I mentioned the other day that I don’t mark my scriptures. It was just a small line tucked in at the end of yet another masterful post about something completely different (link here), but that little line seemed to catch a lot of attention. Today I will do my best to explain…by talking about something completely different.
When I was a kid, I learned how to make a bunch of different origami animals. (Origami is the art of folding paper.) I got pretty good at it, and it always gave me something to do with the sacrament meeting program. (I have since outgrown this habit – for the most part.) I could make frogs, and monkeys, and cranes – a veritable paper menagerie.
As a parent, I have retained some of that skill. When one of my kids brings me a piece of paper and says, “Dad, will you make an animal?” I reply “You bet!” I’ll take the paper, and within seconds hand them back a beautiful folded bird. Like this:
See how cool? If you pull on the tail, the wings will flap and everything! I grew up calling them “flapping birds.”
Here’s the problem. It is the only animal I remember how to make. If anyone hands me a piece of paper and asks me to make something, they will get…a flapping bird. That’s it. That is all I remember how to make. In my brain, blank piece of paper = flapping bird.
Boring.
How does this apply to my non-scripture marking preference? Be patient – I’ll get to that. I used to mark my scriptures a lot – mostly during my mission, in Seminary, and earlier into my adult years. I didn’t have an incredibly complex system, but I would color in verses I liked, circle cross-references, and write in the margins.
Eventually, much of my Book of Mormon was taking on different colors, and lots of scribbles. I found them to be especially helpful when we hit upon one of those topics during Gospel Doctrine class. I was able to raise my hand and, in all humility, offer some fabulous insight that I had previously scribbled in the margin. Showing off? Of course not. I was merely doing my part to spread sunshine and enlightenment, while reminding the class that I was obviously a scriptorian.
How does a origami bird factor into this? When I read through my marked scriptures, all I see are the marked scriptures. I can read the entire Book of Mormon in 20 minutes! When I look at page 289 of the Book of Mormon, all I see is Alma 32:21. It has been marked in every set of scriptures that I have owned since 1977, when it was a “scripture chase” scripture. The problem is, there are other really great ideas on that page – almost every verse on that page is important. But, like the bird, I look at that paper and only see one thing.
Besides, if I don’t know where to find Alma’s teachings on faith by now, I am in serious trouble.
Other, lesser, reasons:
• When I am busy marking, in a classroom setting, I tend to shift my focus from what is being said to my coloring. I always took my coloring very seriously. I won a bicycle once by coloring a picture of “King Vitamin.”
• Different scriptures carry different meanings to me at different times in my life. I like looking at them with fresh, current eyes.
• I have an index, and know how to use it.
• Often I go back and look at a marked verse, or a note made in the margin, and I cannot remember what I was thinking when I marked it. So I have these “orphan” scriptures, that make no sense to me, cluttering my book.
• Now I read my scriptures on multiple platforms. I still prefer the old school “two sticks” approach, but I do use my laptop and iPhone more often – depending on where and when I am studying. (I have discussed this before here.)
IMPORTANT: (You can tell because it is in caps and bold.) Just because I don’t mark my scriptures does not mean YOU should not mark your scriptures. I am not advocating that you do what I do. You are not me, and I am not you – and that is a good thing. Do what suits your needs best. If you like to mark, by all means, mark! I am merely explaining why I don’t mark. (Or stick goofy pictures over the top of the verses.)
There are tons of really good resources online to find a marking system that works well for you. Some are simple, some obviously designed by engineers. It doesn’t matter what system you use – the main point is that we need to be in our scriptures often, and familiar enough with them that we can find what we are looking for. Just don’t let the system get in the way of the purpose. Find what works for you, and do it.
A grampa used to say: “If everyone were like me, everyone would be chasing after your gramma.”
PS: While this post focuses on what doesn’t work for me, I will follow-up soon with a couple of things that do work for me.
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I bought a quad for my mission and it is full of markings, comments in the margins, post-it notes with thoughts and quotes by general authorities. It is very familiar to me and I can find my way around in it much faster than I can with a new set with thumb index thingies. Having said that….. I am reading the Book of Mormon with my son every night from an unmarked copy, and I am struck by the new insights I get reading a verse or story I could’ve read dozens of times before.
When pres Hinckley issued his Book of Mormon challenge I bought a paperback copy. It was marked and had comments added of thoughts that came to me then. I recently bought another paperback (I love the serviceman sized ones!) and read the Book of Mormon again, focusing on what it taught me about the character of Heavenly Father and of Jesus. Other times I have read looking for clues about parenting and families…. A “clean” page definitely helps me see things differently. I have now bought a brand new quad, hoping to use it side by side of my older set.
