'Pilgrims Progress' is for adults, not children!

I read Pilgrim's Progress every year. It is an adult book, with teachings even a child can understand. I am a HUGE fan of PP and wish others would see it for the tremendous message it contains.

 

This is a very generic statement. There are many adults who understand the amazing message of Pilgrim's Progress.

 

The problem is not a "lack of understanding," but a lack of reading. Virtually every believer I know who as read the book understands what Bunyan was trying to say.

 

For that matter I know of non-Christians who have read and understood PP, but choose not to accept what Bunyan was saying.

 

I have read the book. I understood what he was saying. However I did not really get much out of the book. There were other books that have meant way more to my development as a believer. But no doubt the book has had a tremendous impact on the faith.

 

I am missing your point procyon.

Are you saying that not a single person understands PP unless they have been imprisoned for they faith and faced death for it?

My life is affected as I am reminded of the tendancy to wander off into the things of the world every time I read the book. I am encouraged by Christian, flat on his back, facing the talons of Apollyon until he reaches out for his sword, for which Apollyon has no defence. I have cried when Faithful meets his earthly death and challanged by his faithfulness. I am convicted by Talkative and how often I am like him, speaking of the things of God without doing them. That is just the start.

Do you really mean that people don't understand the book? For not understanding it it sure has had a tremendous impact on my life.

 

PP is the most read book in the English Lanquage, next to the Bible. And for good reason.

 

I am not sure those stats are still accurate. At one stage of history it was true.

I ran a poll here a couple of years ago and less than half of the respondants had actually read the whole book even once.

 

How can you say that people do not do such procyon? There are many godly people whose lives have been impacted by the reading of PP.

It is not scripture, so it does not have life altering power in and of itself.

Saying that, I praise the Lord for PP and the impact it has had on my life.

 

"I am not sure those stats are still accurate. At one stage of history it was true.

I ran a poll here a couple of years ago and less than half of the respondants had actually read the whole book even once."--------------------------------------------------------------------

No it would not be correct if you are looking only at the modern era. But in publishing history, PP enjoys the title of most read book in the english language, aside from the Bible.

 

I guess it's not a good idea for me to try to turn it into a shonen comic?

 

Whatever you do, don't make it a shoujo.

Here is one list for top ten most popular books of all time in the english language. There is one Christian book on the list that is not the bible, and it isn't PP. Of course, these are difficult stats to confirm.

So you wanna : Top ten most popular books of all time

 

"I ran a poll here a couple of years ago and less than half of the respondants had actually read the whole book even once."

My wife did a flannel graph series of PP, does that count as half or something?

 

http://www.orionsgate.org/about_PP.html

"Next to the Bible, "The Pilgrim's Progress" has probably been more widely read than any other book in the English language." --Orionsgate

It is claimed at the beginning of an animated PP that I have that it is the most read book in the English lanquage, and it is also claimed in this link. Who knows, but I would bet it is if you know anything about the history of the book. But I doubt is was ever published in "important publishing houses" , so I doubt there are good sales stats on it from its hayday. It was a non-establishment book read by the unwashed masses in the beginning.

Gold Dragon, you list seems to deal with number of books sold, which is really a different question then how widely read a book is.

 

I have read some of those same claims, but I wonder how many people have really read it in the last fifty or so years?

We are looking at a MUCH bigger reader base today than existed in the 17th-19th century when great masses could not read.

I would have to doubt the claim that it is the most widely read book after the Bible. I would not even be certain that the Bible is the most read book in history.