Have you even read the bible?

Have you read the bible cover to cover?

  • Yes. I have a complete understanding of it

    Votes: 10 40.0%

  • No, and I don't care to. But I argue the subject anyway.

    Votes: 5 20.0%

  • Partially. I know enough to get by.

    Votes: 10 40.0%
  • Total voters
    25
B

BlueRidge

Registered Senior Member
I am often greeted by atheist who generally are little more than hecklers with no knowledge of the bible, God, or Jesus. Or at best, limited knowledge based on Tv, articles, classes etc..

I'd love to know who of the atheist members(here)have actually read the bible cover to cover, and fully understand the scriptures.

Anyone?
 
Well, since this question arose about 1 1/2 minutes after you asked me the same question personally in another thread, I feel obliged to respond. (Total coincidence I am sure)

Anyway, yes I have. Although, as I said in the other thread, I admit to skimming over some of the ... begot ... who begot...

Other than that - every word, over the years. Many passages multiple times. this does not make me an authority, nor do I claim to be.

Did it ever occur to you that many atheists and / or agnostics have read the Bible, the Q'uran and even the Book of Mormon? Especially agnostics such as myself? How else is one to make a decision? You act as if all atheists are unthinking bigots following some blind faith in "science". How hypocritical...
 
Randwolf said:
Well, since this question arose about 1 1/2 minutes after you asked me the same question personally in another thread, I feel obliged to respond. (Total coincidence I am sure)

Anyway, yes I have. Although, as I said in the other thread, I admit to skimming over some of the ... begot ... who begot...

Other than that - every word, over the years. Many passages multiple times. this does not make me an authority, nor do I claim to be.

Did it ever occur to you that many atheists and / or agnostics have read the Bible, the Q'uran and even the Book of Mormon? Especially agnostics such as myself? How else is one to make a decision? You act as if all atheists are unthinking bigots following some blind faith in "science". How hypocritical...
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I'm not referring to you, and we all skip the begat's... on the 2nd run.:D
 
The poll is nothing to do with the thread title: I have read the bible (in fact I asked for it as birthday present one year, on the grounds that I hadn't previously read it).

But a "complete understanding of it"? By whose criteria?
The Catholic church? Protestant church? Any of a dozen and a half sub-sects? Your particular take on it? A historian's? :shrug:
Isn't that why there's so many schisms? Simply because anyone can read into whatever they want to one extent or another?
 
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Dywyddyr said:
The poll is nothing to do with the thread title: I have read the bible (in fact I asked for it as birthday present one year, on the grounds that I hadn't previously read it.

But a "complete understanding of it"? By whose criteria?
The Catholic church? Protestant church? Any of a dozen and a half sub-sects? Your particular take on it? A historian's? :shrug:
Isn't that why there's so many schisms? Simply because anyone can read into whatever they want to one extent or another?
Click to expand...

Could be any ver, any church/faith. Doesn't apply to believers. Complete understanding is relative.
 
I claim to be neither a theist, atheist or agnostic. I have read more than half of the bible, and participated in many bible discussions and studies with multiple denominations. I feel that I have a very good understanding of the bible. My take is that it is part myth, part historical document. I like a lot of the things that the bible says. Jesus' sermon on the mount is very touching. It has many good suggestions on how to live a good life, and be a good person. I would even say that I turn to it sometimes for guidance. I believe that most of it was written by wise and good men who wanted to either share or document their philosophical realizations. But I do think that it is clouded with myth. Many of the stories in it are recycled myths from times far predating its writing.

It is a beautiful book with beautiful stories. And considering when it was written, it is also a literary masterpiece. It is too bad that so many people have used it to justify countless bad deeds, though when I read some of the stories in the old testament, it is no wonder to me that people have done this.

It is my opinion that a lot of people seem to have very black and white thinking when it comes to the bible. Sure there are many things in it that seem to inspire bad deeds. But many people who believe in the bible have done very good things in gods (the god of the bible) name.
 
BlueRidge said:
LOL It's ok, anyone cute as you gets a free pass. But it does leave us plenty to talk about.
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:D

love-heart-cloud.jpg
 
BlueRidge said:
I am often greeted by atheist who generally are little more than hecklers with no knowledge of the bible, God, or Jesus. Or at best, limited knowledge based on Tv, articles, classes etc..