I used to mark my scriptures. Now I write it all in my scripture journal. That way I can add thoughts and insights and quotes and references and even draw my own pictures. I love it. You can find inexpensive scripture journals from theredheadedhostess.com I’m not affiliated with her, but she’s got great scripture journaling ideas and posts and journals (topic and chapter) to buy.
I am a HORRIBLE scripture marker, or at least I was until an incident like the one above, only I remember him as saying “I can’t read these . . . you have all the best parts crossed out!” I looked down at my own scriptures and realized that I had read and marked and remarked them so much that my favorite parts were, indeed, VERY difficult to read . . . SIGH . . . so I don’t mark mine up anymore . . . not that there is any more I could do that I haven’t already done to them . . . I think I need to start over fresh with a new set and see how long I can resist marking them up as well . . .
We need a twelve step program for addicted scripture markers . . . =o/
President Hinckley and Elder Packer spoke at a mission conference when I was serving in Canada. Elder Packer told a story about President Hinckley asking to borrow his scriptures. When Elder Packer handed them over, President Hinckley flipped through them and said, “I can’t use these! They’re all marked up!”
It’s kind of funny how hard it is to find verses in anyone else’s scriptures. But I do enjoy marking mine. The book of Isaiah in my old set is evidence of a lot of prayerful study. And I still don’t understand most of it!
I mark my scriptures in a different way than typically seen. What do I want out of the scriptures? I want to know what the Lord wants me to do, so…
…if it is something we are being told to do, I use a green pencil (green=go and do). If it’s a promised blessing, I mark it in blue pencil (blue=blessing). If it’s just something I like, I use yellow.
When I’m having a bad day, I really like to flip through my scriptures and just read the verses colored in blue.
I also like blank scriptures, but I love to mark scriptures as well. I learn by writing, but I also found that when I would look at my scriptures, I only saw the marked versus. So, I have moved to buying new sets of scriptures every few years. They really aren’t that expensive, then I have blank scriptures, and I can write in them all I want. It is interesting to go back and see what was important to me in different times of my life.
My oldest daughter(14), read this together. She is beginning her first year of Seminary and since we are new to the Church, marking our Scriptures is foreign to her and she refuses to do it. Anyway the Seminary Teacher on the first day gave everyone a color pencil for Scripture marking. She was appalled. After much hand-ringing my Wife and I suggested we talk to her instructor. She did and she said it wasn’t mandatory, she suggested post its or clear page markers that she can write on. BTW she loved your post and after reading grabbed some paper and is now making origami things!
I actually attended an Education week class about this exact thing! Marking our scriptures inhibit insight to new personal revelation and understand. But he made a good point, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t mark them, he just said to get new ones every year! That way you can always refer back, use them for topical study markings, etc.
I’m glad you don’t mark your scriptures–I don’t either. I’m even happier that you don’t think there is “one way” to mark them.
A seminary teacher in high school told our class how to mark scriptures, but I thought it was a just a suggestion and continued to mark mine with my own system. Found out later he was very upset at me for “breaking the class rules.” Bugs me to this day.
Jenny in NC
I hate it when I find marked scriptures that don’t mean anything to me anymore. I have since switched to writing my thoughts as a read in a scripture journal. I like that much better.
I just blogged about it yesterday. We’re on the same wavelength.
http://annakonneker.blogspot.com/2012/09/august-scriputre-notes.html
I can still make a sweet blow-up box out of the sacrament meeting program, but I digress. Nowadays, I read the Book of Mormon online on my phone, because I like to read it in German. I really need to get around to turning on the marking feature on lds.org. It’s great to hear how into scripture reading and marking my fellow commenters are.
I’m amazed at the folks who have scriptures for multiple decades. Not me. And the act of marking is part of the act of learning for me. I enjoy reading margin notes later and trying to sort out what I was learning then.
A new set of unmarked scriptures is fun to me because it allows me to explore anew — to find “old friends” and discover new ones (to use Elder Scott’s imagery). I recently went electronic in my scripture study (though I thought I never would), and marking the electronic version on my Kindle Fire has been terrific.
That said, I never understood the mark-by-color-by-subject method that was popular among missionaries I served with. They seemed to be ever marking and never coming to a knowledge of the truth…
I LOVE marking my scriptures. I think it makes me feel like its proof that I’m using my scriptures. I mark verses and write something down on the margins to explain what it prompted. I love that! When I go back to read them I love that I can remember past experiences that strengthened my testimony. But I, too, love to read just plain unmarked scriptures so that I don’t get off topic when reading. When I do this, if I find something that catches my eye or gives me promptings, or whatever, I’ll mark it in my personal scriptures. Also, I have found that having marked scriptures has helped my young children see that I study the scriptures.
I don’t mark scriptures in class or during conference or anything like that. I will take notes specifically for scripture marking and then when I do my scripture study, I’ll go to my scriptures and mark them and write what needs to be written. I use sticky notes, as well, for when there isn’t enough space.
