Who read the bible?

[mannetje]

Who here has taken the time to read the bible?
I have read the bible, And it learned me to understand the christians better.
I liked some of the stories,
But for me it stays with stories only.

[Havet]

I prefer the Harry Potter stories tbh

[scarletghoul]

Harry Potter fucking sucks.

The Bible is extremely interesting and worth reading, especially the Old Testament.
I have read a lot of it but not finished it yet. (and I skipped some of the boring bits, like when god just goes on and on decreeing these laws for pages and pages)

It's cool in that its a mixture of mythology, poetry, history, philosophy, etc

[Dooga Aetrus Blackrazor]

Harry Potter fucking sucks.

The Bible is extremely interesting and worth reading, especially the Old Testament.
I have read a lot of it but not finished it yet. (and I skipped some of the boring bits, like when god just goes on and on decreeing these laws for pages and pages)

It's cool in that its a mixture of mythology, poetry, history, philosophy, etc

The Bible > Harry Potter

I question your taste, good Sir. I haven't read the Bible because the parts I have been exposed to in school, for the most part, have been terribly dull. Some of Genesis was well written, but it wasn't particularly interesting.

[Bandito]

If you want to criticize religion, you have to read the Bible.
If you don't, you prove yourself to be immature and your claims can be flushed town the toilet just because of that simple fact that you haven't read one book.
Also, the Bible itself is a fountain of arguements that can be succesfully used against religion in general. The vast majority of christians haven't read the Bible, and some of the stuff you could use in propaganda that are biblical quotations, can be really disturbing for an average christian.
That applies to Qur'an as well.

[spiltteeth]

A lot of atheists have considered Ecclesiasticus the wisest book ever written.
Book of Job too.

*SPOLER ALERT!*

At the end you find out God did it.

[Raúl Duke]

Who here has taken the time to read the bible?
I have read the bible, And it learned me to understand the christians better.
I liked some of the stories,
But for me it stays with stories only.

When I was younger I was raised protestant (although I did went to Catholic school once) and went a religious school once through middle school.

We had a religion class which was a joke (giving us some work-sheet or something), I spent most of that class reading the bible on my own. Even in church, when my parents went to church, I would just read by myself ignoring whatever the preacher was saying most of the time. Sometimes I would go against what he said; I never thought that someone, not even a preacher, should be given deference in this matter just because that's their job. At the time, I kind of like the whole Quaker-type system.

There's this quote from Asimov that states something like "The bible, read correctly/in a certain manner, is big case for atheism" or something like that. In a way yes, of all my family members who are still religious I usually have better knowledge, both of what's written in the book and historical context, then them and I'm no longer religious. Even when I was I tended to be very critical, analytical, etc on the matter of theology and christian dogma but perhaps that's just my nature at the time (to be very questioning... in fact when I was becoming less religious I was also moving more politically to the left).


A lot of atheists have considered Ecclesiasticus the wisest book ever written.Before I turned non-religious this was my more preferred book.

I wouldn't say the wisest but I'll say it has some merit.

[spiltteeth]

I just remember Melville once said the wisest book has to be the saddest, and the saddest is Ecclesiasticus.
I'm gonna start a wisest book thread in lit.

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

I read the bible it was a well written saga of rape and zombies.

[MilitantAnarchist]

It lost me at 900year old blokes. I did try, but i found it about as dull as Lord Of The Rings.

[Bud Struggle]

I read it and I had my 15 yo (we're Catholic) daughter read it over the summer. (Most of it.) At dinner we discussed the books and the stories.

[Manifesto]

Only have read the New Testament, its all I got but had to skip parts of it due to boredom.

[Dóchas]

biggest waste of time ever id rather have read a dictionary to be honest

[revolution inaction]

people who found the bible too boring try this, http://www.thebricktestament.com/
it's the bible stories made out of lego.

[Pogue]

i read it a few years back, still waiting for the sequel.

[KarlMarx1989]

I have taken the time to read Biblia Sacra and to understand what it teaches in contrast to how most christians practice it.

I admit that I have focused more on the "New Testament" and the missing books rather than The Tanakh. However, I do know quite a bit about The Tanakh, too.

