Indian believers write Bible in record time

BHOPAL, India [July 19] — A group of Christians in India has set a new world record by writing the Bible in almost two and a half hours.

The record copying of Scriptures was began July 7 at 5:00 pm in the evening and ended 7:32 pm with a prayer. The record was set in the presence of neutral observers and church leaders, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) said.

The team of Christians from various denominations, who ranged in age from 11 to 77 and included priests, nuns, pastors, brothers and lay people, was led by a local lay person, Sunil Joseph in Bhopal, who in December 2005 set a record by writing the Bible on his own in 123 days.

“It is a historic movement of brotherhood among the Christians,” said Archbishop Pascal Topno of Bhopal archdiocese. “We are one in Christ, our differences are nothing before the strong brotherhood feeling we have among us.”

“This was really a show of unity among the Christians,” said Father Anand Muttungal, spokesperson for the Catholic Church who helped coordinate the program.

The “world record attempt is a sign of Christian unity in Madhya Pradesh,” said Fr. Muttungal. “[The] holy Bible is the symbol of love revealed through Lord Jesus Christ. So we celebrated this day by these efforts.”

The event, organizers said, was held on July 7 to mark the importance of the day – 7/7/07. The Christian community considers number seven as the most complete number among all numbers, they said, pointing to the Book of Genesis referring to the seventh day blessed and setting it apart as special as it was the day upon which God had completed creation.

“This is an effort to spread the message of love in the holy Bible for the unity and brotherhood of our country,” Joseph said. “It is also to encourage people to read the message of love embedded in the Holy Scripture.”