Oh my, well if the RCC encourages Catholics to read the Bible, why haven’t they?
Probably because then they’d realize all the flaws in their own doctrine when put to the test of scripture.
You wrote:
“Oh my, well if the RCC encourages Catholics to read the Bible, why haven’t they?”
Why don’t Protestants read the Bible? Most of the Protestants I’ve met are incredibly ignorant about the Bible. At least two former Protestant ministers I’ve met have complained to me about how Biblically ignorant Protestants are. The simple answer is some Catholics read the Bible. Some don’t. Some Protestants read the Bible. Some don’t. Catholics here at FR tend to read the Bible quite often. As always people do not always do what they are encouraged to do - no matter how beneficial it is for them.
Just last night I and a friend (who is a former Protestant pastor) were discussing a Bible class we want at a parish in the near future. We know dozens will attend. Should be hundreds, but we’ll happily take the dozens if they are the ones who show up. We’re going to study the Song of Songs. I just finished another Bible class at another parish this past Tuesday night. That same parish will have a 7 week long course on the Gospels in the spring, and a short 7 week course on the Old Testament next year (along with classes on the letters of St. Paul and a 3 week course on Acts of the Apostles). What I really want - and will get eventually - is a 4 year course where every single verse of the Bible is gone over in class. I’m the one who will have to find the funding, get the approval, publish the plan, etc. It will happen.
The funniest Catholic Bible class story I was ever involved with was when a friend of mine was teaching a Bible study class at a very liberal parish. She was really struggling to get people to show up. I told her I would show up the last night (I could at least give her moral support). When I arrived I was surprised to see there were exactly three students - all Protestants - including a Protestant minister. They loved the class and came away with a much greater appreciation of the Catholic faith and Catholic teachings on the Bible (which the Protestant minister went on to use). For that reason alone it was still worth it.
“Probably because then they’d realize all the flaws in their own doctrine when put to the test of scripture.”
No. There are no flaws to realize. And if that were the case, then that would have to explain why millions of Protestants don’t read the Bible either.