this one that is good for the younger child age (appropriate language). Most likely your son is way above this level. The one I was going to recommend I couldn't find on their website but I know I've seen there. It's listed on Amazon for an absurd price, but I know you can get it more cheaply. This is it. On the B and N website, they had some other nice looking editions that may be worth a browse. I have no idea about the text, just that the illustrations looked more mature so I'm guessing the text is as well: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Chi...dren%27s+bible and http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Chi...dren%27s+bible . I also like the Peter Spier books that were recommended but you are going to be limited as far as stories. There are also Bibles that are just pictures with limited text, so that may be something to consider as well.

And I agree with dogretro, the Bible is a story of grace--of God becoming one of us in Jesus Christ to rescue humanity from destruction. There are parts of violence in the Bible, but such is the world we live in, and it is also a reflection of God's judgment and justice upon the earth. However, the over-arching theme is that of grace and love.

[JessicaS]

I use the Oxford. It includes the apocrypha, which are books that were left out.

It contains 'scholarly' notes, not doctrinal.

http://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Apoc...dp_ob_title_bk

[Thalia the Muse]

I'm an atheist, and just bought my eight-year-old the Golden Children's Bible, because I think the Bible is the cornerstone of much of Western history, literature, and culture. It's not a complete Bible -- it has versions of most of the familiar Biblical stories, along with copious illustrations. It skips most of the really interesting sex and violence, and the portions that are lists of rules, who begat whom, etc.

I know what you mean about a "fire and brimstone" version -- you don't want a book that intersperses some Bible stories with editorial comments from a particular viewpoint scolding the kids or warning them about hell, right? I was concerned about that too. The Golden Children's Bible and the other book I looked at, a collection of Bible stories by Mary Pope Osborne, were both fine in that regard. They both tell the stories in a simple, straightforward way, and don't tell you what conclusions to draw or preach at you at all. I thought the Pope Osborne book made the stories too short and wasn't very well-written, so we went with the other. The Usborne Children's Bible looks promising too, but I haven't seen it in person.

Like, this one is clearly editorializing about a particular way to interpret the stories, rather than just presenting them: http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Storyboo...792635&sr=1-14 That would be fine for a parent who wanted to inculcate a particular religious belief, but not so great for your purposes. I think anything labeled a "devotional Bible" is more likely to include preaching.

[pjs]

I'd recommend the Golden Children's Bible too.

[Smithie]

I'm Jewish, but I was sent to Sunday School as a child because, well, the neighbor kid went and my folks didn't care either way, so I've logged a lot of hours with the New Testament. I'm also an English teacher.

From both perspectives, I strongly suggest than a precocious 8 y.o. who asks for for Bible be given a full-text version. Sodom and Gomorrah and all. This doesn't preclude buying any of the beautifully illustrated children's stories that are based on Biblical texts (my kids have many!), but a complete, scholarly-annotated Bible is something that a person who is curious about the world should have on their bookshelf. Even when they're eight. It's a reference book. And the ugly things he might read in there, well, they are part and parcel of the whole Judeo-Christian deal, and he'll need to learn about them just like he'll need to learn about racism and sexism and war etc. etc.

The New Living Translation wins points for understandability. The King James version is what I, personally, read as a child and the version I can quote to this day. I like the "thees" and "thous." It's a very individual thing. As long as you avoid an edition with contemporary Protestant musings on the bottom of every third page, you'll be buying something he can use for the rest of his schooling.

[GAjenn]

NIV yes, The Message-not so sure

[QUOTE=dogretro;14747767]We are a Christian family & I know that Lux's family is, too. There are plenty of more modern translations that are easy to read. The only two I can think of off the top of my head (dh is WAY better at this than me!) are the NIV (New International Version) and the form called The Message. QUOTE]

I like the NIV. I wasn't crazy about The Message because I feel as though it is too much of a translation. And when people quote the Bible, you can't really find it in The Message because it is so far from the King James version. I see Bibles all the time at Goodwill. If you can afford it buy him a children's Bible and the NIV.

[Adele_Mommy]

Originally Posted by Smithie

I'm Jewish, but I was sent to Sunday School as a child because, well, the neighbor kid went and my folks didn't care either way, so I've logged a lot of hours with the New Testament. I'm also an English teacher.

From both perspectives, I strongly suggest than a precocious 8 y.o. who asks for for Bible be given a full-text version. Sodom and Gomorrah and all. This doesn't preclude buying any of the beautifully illustrated children's stories that are based on Biblical texts (my kids have many!), but a complete, scholarly-annotated Bible is something that a person who is curious about the world should have on their bookshelf. Even when they're eight. It's a reference book. And the ugly things he might read in there, well, they are part and parcel of the whole Judeo-Christian deal, and he'll need to learn about them just like he'll need to learn about racism and sexism and war etc. etc.

The New Living Translation wins points for understandability. The King James version is what I, personally, read as a child and the version I can quote to this day. I like the "thees" and "thous." It's a very individual thing. As long as you avoid an edition with contemporary Protestant musings on the bottom of every third page, you'll be buying something he can use for the rest of his schooling.