[RedRise]

Tried to read it starting from the beginning but got bored pretty quick:bored: - not to mention bloody confused! What's the deal with all the lists of whom was the son of whom to which woman, etc?:confused:

[RedAnarchist]

I've read it and that probably really helped me realise that god was just an invention of humanity to control those with less wealth/power and, to a lesser extent, to understand the origins and purpose of life.

[Invincible Summer]

Who here has taken the time to read the bible?
I have read the bible, And it learned me to understand the christians better.
I liked some of the stories,
But for me it stays with stories only.

I grew up going to a Catholic primary school whilst being raised in a Protestant family, and going to church w/ them. It wasn't until maybe 3-4 years ago that I decided that it was all bullshit and the people were delusional. Despite all the Christian apologists that always shout "But Jesus was a socialist!" and such, I've never met anyone in my Christian experience that would be remotely socialist.

I think that my background helps me justify my atheism more.


It lost me at 900year old blokes.
But God wanted them to live that long to carry out his work!! Clearly we're too sinful and covetous to warrant living more than 80 years.

[spice756]

Who here has taken the time to read the bible?
I have read the bible, And it learned me to understand the christians better.
I liked some of the stories,
But for me it stays with stories only.

No time to read such silly story.

[Spawn of Stalin]

I went to a Catholic school so I have read the Bible many times over, actually it is one of my favourite books, I still read it quite a lot but only as a work of fiction for entertainment purposes. Kings is my favourite Old Testament book and from the New Testament I'd have to say either Corinthians or maybe Hebrews. The Bible is something which I think should be read by everyone Christian or otherwise, it is as good as anything Lenin ever wrote, although it does not make quite as much sense, it's an excellent piece of storytelling.

Disclaimer: I'm not Catholic, or in any way religious, and neither is my family, I just wanted to go to a liberal school where you could call the teachers by their first names and not have to wear a uniform.

[9]

I had a period in my mid-ish teens when I actually took the time to read the Tanakh. Included in this are, among other books, the Torah and tracts from the Talmud. I covered most of it, while skimming over the mind-numbingly boring parts (e.g. "So-and-so begat So-and-So, who lived for so-and-so number of years", carrying on in this fashion for pages). The Torah certainly helped me to understand why my uncle and grandfather were such passionate Kabbalists.....If a bunch of sadistic assholes are your prophets and a series of brutal horror stories are your scriptures, you'd better find (or lie and claim to have found) secret mathematical formulae to justify a complete reconfiguration of the fucking messages in your holy book. Conversely, you could send the entire concept of religion sailing toward the garbage bin in a single heave... of course, then you'd be an apikoros! In light of my username, I trust you all can see what side of that divide I ended up on.
Of course, I realize also the "allegorical nature" of the scriptures. But the "allegorical conclusions", unless abstracted beyond comprehension, still don't have a lot of wiggle room in that chasm of archaic nonsensical brutality (hence the Kabbalist's gematria and "hidden meanings").
And yet, if you choose to believe in religion for whatever form of emotional fulfillment it provides you, without promoting an oppressive outlook and reactionary ideas, I'm certainly not going to be a condescending shithead to you about it.
I have to say, though, I would derive a great deal of pleasure in seeing a new version of the scriptures printed, wherein Isaac kicks his piece of shit father into a bloody stupor on the mount, manages his way back to and back into the Garden of Eden, eats from the tree of knowledge until he is more powerful than YHWH, destroys YHWH, and then destroys himself in the final orgasmic gasp of religion. But I'm just borderline-trolling now.

[Steve_j]

If you want to criticize religion, you have to read the Bible.
If you don't, you prove yourself to be immature and your claims can be flushed town the toilet just because of that simple fact that you haven't read one book.
Also, the Bible itself is a fountain of arguements that can be succesfully used against religion in general. The vast majority of christians haven't read the Bible, and some of the stuff you could use in propaganda that are biblical quotations, can be really disturbing for an average christian.
That applies to Qur'an as well.

Couldnt agree more! i own both a Quran and a bible, full of usefull information. The old testament is great reading (very sad though that people follow this shit), full of sick and twisted things to use against christians and jews, particularly the ones who complain about the nasty teachings of the Quran. Obiously they just let their priest/rabbi do the selective reading for them.

