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it is i, nicolepsy, wishing to ask this because i made it a goal and im not even religious. actually sometimes i think i may be religious but i prefer to say "spiritual" since i dont believe in the bible or jesus but still made it a goal to read it since it is referred to so often in the secular world. anyone read it out of curiosity like me? p.s. i only read some of the old test and that is probably all i ever will read.
I don't think you'll find many atheists who haven't read it. It's the reason most of us become atheist in the first place.
I don't think you'll find many atheists who haven't read it. It's the reason most of us become atheist in the first place.
I've read it more than once and it's the reason I'm NOT an atheist. I think that's very interesting. I understand (I think) where you're coming from. It's just odd to me that the same words can have totally different effects on people.
Yes, several times. I was educated in a christian system. Am atheist now.
I wonder how many christians (especially those who fear, hate the muslims) have read the Koran. Interesting point, I know several Army officers who read the Koran before they got deployed to Iraq. It raised my level of respect for them.
I'm assuming the Army officers read the Koran to become more familiar with the local population. While laudable, I question whether it would actually help understand the 'locals'. Like Christianity and the Bible, Islam is the product of picking-and-choosing the importance of certain Koran passages over others. Simply reading the Koran is not, for example, going to give you an understanding as to why Sunnis and Shiites are so different, and why they hate each other.
Similarly, a foreigner attempting to read the Bible would assume that things like stoning, slavery, polygamy, etc... are all practiced in the United States, since these are all accepted practices in the Bible at one point or another. The reader wouldn't automatically know that mainstream Christianity has decided that other scriptures "override" these passages.
I've read it more than once and it's the reason I'm NOT an atheist. I think that's very interesting. I understand (I think) where you're coming from. It's just odd to me that the same words can have totally different effects on people.
I think you might havs misunderstood what he was saying. What he meant was that most athiests = read Bible, while people who read the Bible might not necessarily be athiests. That is obviously not the case and if it were, Christianity would have died out a long time ago due to our increasing literacy rates! It's like "Oop, another 50 people read the Bible, we lose another 50 participants!"
I do agree that the same text might have different effects on different people though. I would attribute to upbringing, personality, immediate situation, and the messenger conveying the message.
I've read it more than once and it's the reason I'm NOT an atheist. I think that's very interesting. I understand (I think) where you're coming from. It's just odd to me that the same words can have totally different effects on people.
I think it's understandable. When I was younger, I was completely immersed in Christianity. I was a true believer. For various reasons, I slowly lost my faith, and now I best describe myself as "undecided, leaning heavily agnostic or atheist". When you read the Bible from an outside perspective, you realize that the Bible is filled with God-sanctioned brutality (human sacrifice, murder, rape, pillaging, etc...). But when you're a believer and you read these passages, you unconsciously dismiss them, and you say to yourself that you probably just don't understand all the circumstances behind it.
I think it's understandable. When I was younger, I was completely immersed in Christianity. I was a true believer. For various reasons, I slowly lost my faith, and now I best describe myself as "undecided, leaning heavily agnostic or atheist". When you read the Bible from an outside perspective, you realize that the Bible is filled with God-sanctioned brutality (human sacrifice, murder, rape, pillaging, etc...). But when you're a believer and you read these passages, you unconsciously dismiss them, and you say to yourself that you probably just don't understand all the circumstances behind it.
I can see that and I guess I can see how there are difficult passages that Christians must deal with to fully 'face their faith', if you will.
Having said that, I've never run from a passage of scripture or closed my Bible very quickly and said "Let's pretend that's not there" so I don't think I personally am guilty of seeing some difficult passages and then "unconsciously dismiss them". Many Christians are and truthfully, many preachers and pastors do the same thing.
No, I teach an adult Sunday School class and I'm a lay youth leader too and you might be surprised that many of these more difficult issues are the very ones I drag to the surface to talk about.
If I haven't gotten anything else from this forum, I've gotten the message that we (Christians and the church) have done a horrible job helping people defend and stand up for their faith.
Like I said in the Christian Deception thread, we don't know how to talk to people and if someone comes up and says to the average Christian "Hey, why was Christianity a rip off of Mithrism?"
They'd look like a deer caught in headlights. Well, hopefully not my youth group or Sunday School class. I say thanks to everyone for their honesty and their 'issues' with Christianity. It helps to know the 'real' questions behind the doubts and faces.
I don't have an answer for each and every issue that comes up. But I do trust God. And I do trust the Bible. I don't see the holes and discrepancies many do. But I am looking and learning to give a reason for the Hope that I have, and I know that will ever stop.
I've read the bible. I mean it has a lot of sex and violence, just like any other 'modern' adventure novel or comic book that I read.
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It's like "Oop, another 50 people read the Bible, we lose another 50 participants!" 
I mean it has a lot of sex and violence, just like any other 'modern' adventure novel or comic book that I read.
