Interesting that you probably believe I'm a Christian just because I posted this, even though I've not said what I believe either way. I think it goes to show that most people's reaction to religion is knee-jerk and not rooted in anything other than emotional drivel and not what they truly believe.
I posted this because I think it's an interesting fact that our society cares so much about religion, and yet many haven't read the Bible (our main religion in the USA) yet they espouse random beliefs for or against it without knowing anything about it.
Look at all the people who read it as a child and pretend to understand what it says now! What did any of us know as a child?
IronWing
No Lifer
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Cerpin Taxt
Lifer
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sdifox
No Lifer
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I read Mission Earth. All ten books of it. I did not read Dianetics. I hate the Church of Scientology because they did not want to continue leasing out their storefront to a great restaurant and the owners decided to close shop.
bastards...
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cover to cover? no... I had to skip through the hundred pages of A begat B begat C...
but between religion classes in high school (I went to a Jesuit school) and taking a Bible as Literature class in college (taught by an atheist professor, interestingly enough), I've read most of it.
but between religion classes in high school (I went to a Jesuit school) and taking a Bible as Literature class in college (taught by an atheist professor, interestingly enough), I've read most of it.
NikolaeVarius
Lifer
- Oct 25, 2006
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You assume that we didn't get anything out of it. I may have read the entire thing as a child, but I still remember a ton of the stories.
As statistics have shown, non believers tend to know much more about religions than believers.
You know why? Because most people were born under Religion. And many, like me and others on this thread, become Atheists after we figure out that God is a prick and when thinking about it more, a personal God is one of the most retarded beliefs ever.
Read it as a child and analyzed it as an adult. It's actually even MORE unbelievable as an adult.
You know, it really wasn't about that for me. I'm a very logical and analytical person and just wanted to seek out answers. Well the further I dug, the more religion fell apart for me. I really had no bone to pick with religion (Christianity in my case). I had, and still have a great family and life. I just wanted REAL answers, not some canned bullshit that never gets questioned. Anyway, after just a little digging, Christianity fell down like a house of cards. It was a shock to me, because I really did believe in God. But I found out, the only reason I believed was because that is what I was being taught, brainwashed rather. If I was TRULY being taught, I would be allowed to question and the answers given would hold up under scrutiny. Well of course, that is not the way religion works and the answers definitely don't hold up under scrutiny. What you have at the end of the day is, "you just gotta believe." However the problem with that answer is, you can use it for any religion or any other sales job. And that just isn't good enough for me.
Modelworks
Lifer
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Reading the bible and expecting it to change your life makes about as much sense as standing in the rain expecting to learn how to swim. I recommend that people who have read the bible not stop there. Also read other religious text for other religions. Spend time by yourself contemplating what you read vs relying on the opinion of others to tell you what is written and you might be surprised at how much wisdom all these different books contain.
zerocool84
Lifer
- Nov 11, 2004
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How does what he said have anything about being Christian? You asked a question and assumed something and he asked something back. His question is just as valid as yours. You assume people who don't follow Christianity have never read the Bible. You obviously equate the Bible with being a Christian when many sects have their own version or don't even follow it at all as most people that say they are Christian hardly follow what's in the Bible anyways.
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Jeff7
Lifer
- Jan 4, 2001
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I tried to go through it....but it was just painful, in the sense of watching the South Park episode about Scientology, or the one about the Mormon faith, with the words "This is what Scientologists actually believe" as an ever-present message.
<Kyle>
Really?!
</Kyle>
Someone mentioned Lord of the Rings, so I'll go with that as an example - reading it as fiction can be perfectly entertaining. But if you were to read it with the idea ever-present that many millions of people believe it to be 100% true, and base their lives off of its contents...it becomes just a little bit distracting, and a little bit more disturbingly unsettling.
A stopped analog clock is still right twice a day.
And don't get me wrong, religious documents do of course have value - they represent a portrayal of events or worldviews long ago, just as you can get out of Shakespeare, or ancient Greek plays like Lysistrata. They were stories written by ancient peoples to teach a lesson or tell a story, and embedded within the text is information about the period, though retrieving that information is something of a job for legitimate historians. (Then you can get things like annotated works of Shakespeare or Aristophanes, which have footnotes to explain the various jokes or puns or things of that nature - things which made sense thousands of years ago. "Yadda yadda yadda" won't have much comedic value in even 100 years, and certainly not 1000.)
In that context alone, the Bible might make for interesting reading, in the same sense that I found stories of the ancient Greek pantheon of gods to be entertaining. They were amusing works of fiction, but if they were in the context of, "People today actually believe this stuff," then the entertainment value is significantly diminished. (Well, it might still be entertaining for some people, though in a very different sense.)
<Kyle>
Really?!
</Kyle>
Someone mentioned Lord of the Rings, so I'll go with that as an example - reading it as fiction can be perfectly entertaining. But if you were to read it with the idea ever-present that many millions of people believe it to be 100% true, and base their lives off of its contents...it becomes just a little bit distracting, and a little bit more disturbingly unsettling.
True, but I'm sure I could find some words of wisdom in a phone book too.
A stopped analog clock is still right twice a day.
And don't get me wrong, religious documents do of course have value - they represent a portrayal of events or worldviews long ago, just as you can get out of Shakespeare, or ancient Greek plays like Lysistrata. They were stories written by ancient peoples to teach a lesson or tell a story, and embedded within the text is information about the period, though retrieving that information is something of a job for legitimate historians. (Then you can get things like annotated works of Shakespeare or Aristophanes, which have footnotes to explain the various jokes or puns or things of that nature - things which made sense thousands of years ago. "Yadda yadda yadda" won't have much comedic value in even 100 years, and certainly not 1000.)
In that context alone, the Bible might make for interesting reading, in the same sense that I found stories of the ancient Greek pantheon of gods to be entertaining. They were amusing works of fiction, but if they were in the context of, "People today actually believe this stuff," then the entertainment value is significantly diminished. (Well, it might still be entertaining for some people, though in a very different sense.)
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I've read parts of it from a historical sense. Large portions of the Old Testament are the histories of the Hebrews (I love reading history books). If you ignore most of the "God caused the bad guys to get confused, and gave the Hebrews power" and infer that to mean "The Hebrews caught the bad guys with their pants down", its really neat. You can get a great sense of the weapons and tactics used in those days.
Reading any of the bible with a bible guide written from a historical (not theological) point of view makes it much easier, and can give some really great insights into the meaning of passages. I would not have made it through some of the weird stuff if I didn't use a guide. Revelations for example. Letters of Paul also enter a new light when read with a guide.
Reading any of the bible with a bible guide written from a historical (not theological) point of view makes it much easier, and can give some really great insights into the meaning of passages. I would not have made it through some of the weird stuff if I didn't use a guide. Revelations for example. Letters of Paul also enter a new light when read with a guide.
Malak
Lifer
- Dec 4, 2004
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Malak
Lifer
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JEDIYoda
Lifer
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zerocool84
Lifer
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Where is the evidence saying otherwise? You believing it being real is the same as the Greeks back then believing Mount Olympus being full of gods was real. You have no basis saying it isn't mythology.
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Malak
Lifer
- Dec 4, 2004
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Evidence is everywhere. I got some right here in my hand even. Want me to ship it to you?
zerocool84
Lifer
- Nov 11, 2004
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EXACTLY
Your evidence was the same that it was back then. What right do you have to say your religion isn't mythology and saying another is? Religion is based on belief even in the absence of evidence. One religion at any time in history is just as valid as the next. You invalidating other religions and while trying validate your own shows your ignorance.
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