Tips on how to read the bible?(should I?), I couldn't get past the part in genesis where God the Almighty asks his Abraham to sacrafice Isaac (but I read ruth, don't remember much)

Unfortunately you just kinda hafta soldier through it. Ignore the begats and begots. It gets worse with Leviticus.

What bible version should I read, and which books are important?

(August 14, 2014 at 8:26 am)czúzyt ylgájla Wrote: What bible version should I read, and which books are important?

Well, the NIV is a lot easier to read than the KJV. If you're talking to fundies, though, they won't read any scripture that isn't KJV, so you have to use that when talking to them online.

As for which books are "important", what is it you're looking to learn? If you want a shortened list, you can always read the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) and the gospels (the first four of the New Testament). That will give you a bit of an idea of the depravity of the Hebrew god and the contradictory accounts of what Jesus did during his time on Earth.

(August 14, 2014 at 8:49 am)RobbyPants Wrote:

(August 14, 2014 at 8:26 am)czúzyt ylgájla Wrote: What bible version should I read, and which books are important?

Well, the NIV is a lot easier to read than the KJV. If you're talking to fundies, though, they won't read any scripture that isn't KJV, so you have to use that when talking to them online.

As for which books are "important", what is it you're looking to learn? If you want a shortened list, you can always read the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) and the gospels (the first four of the New Testament). That will give you a bit of an idea of the depravity of the Hebrew god and the contradictory accounts of what Jesus did during his time on Earth.

How important are the epistles to Christians?

Will a bible study group make reading the bible easier? (although they're not available in Libya for obvious reasons).

Don't.

(August 14, 2014 at 8:54 am)czúzyt ylgájla Wrote: How important are the epistles to Christians?

Will a bible study group make reading the bible easier? (although they're not available in Libya for obvious reasons).

Paul's letters are critical, especially to Protestant theology. But you can probably get most of the main points from Galatians and Romans (in that order; Galatians is simpler).

If you read those two letters and perhaps read Tom Wrights commentaries, which are written for anyone to read, on Romans and Galatians, then you'll go a reasonable way to understanding the main points of Protestant theology.

If you want to read the whole bible I would suggest a 'one year bible' which takes 15-20 minutes a day for a year.

The only reason you would have to read the bible is to arm yourself against Christian bullshit. It is very easy to run them in the ground with their own book.

I see you are amongst Muslims so why don't you just focus on the Koran?

The bible is such a dry read that the only motivating thing about reading it is to find good parts to rub in a Christians face.

(August 14, 2014 at 10:42 am)KUSA Wrote: I see you are amongst Muslims so why don't you just focus on the Koran?

I tried reading again last week, it was the first time I noticed all of the threats of hell, and how repetitive it is.
I already know the teachings, I had an islamic education at school (there's religion everywhere: tv, radio, at home and I've going and still do go to the mosque every Friday since I was a little kid), so I don't need to read it.

Which part of the bible most tolerable to you? (for me in the koran, it's al-ikhlas and al-kawthar).

I read the KJV as a boy, and the NIV as an atheist adult. The latter is much more comprehensible.

Afterwards, give your mind a colonic by reading Bart Ehrman's stuff.