Its a real sense of accomplishment for me. I really get a lot out of it. But to each their own! I actually really enjoyed reading about your reasons for not marking. The fact that you don’t really stood out to me in the aforementioned post. I’m glad you wrote about it.
OK, I’m done with my novel now.
I think that is one of the reason we can buy a cheap paperback copy of the Book of Mormon (like the ones they give to investigators). You can mark it up as much as you want and then start new again. You can keep a marked up copy of the scriptures to use when you are teaching Sunday School and still have a blank copy for your personal study.
I should probably do that.
I like to use post it notes I put them on my clothing first so it isn’t too sticky for the delicate page
I’m with Becky up there. When a scripture reference comes to mind, I can find it because it is colored yellow and on the right page, left column, near the bottom (or whatever). Though there is truth and logic in your flapping bird argument, I can’t let go of my scripture marking.
I have this phone app called “The Lost Verse”, a BOM game that gives you a verse, and you have to name book and chapter. Time after time I’m given some random BOM scripture and my book and chapter guess is within a couple of pages. That’s just how my brain works, I guess.
I have heard stories (which I can’t verify, of course) of apostles marking in their scriptures AND using fresh inexpensive sets to read without reference to previous notes. That’s what I do. I have a much beloved set from institute days that I have continued to mark and date over the years with everything from colored pencils to post-it notes. But from time to time, I get me some of the missionary scriptures and read without being tainted. Something new every time. Like you said, each to his own.
I heard of someone taking a BOM and marking verses for things that reminded them or things they wanted their child to know and giving it on a special occasion. I thought that would be something neat for offspring to have.
I heard of someone taking a BOM and marking verses for things that reminded them or things they wanted their child to know and giving it on a special occasion. I thought that would be something neat for offspring to have.
I remember getting a new set of scriptures after my mission. I felt so sad when I opened them up and they were blank. (and that I wasn’t a missionary using them to teach investigators…that adjustment took a LONG while.) I am a very active reader so marking works for me. I did notice that I relied to heavily on my markings when finding the scriptures (marked in red on the right column on the right page) so I switched and I now only mark in one color. It has forced my brain to actually remember the reference instead of where it is on the page. I do see valid points in not marking them, but I really think that as long as we are reading/studying at all, then the rest of it doesn’t matter.
Humm, that is interesting. I just bought a new set and it is something for me to think about for sure.
I totally see your point and agree with you 100% on to each his own. here are my thoughts.
I personally mark my scriptures. Occasionally. My set is from seminary and I want a new one so I have a fresh set that will only be marked with things that mean something to me rather than what I was told to mark.I will probably continue to mark scriptures and buy new ones to get that fresh perspective for quite a few years yet.
My bishop (former seminary teacher who is definitely a scriptorian in my book.) Said he was recently reading scriptures that weren’t marked and he saw something he hadn’t before, becuase of the way his scriptures WERE marked. That made me want to hurry up and get new scriptures.
I have had the same set of scriptures for about 15 years now. They are hardly marked at all. Except for several large Xs over some pages during a period where I was marking chiasms. (My husband was mortified when he saw them! lol) I just can’t mark. I hear something cool or think a new thought and don’t have the slightest inclination to mark or make a note. Instead I get home on my computer and blog a long old essay where all the thoughts follow a logic and reach a conclusion and all scriptures are cross-referenced and linked. Compared to THAT, marking my scriptures is just scribbling to me.
I received a set of scriptures as a gift when I was baptized, and have had the same set ever since. They’re almost 20 years old now, and I love finding the odd scriptures that I highlighted in some random Sunday School class or Young Women’s lesson when I was growing up.
I’m notoriously breaking thr tips off pencils, colored and #2 alike. So I carry pens with me, and I don’t like the way that looks in books. So if I feel so inclined to mark a passage or record a quote that supports a gospel idea, I write on a scrap piece of paper (usually a sacrament meeting program), stuff it into my scriptures, and record it in my journal/notebook. Then, I can write a bit more about what grabbed my attention in the first place.
I like that Idea!
My dad was ready for a new set of scriptures, since his old ones were becoming ratty. He let me have them, and I use them in Sunday School to raise my hand and, in all humility, offer fabulous insights. I really like seeing his margin notes; it feels like he’s there with me. My own scriptures aren’t marked unless the spirit yells something at me while I’m reading alone. That’s something I definitely want to remember.
My favorite marking in my scriptures is in 3 Nephi… mostly the chapters where Christ is visiting. My infant son threw up all over those pages about 14 years ago, so, after all the careful washing and drying, it’s still very easy to find them.
And yes, it might sound like I need new scriptures, but mine are the grey ones, and I really really like them, and they don’t make that color anymore.