A group of volunteers is reading the Bible aloud at the Olthoff Street Stage in Muskegon.
MUSKEGON, Mich. (WZZM) -- A lakeshore group is celebrating America's religious freedom by celebrating the holy book of their faith.
Volunteers are reading the entire Bible -- chapter and verse -- out loud 12 hours a day, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. They expect to complete the readings by July 2.
"I love sacred Scripture and I love God, says Sandra Elder, one of the readers. "For me, it's very fun."
Volunteers are reading in shifts on the Olthoff Street Stage in downtown Muskegon. There are benches where pedestrians can sit and listen to the readings.
"We had time, so we thought we would sit down here in the shade," says Larry Bradfield, who stopped to listen to the Bible readings.
"I think it's a great idea," says Sharon Bradfield. "I wish more people would come down and listen to it."
"Many people sit on the benches and listen during their lunch hour," says Elder. "People's reactions have been either ambivalent or positive."
"We have not had one derogatory statement," sats Barb Perri, who was one of the coordinators of the Bible reading marathon. We have had several people come and say, 'We are really glad you are doing this'."
The organizers of the marathon say reading the Bible aloud in public is a chance to celebrate the religious freedom guaranteed by our Bill of Rights.
"We believe it is one of the main freedoms we want to reinforce," says Perri.
"The very fact that we can do it [means] we don't have to keep our religious beliefs in the closet or to ourselves," says Elder.
the volunteers are about halfway through the the reading of the Old Testament. They say the reading of the New Testament will go much faster.
By Phil Dawson in Muskegon