I'd love to know who of the atheist members(here)have actually read the bible cover to cover, and fully understand the scriptures.

Anyone?
Click to expand...

It would seem to be a waste of time. Why don't i read huckleberry finn insted, at least it has some entertaining value.
 
It requires a bit on investment of time and effort, and seeing as I'm sceptical I wasnt motivated to continue ( I tried reading it from the very beginning but quickly found it too tedious). Dont think I got past the first 30 or so pages. I remember however, that reading it word for word initially, that the Bible seemed a lot weirder compared to what I previously thought of it. Some of the rules...just seem so arbritary and out of date with modern living. I guess the point is we are all living a wrong life....
 
BlueRidge said:
Could be any ver, any church/faith. Doesn't apply to believers. Complete understanding is relative.
Click to expand...
Then the term "complete understanding" is meaningless: anyone who's read it can claim to have understood it completely, and that anyone (and everyone) else's interpretation is incorrect.
 
BlueRidge said:
I am often greeted by atheist who generally are little more than hecklers with no knowledge of the bible, God, or Jesus. Or at best, limited knowledge based on Tv, articles, classes etc..

I'd love to know who of the atheist members(here)have actually read the bible cover to cover, and fully understand the scriptures.

Anyone?
Click to expand...

Im Jewish, of course I couldnt care less of the new testament.
 
BlueRidge said:
I am often greeted by atheist who generally are little more than hecklers with no knowledge of the bible, God, or Jesus. Or at best, limited knowledge based on Tv, articles, classes etc..

I'd love to know who of the atheist members(here)have actually read the bible cover to cover, and fully understand the scriptures.

Anyone?
Click to expand...

And what does this knowledge matter?

It doesnt take much intelligence to realize what a complete hypocrit many christians, actually all Christians are with the bible.

ie, in the verse I heard last week the bible calls Jews hypocrits for saving money, praying in synagogues, and praying in the open in order to try and convert people.

And yet here you are, where do you pray? In a church. Does the average Christian save money? Yes of course.
And do Christian's pray in the open? Well considering that you guys constantly attempt to convert people, yes you do.

The funny thing is that Jesus did nothing for the Jewish people. He was no messiah because no messiah was needed. And the fact is that his religion was the singular cause of dozens of holocausts against the Jewish people. He saved us? No he nearly drove us to extinction.

The fact is that there was no hell before Christianity in the old testament, he couldnt have saved the Jews from hell because there was no hell in Judaism, and concidering he was Jewish something tells me that he knew this.

Christianity supposedly praises peace, kindness, and equality. And yet we have organizations like the KKK trying to terrorize anyone that isnt a pure white christian person.

And the Christian prayers are always talking about how Christians must "save" the world from evil. And that Jesus saved us all from hell, war and chaos. And yet Christianity has never solved these things.

It's so funny how so many orthodox Christians honestly believe that nothing bad has ever happened because of Christianity.
 
I occasionally - especially on such forums as this - meet theists who claim that reading the Bible has given them knowledge of God.

Why would they believe that?
 
fedr808 said:
Im Jewish, of course I couldnt care less of the new testament.
Click to expand...

I'm from a Jewish backround, and I think the NT is far superior morally and intellectually, except for the parts about Solomon, who values knowledge, and except for Revelations, which is some kind of acid vision that doesn't seem to fit with the rest of it.
 
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BlueRidge said:
I am often greeted by atheist who generally are little more than hecklers with no knowledge of the bible, God, or Jesus. Or at best, limited knowledge based on Tv, articles, classes etc..

I'd love to know who of the atheist members(here)have actually read the bible cover to cover, and fully understand the scriptures.

Anyone?
Click to expand...

I've read it cover to cover maybe three times. Once as a young true believer, one while seeking a return to faith, and again as an atheist.

Each time brought more understanding. The second time steered me away from christian belief. The third time affirmed that decision.
 
Dywyddyr said:
The poll is nothing to do with the thread title: I have read the bible .

But a "complete understanding of it"? By whose criteria?
Click to expand...

Precisely what I thought when I read the Title.

I've read nearly all versions of what is commonly known as 'The Bible', and understood it all.
It is an entertaining piece of fiction. And no more.
 
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