Understanding Scripture can be among the toughest tasks for the Christian community, but you don't have to understand Elizabethan English to read about the life of Jesus.

Area pastors and Bible scholars say even though the Bible is more accessible today than ever before it isn't always as well-read because people are afraid of it.

A lot of people have an inferiority complex when it comes to reading the Bible, said the Rev. Ron Watts, pastor of La Croix United Methodist Church.

When you pick up a Bible you shouldn't be intimidated by it, he said. Sometimes people stay away from Sunday school and small-group discussions because they don't have the biblical knowledge, but that's where you get it.

America has become a nation of biblical illiterates.

Even President George W. Bush made a biblical reference in his inaugural address. Bush said, "When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side," making a reference to the story of the Good Samaritan. Yet the comment was overlooked by some news commentators because they couldn't put it into context, Watts said.

When pastors today tell Bible stories about Moses, Jonah and the whale, or David and Goliath, not everyone has the automatic recognition they once did. "We're not as immersed in the Bible as previous generations were," Watts said.

But people still use biblical references in their speech, with phrases like "an eye for an eye," "robbing Peter to pay Paul," or finding a "land of milk and honey."

However, society doesn't have as good an understanding of the Bible as literature as it has in the past, Watts said. Previous generations taught Bible stories to children as literature, and those stories were reinforced at home and church. So what some might consider familiar Bible passages, other people in a church or study group might never have learned.

But is it a case of getting confused by how we see the Bible portrayed in movies and television or just a lack of basic knowledge?

Often other media -- words to hymns, sermons, movies and television -- fill in the gaps of our understanding about the Bible.

The gospels give sketches of Jesus' life, and it's up to people today to put them together as a whole story. The books only tell a few instances in the life of Christ, said Dr. Andy Pratt, a religion professor at Southeast Missouri State University.

The New Testament is a living text and a living word, Pratt said. "The important thing isn't learning to read or the grammar but to participate in the living word of God."

It's up to people to learn the stories and teach them to children so that those Bible stories become part of their lives, he said.

The Scriptures offer a "window to God and a window to our soul," Pratt said.

It takes time and effort to study the Bible and understand it. The human mind does fill in the gaps about what happens next and as the Bible stories get farther away in time, it becomes more difficult for some to understand, Pratt said. Curriculums exist that help teach the Bible as literature in schools in a nonevangelistic or sectarian way. From a cultural standpoint, the Bible needs to be studied in schools, Watts said. "This is a book that helped shape the world we live in," he said.

Watts preached a three-part series about Bible literacy and understanding last fall. In the first segment, he did a basic survey of the Old Testament and how it is structured, followed by a similar survey of the New Testament.

In his final sermon, he explained how to read the Bible in a way "the whole world could understand," which includes observing what the Bible says, interpreting what it means and applying it to life.

People need more familiarity with the Bible, and that comes through reading, Pratt said.

Barna Research Group Ltd. conducted a survey last year on biblical knowledge and found that few people had an accurate knowledge of what the Bible teaches. Only three of the 1,002 people interviewed for the survey had a biblically consistent opinion for all the questions asked.

The study asked respondents to agree or disagree to 14 statements, ranging from whether the Bible is totally accurate in its teachings to whether the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves or if the idea of sin is outdated or if angels exist.

The survey found that changing any mistaken assumptions about what the Bible teaches is difficult because people are certain their beliefs are correct. "Even if they are exposed to good Bible teaching they typically fail to absorb the input because they think they know it all," George Barna said after the survey was completed.

Bible study must be a priority in churches, pastors say.

Parishioners at St. Mary Cathedral can get a good basic study later this month when a study on understanding Scripture begins meeting. The group will meet each Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Schuermann Room at the church's office building.

The Second Vatican Council pointed out that Catholics need to read the Bible, said Ellen Shuck, director of Christian education for the parish. The study will talk about the tools needed to study the Bible and offer an overview of the text.

"This would be a good beginning," Shuck said, adding that the study will look at who authored the books of the Bible, what are Catholic teachings and what cultural events were happening when the books were written.

There was a time when many Catholics weren't encouraged to read the Bible because it was feared they wouldn't understand it, Shuck said. However, Vatican II began to encourage more reading. At St. Mary, members have been meeting for Wednesday night studies on the Scriptures.

Some liturgical churches have Scripture readings each Sunday during worship, often a selection from the Old Testament, New Testament and the epistles. While people might not be finding those passages in their Bibles, the verses are being read, Pratt said.

Reading the Bible is like putting together the pieces of a puzzle. It's up to the person to figure out how the pieces fit exactly, but they can get a basic outline from the Scriptures.

The Bible offers so much depth and understanding of God and how we can relate to him, Pratt said. "It's still a timeless manuscript so that in 2001 you and I can pick it up and still find something that deepens our mind."