Why Would An Atheist Read The Bible?

[nailit]

Why would a creationist read The God Delusion?

Anyway, Ive set myself a goal (always lived my life by goal setting, it focus's the mind) to read the entire Bible...Genesis to Revelation...in 3 months!
Ive read the entire Bible before, but forgot much of it, and after a few conversations at work (with Evangelicals) Ive decided to read the lot again. After 14 days I am currently at the first few chapters of Deuteronomy. Have struggled (but persevered) through meaningless chapter after after chapter of animal sacrifices in Numbers to meaningless chapter after chapter of ridiculous laws in Leviticus, with endless repetitions of genealogies and the endless repetition of killing animals because it is a *Pleasing aroma before the Lord*

I can quiet understand why Bible believers have never read the Bible.
Its Boring.
Its sick
Its Immoral
Its irrelevant

But I'll read it!
Can Bible believers understand why I will?
(for the next couple of months at least)
;-)

[naomi24]

Khandro to Nailit, //It is full of allegory & metaphor, you need to use your intelligence & imagination to absorb this fact, otherwise you flounder around condemning everything in it & looking rather stupid. //

Hmmmm.... debateable. Who gets to decide which bits are true and which are allegory & metaphor?

[andy-hughes]

Retrocp, as an atheist who attends Mass regularly, I have explained to others in general, and to you in particular, why Ì do it, and given your occasionally obsessive memory for my posts, I don't have to bore everyone else by repeating it yet again.

[Theland]

Nailit - What have you learned so far, for example, the first few verses of Genesis?

[Zacs-Master]

Your Mrs made you go didn’t she, Andy?

[andy-hughes]

She did Zacs, and still does, even though I cry all the way and have to be dragged through the doors every Sunday ....

[Zacs-Master]

;-)

[beso]

naomi //Who gets to decide which bits are true and which are allegory & metaphor?//

Everybody. The bits you agree with are literal and the bits you don't like are metaphor.

The Bible endorses everything from brutal genocide and property theft to loving one's enemies and giving away all your stuff. That is why it is so popular as a guide to morality.

[beso]

Theland //the internet is a real asset, with lectures available from extremely well educated people who have earned their PhD's after studying the bible and science for many years.
Why not try learning from them?//

Because they are thoroughly deluded and view everything in the light of the Bible as the word of God.

Anyone who looks at the Bible in the light of day can see it is worse than nonsense and in fact underpins much of what is wrong in the world.

Anyone who can read the story of the genocides perpetrated by the Hebrews as God's Chosen Race, and conclude that the Bible is anything but evil has their eyes shut.

Any book written like it today would be banned in most countries.

[waterboatman]

It's a story book.

[naomi24]

beso, quite.

[Khandro]

n. //Who gets to decide which bits are true and which are allegory & metaphor?//
What is 'true' in the sense you imply is immaterial, e.g. The story of Cain killing his brother Abel in Genesis highlights sibling rivalry, which exists as much today as it did throughout the many centuries since & I'm sure you have experienced it either first or second hand.

[naomi24]

Khandro, //What is 'true' in the sense you imply is immaterial//

Immaterial? I’d hazard a guess that the millions of Christians around the world would disagree with you.

Have you considered that the story widely believed to demonstrate sibling rivalry actually refers to something quite different - an uncaring, controlling parent’s selfishness and self-obsession?

[ladybirder]

Spot on beso and Naomi.

[Khandro]

n, ha-ha ! //Have you considered that the story widely believed to demonstrate sibling rivalry actually refers to something quite different - an uncaring, controlling parent’s selfishness and self-obsession//

You have proved the point yourself.

[woofgang]

What people sometimes don't realise about the bible is that is actually a library....a collection of books and short stories, rules for life, poetry, genealogical records and so on. It was written by many people for many reasons over many years and has also been edited and translated may times

[naomi24]

What point khandro? That if you ignore the bots you don’t like you can make of it what you will? Atheists who’ve read it have been saying that for years. So much for its credibility.

[Khandro]

n. //So much for its credibility.//

Absolute nonsense, what you have demonstrated is that it's criteria isn't about credibility but interpretation, what you draw from it is what you believe & need on a personal level.

[andy-hughes]

Khandro - // Absolute nonsense, what you have demonstrated is that it's criteria isn't about credibility but interpretation, what you draw from it is what you believe & need on a personal level. //

That said, why can't you, and the other devout Christians who post on here day in day out, accept that others do exactly the same as you, and that what they draw and need and believe on a personal level is absolutely nothing at all.

That's a concept you seem keen to deny all day every day.

[Khandro]

andy; The title of this thread is [I say to myself, why do I bother?] "Why Would An Atheist Read The Bible?

I have tried to answer that & nothing more. I have been coming on these R&S threads for a long time & never have I attempted to proselytise to anyone as you seem to do about atheism. I really couldn't care less what you believe (or don't) , though you seem to be highly concerned about what I do.

As to me being a "devout Christian", you have absolutely no idea about my religious outlook.

[nailit]

//Nailit - What have you learned so far, for example, the first few verses of Genesis?//
Theland, Ive learned that ancient, tribal, desert nomads had no idea of how cosmology, astronomy, zoology, geology, botany or anthropology works...