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Atheists: How much of the Bible have you read?
- Thread starter ID_Neon
- Start date
Pulled them outta my butt...I put next to them some verbal cues just to try and make everything sensible. There's really no scientific variable to it at all, just a criteria that is manageable.
By sheer volume of text, I figure maybe half. I've read the whole New Testament and several books in the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deutoronomy, Numbers, bits and pieces of the others.
But I know I'm missing huge wodges from the other books of the Old Testament - I don't think I've read anything at all from Ruth or Esther, for instance - so if you're just going by sheer number of words, I think I've read about half, but probably the more theologically significant half... at least for Christianity.
And I'd say that I've read a fair bit more of the Bible than most Christians I know in RL.
McBell
Unbound
It's just that your poll is looking for answers that have nothing to do with the thread title.
The thread title asks how much has a person read.
Your poll answers do not reflect the question.
One does not have to "fully comprehend" the Bible in order to say they read it 100%.
I have read the KJV, YLT, GNB, and the NIV Bible from cover to cover.
So based upon the thread title I would answer 100%.
However, the poll answers say that 100% is "fully comprehending" the Bible.
The thread title asks how much has a person read.
Your poll answers do not reflect the question.
One does not have to "fully comprehend" the Bible in order to say they read it 100%.
I have read the KJV, YLT, GNB, and the NIV Bible from cover to cover.
So based upon the thread title I would answer 100%.
However, the poll answers say that 100% is "fully comprehending" the Bible.
McBell
Unbound
I suppose we wil have to agree to disagree.
Well, dunno, as I said, it is merely organizing criteria, it's not "super serial" lol.
But it fits that 100% is "complete comprehension" especially since I left daily reading to 75%...
Sorry it's confusing?
Please vote guys!
Alceste
Vagabond
Not to join the litany of complainers, but I have read way more than 50%, but less than 100%. I fully comprehended it, but I certainly didn't take it seriously, and I didn't read it more than once. I picked 100% only because with the pairing of arbitrary, unrelated factors with your percentages that was the closest fit. If you hadn't made reading it "regularly" a prerequisite of 75%, I would have picked that. I am not a re-reader though. There are too many books to get through to read any of them twice.
Reading most of the Bible is one of the primary reasons why I'm not a traditional Christian. It's just like reading the Qu'ran is why I'm not a Muslim, and I actually read the entire Qu'ran before. I could hypothetically be a Christian of sorts, granted with a metaphorical interpretation of mythology, but I would get tired real quick explaining to every other Christian how my beliefs are so drastically different from theirs. I could probably also be a Muslim, but again with my metaphorical interpretation of mythology.
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Me Myself
Back to my username
I don´t know. Bible even includes good poetry in it, and anyone who says that underastands "100%" poetry is "·$&! you right there.
I also think saying "fully comprehend" it´s kind of exagerated. "Have a firm comprehension of it" or omething more arond that may be right for there though.
I read quite a bit of it once because, even though I was a Christian before, I didn't even know who Jesus was until I was 10 xD. I didn't know much about the Bible, just thought the clouds were the land where angels lived on, the sun was God, and hell was under the earth. And after learning a lot of things of what I missed out on I was like "Well, might as well get it straight"
theirreverentconcubine
Member
I took a guess and said half. I consider that I understand the Book of Job; somewhere along the line I heard that was the oldest bit, so that's the one I've read the most...
What I don't understand is how people can read all of the stuff. Other atheists practically insisted that I should read the whole thing; I hadda tell 'em I'll keep the eternal torment for later.
It's just pretty nasty; another thing that confuses me is how any woman can call that book "holy."
What I don't understand is how people can read all of the stuff. Other atheists practically insisted that I should read the whole thing; I hadda tell 'em I'll keep the eternal torment for later.
It's just pretty nasty; another thing that confuses me is how any woman can call that book "holy."
Majikthise
nude
I figure about 25% and that was after becoming an atheist. I had enough of it drilled into my head verbaly growing up christian and being dragged to church every sunday when I would rather have been watching cartoons. Blah!
jarofthoughts
Empirical Curmudgeon
I've read all of it.
Whether I've comprehended it all depends on who you ask I guess.
Whether I've comprehended it all depends on who you ask I guess.
Caladan
Agnostic Pantheist
Well this is not going to be a statistical answer, sorry in advance.
I've read all the New Testament several times. which is not a feat unto itself, as it is not a monumental text.
I generally enjoyed it. and to be honest it was hard not to fall in love with Jesus.
I read and studied the Hebrew Bible for 12 years in school in the original Hebrew and using the commentary, which is a completely different experience from just reading it without commentary. pretty much as the difference of reading Homer without the right guidance. its a difference of sky and earth.
I also studied scriptural historiography in an archaeology department in central Israel.
and still I have to say I don't know even half of it.
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Jubeanation
New Member
I said 75 (though I'm not strictly an atheist by definition).
There's research out the on this kind of thing though. I know atheists and one other group (I think maybe Jews? But could be wrong) did the best at identifying concepts in various religions.
There's research out the on this kind of thing though. I know atheists and one other group (I think maybe Jews? But could be wrong) did the best at identifying concepts in various religions.
I've read it 100% old and new at least twice but I do not fully comprehend it. Anyone that claims that is lying. The bible is not something that can be comprehended. The bible is meant to be interpreted from your life experiences.
I have read the Tao a few times as well and it is the same. A much smaller book but it can never be comprehended fully.
I have read the Tao a few times as well and it is the same. A much smaller book but it can never be comprehended fully.