It drives me nuts when people constantly fall back to quote the bible whenever something arises, or are being tested or are just checking what morals they need to adopt.

Theists, please note: Science journals do not prove anything. Encyclopaedias do not prove anything.
They are just paper with inky symbols on them correlating to words which we read and understand.

The difference between these books and "others" is that they are only printed as a reference, not the proof.
A technical medical book will teach and show how to perform a procedure.
A procedure that can be successfully repeated by doctors. This is what makes it "true". Not the fact that it's a book written by people with lots of letters after their names.

We read other books for entertainment... Comics, fantasy novels, etc. Reading a book and NOT being able to repeat what has been described is a very good indication that it is a book of fiction.

Let's apply the same scrutiny to the Bible or the Qu'ran.

uhm? OK, I need to die first to see if it's real? 

Sounds legit!

HINT#2 If one maths book says 1+1=2 and another says 1+1=3, theists, which one would you accept as being accurate? Why?
ANSWER:     The first one because you can stick one finger up and then another and before you know it, you have 2 fingers up!! Praise Jebus! 

In other words, you proved it to yourself first.
Why can't you guys apply these amazing powers of deductions to the bible the same way you automatically apply it to any/all other books.

Because you have already judged a book by its cover before you even opened it.
Isn't there a parable in the bible about "not judging a book by its cover". LOL!

Read it thoroughly, you will find 600 instances where 1+1=3 and you are expected to accept it ...
You guys have basically sold out your reasoning skills for the fake comfort of an afterlife which you can never know until you die!
Talk about the donkey being led for a whole lifetime following the carrot!

You guys are all smarter than that ...C'mon...

We know you're heavily invested and it's hard. Very hard. But keep trying. Reality will still be here waiting for you with open arms when you decide to pull through.

I think it has value as an extremely vague way of studying society and moral values around at that time. And it's interesting to see how the story changed over time (particularly regarding Jesus).

But for anyone interested in learning actual things about reality, you may as well make it up yourself.

People use the mirror technique: they mentally cross out all the bits that don't fit in with their beliefs and values. So what is left? Only things that correspond to their beliefs and values! Amazing!

It has value similar to that old fraternity initiation rite where they see if you can get an olive out of a frat brothers foreskin with your mouth.

It turns out though just trying is how they eliminate potential pledges.

It amazes me how Christians are the ones that claim it's some sort of message from god, yet they tend to be less familiar with it than atheists, on average.

Wouldn't you be a bit curious to actually read it all properly, if you really believed that?

Not if you open the cover and read. 

Lets see: paper weight, fire place kindling, paper air planes, soaking up spills, punishment (dependent on the weight for physical, reading for mental),.

Nothing has intrinsic value besides subjective value itself, contained objectively within our minds.

What makes you think the bible is little more than direction/refrence for those who believe in God? I have been screaming this very thing here for the past 3 or 4 years! The bible is just a set of instructions to help one find God. God is the proof of God and the fact you find God where the bible says, vets the bible.

(May 3, 2016 at 7:42 am)robvalue Wrote: It amazes me how Christians are the ones that claim it's some sort of message from god, yet they tend to be less familiar with it than atheists, on average.

Wouldn't you be a bit curious to actually read it all properly, if you really believed that?

I believe that's a bit of a misnomer Rob.
You can only "believe" in that stuff if you DON'T read it properly.

Any person who reads it properly and thoroughly will soon realise all the contradictions and inconsistencies will make for a very dull experience.
Even as a work of fiction, it's crap, let alone as a guide to real life!

(May 3, 2016 at 8:19 am)Drich Wrote: [...]God is the proof of God[...]

God is the proof of God despite the fact he is completely invisible and intangible and therefore the very opposite of self-evident.

Right...

(May 3, 2016 at 8:19 am)ignoramus Wrote:

(May 3, 2016 at 7:42 am)robvalue Wrote: It amazes me how Christians are the ones that claim it's some sort of message from god, yet they tend to be less familiar with it than atheists, on average.

Wouldn't you be a bit curious to actually read it all properly, if you really believed that?

I believe that's a bit of a misnomer Rob.
You can only "believe" in that stuff if you DON'T read it properly.

Any person who reads it properly and thoroughly will soon realise all the contradictions and inconsistencies will make for a very dull experience.
Even as a work of fiction, it's crap, let alone as a guide to real life!

Touché! That goes a long way to explain why atheists know it better. They are the ones who read it

Fuck, I've read it more than most of them, and I was never even a Christian.