ABSTRACT
A person’s relationship to a sacred text such as the Bible encompasses a number of different aspects. Among these are their attitude towards the Bible, their beliefs about the Bible and their use of the Bible. It would not be surprising if these were related to each other: people who have negative attitudes towards the Bible are unlikely to believe that it has any divinely ordained authority, and probably read it seldom if ever. Those who believe it to be the word of God will presumably have a positive attitude to it and will be more likely to read it. This broad generalization hides a more complex picture in which attitudes, beliefs and practices are distinct aspects of a holistic relationship to scripture. Before examining some empirical evidence about this relationship, it is helpful to clarify what is meant by each of these concepts.
