Dave Thompson MSP

HIGHLANDS and Islands MSP Dave Thompson has submitted a motion to the Scottish Parliament calling for fellow parliamentarians to join him in welcoming the creation of "The People's Bible", a project for members of the public to help transcribe the entire text of the Bible in their own handwriting.

In Scotland this work is being led by the Scottish Bible Society, which aims to raise £60,000 to fund its share of the work, with the Bible Societies of England and Wales completing the rest of the vast undertaking in their countries.

The initiative was started to mark the 400th anniversary of the creation of the King James Bible, the first printed Bible, which has had a major impact on the history of much of the Christian world.

It is also designed to reawaken interest in studying the text of the Bible. The digital copy of the completed version of The People's Bible will be accessible on the internet.

The society has also fitted out a People's Bible van which will tour communities around Scotland and invite members of the public to transcribe two verses each in their own handwriting.

Mr Thompson was delighted to lend his support to the initiative after being approached by the Scottish Bible Society and therefore has submitted the following to the Scottish Parliament as a member's motion:

S3M-08014 Dave Thompson (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish National Party): The People's Bible—
That the Parliament welcomes the initiative of the Scottish Bible Society to produce a People’s Bible as part of the 400th anniversary of the Bible commissioned by a Scottish king; welcomes the opportunity provided by the travelling road show in Scotland, England and Wales, to bring people together from diverse sections of our society as they transcribe verses from the Bible in their own handwriting; acknowledges that these handwritten passages will be reproduced online resulting in the entire Bible being available as a product of the people of today; hopes that this initiative may be a catalyst for a renewed interest in reading the scriptures for the participants, and encourages the spirit of religious tolerance throughout Scotland and indeed the United Kingdom as a whole.