I found the new testament quite interesting too. I find it completely incompaible with most christian churches, especially catholicism. Seriously who ever that jesus guy was, he wasnt the son of god, but he was a radical. My fav quote.

"it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of god."

Well if he was the son of god its safe to say a shit load of christians are going to hell :)

[Robert]

One should read the Bible all the way through at least once, whether it's valid or not, at least in order to relate to biblical references encountered in western music, literature and everyday conversation.

To every thing there is a season ....

The Beatitudes

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone

The wolf will lie down with the kid

Soaring on eagles' wings

The four horsemen of the apocalypse

Turn the other cheek

Etc.

[Lodestar]

Let me state this once, and emphatically;

The Judeo-Christian Scriptures are the most irrelevant, dry, esoteric, nonsensical heap of twisted moral instructions and tales of blood oaths and barbarous kings I have ever laid eyes on.

I've read it. It has relevance as an anthropological work and as insight into Western Culture/Literature. Those who regard it as anything more than primitive, superstition-motivated moral instruction with no basis in reality or reason, are deceiving themselves. To regard it as the infallible words of the Creator of the Universe, is to regard an awful myth as the lens through which to view the Universe and make decisions regarding thus.

That being said, I've read it.

[bcbm]

when i quit my job and moved out of my house i didn't have anything to do or read so i ended up reading most of the new testament, particularly the gospels. i'll probably get around to the old testament eventually. from a purely historical standpoint i think the bible is an interesting work and reading the gospels it's fun to see how far from the source many christians seem to end up. my favorite book is revelation; my avatar is a painting based on a verse from it.

[spiltteeth]

I plan on seeing the movie.

[Robert]

Let me state this once, and emphatically

Hail, Caesar!

I could swear I heard a trumpet flourish when he said that.

I agree the Old Testament is violent and hard to take seriously, though Psalms has some beautiful poetry.

The New Testament has inconsistencies and tallish tales to be sure, but there is almost nothing attributed to Jesus Christ thay I disagree with. His message deserves respect.

[Lodestar]

Hail, Caesar!

I could swear I heard a trumpet flourish when he said that.

I agree the Old Testament is violent and hard to take seriously, though Psalms has some beautiful poetry.

The New Testament has inconsistencies and tallish tales to be sure, but there is almost nothing attributed to Jesus Christ thay I disagree with. His message deserves respect.

LOL

Thanks for the laugh. Sorry, I was a little irked when I made that post.
While Jesus certainly has some worthy moral teachings (especially some on the Sermon of the Mount), I wouldn't say I agree with everything. A lot of it is metaphysical drivel, or teaches such blind obedience, submission, and to be complacent with unjust social orders...Much of Christianity strikes me as cowardly or completely reactionary.

[Jazzratt]

I tried at one point. I couldn't get into it and it bored the shit out of me.

[mikelepore]

but there is almost nothing attributed to Jesus Christ thay I disagree with. His message deserves respect.

To all who say this, I recommend a reading of 'Why Jesus?" by Dan Barker

http://www.ffrf.org/nontracts/jesus.php

He asks people consider whether they would say "this is good advice", etc., when considering the early Christian ideas.

Excerpt:




If you do something wrong with your eye or hand, cut/pluck it off
(Matthew 5:29-30, in a sexual context).
Marrying a divorced woman is adultery. (Matthew 5:32)
Don't plan for the future. (Matthew 6:34)
Don't save money. (Matthew 6:19-20)
Don't become wealthy. (Mark 10:21-25)
Sell everything and give it to the poor. (Luke 12:33)
Don't work to obtain food. (John 6:27)
Don't have sexual urges. (Matthew 5:28)
Make people want to persecute you. (Matthew 5:11)
Let everyone know you are better than the rest. (Matthew 5:13-16)
Take money from those who have no savings and give it to rich
investors. (Luke 19:23-26)
If someone steals from you, don't try to get it back. (Luke 6:30)
If someone hits you, invite them to do it again. (Matthew 5:39)
If you lose a lawsuit, give more than the judgment. (Matthew 5:40)
If someone forces you to walk a mile, walk two miles. (Matthew
5:41)
If anyone asks you for anything, give it to them without question.
(Matthew 5:42)

Is this wise? Is this what you would teach your children?