I disagree with this. I think a teenager or adult should have a complete Bible with a translation that strives for literal accuracy regardless of religious beliefs as a cultural and historical reference, but the Bible is not appropriate reading material for an 8-year old, again regardless of religious beliefs. For example:

Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 5 They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."

6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof." Gen 19.4-8 (NIV)

I don't think that's what a child needs to be reading, even a precocious child, and the Bible is full of stuff like that.

[lilyka]

www.Biblegateway.com allws you to read a bunch of different verses in many many translations. it will give you a good feel for reading level and language etc.

If you get him a Bible I urge to get him a real one. Don't get him a Bible thats been messed with and written to meet the authors need for political correctness or to meet their agenda. if you really don't want him having a real one with a proper translation and the r-rated verses that go with it (and I agree I would not want my 8 year old reading all that), then get a childrens Bible stories book. there are some really nice ones. My kids have this one. http://store.holycrossbookstore.com/biforyopeka.html and it is so beautiful and has meaty text that sticks pretty true to scripture. but everything is PG. and did I mention how beautiful it is?....If you get him a real Bible perhaps go through it and mark the stories he likes, I doubt he will read it cover to cover. I wouldn't worry about stuff that is inapropriate.

I prefer the NIV because it is the version I grew up with and the one I can quote.
I hate the message. Cannot read or follow it to save my life. I also think they take to much liberty at times.

[Adele_Mommy]

I realized this morning that I explained why I would not give an 8-year old a real Bible, but I didn't offer any alternative recommendations. ITA with lilyka that a book that purports to be "The Bible" but has been sanitized or otherwise messed with is not the way to go either.

I would recommend a book of the stories, but one that is not too childish. My parents were both atheists, but I had two books of Bible stories growing up so I could become familiar with them and understand the cultural references. My dd does not have a book of Bible stories, but this year she is in a class called Bibleodeon at our UU church that teaches the major stories in their historical context, and she is loving it. I think your ds might like The Pilgrim Book of Bible Stories. This book retells the familiar stories and it has references to the Bible verses the stories come from, so if you wanted you could give this book together with a real Bible (the storybook is based on the New Revised Standard Version) and then your DS could look up the specific stories he was interested in and read the actual text without opening the Bible randomly and encountering a lot of stuff that either bores or disturbs him.

[Thalia the Muse]

I actually don't have that much problem with my eight-year-old discovering that there is "dirty" and disturbing stuff in the Bible (we took her to the R. Crumb Genesis exchibit at the Hammer Museum, which is what made me realize she needed a Bible in the first place!) -- but I didn't think she would plow through a complete, sparsely illustrated Bible any more than she'd read the entire Odyssey or Ramayana. Too dense, too archaic, and too full of "begats."

We should probably have an actual Bible in the house, though, for reference.

[CherryBomb]

One note on the Golden Children's Bible, the versions I've seen depict Jesus as being blond and blue-eyed (though maybe they've changed that in updated versions!) If you do use that, I'd make sure to point out that although the Bible doesn't give a clear description of how Jesus looked, He probably looked like other Jewish men of the region (ie, not blond and blue eyed).

[zech13_9_goforgold]

The New Living Translation is also a good one for kids. I would also recommend an NIV.

I wouldn't worry too much about the "bad" stuff of the Bible (ex. Song of Solomon). I didn't understand that stuff when I was his age. He probably sees worse stuff on TV or in movies (unless you're completely TV-free). But, he could find "bad" stuff on the internet just as easily as he could in the Bible.

I think that you should give him what he wants for Christmas. If he asked for a dolly, you'd buy him one, so why not a Bible. I think that your son may disappointed if you only give him a story book when he asked for a Bible.

[Adele_Mommy]

Just to clarify, my problem with an 8-year old reading the Bible is totally NOT the sex. Song of Solomon is one of my favorite books in the Bible and I would have no issue with my dd reading that book. My problem is that morality in the Bible is either completely twisted or non-existent 90% of the time. In the passage I quoted earlier Lot, a "good guy", considers it morally better to send his daughters out to be gang raped than for men to have sex with other men. At one point Saul is punished by God because he did not kill every living thing in a land he had just conquered. God is a vengeful, brutal, petulant bully frequently by any modern, reasonable human standard. There are some interesting stories in the Bible, and some good ethical lessons as well, but a child is going to need help from an adult to pull them out. The OP's son may have asked for a Bible, but based on the OP, what he clearly wants are the stories and their historical context. As I said in my second post, the OP could get a book of the stories and a Bible, but I honestly don't think her son would be disappointed with just the stories. I do think he would be disappointed with just a Bible and no book of stories, because it will not be what he is expecting, and won't be any fun to read. He will have to wade through vast amounts of boring, confusing and/or disturbing parts to find the parts he is interested in.

[Super Pickle]

THE PICTURE BIBLE !!!!

It's in comic book form and my son LOVES it! He has read it over and over and knows his Bible stories very well. He also is an advanced reader but he likes comic books and so he took right to this version.