Reading the bible

[Meatball]

It's a dry read.

It can be interesting, but I personally gave up on it. To be honest, most Christians, even a lot of very devout ones, have not read the bible cover-to-cover. It's a very disjointed, confusing, redundant book.

Sorta like a Bronze-age Burroughs novel combined with some random hillbilly's family history.

[chatpilot]

There is plenty in the bible about being a good steward of what we are given. For this reason I would like my dad to deepen his walk with God through reading the bible. I have no hope that he would bin the whole thing but wholeheartedly support any action that would yield positive results. In many ways I am a Chaote I just don't do spells anymore. The chaos star is my favorite symbol!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaote

But, not to derail the thread, reading the bible is good for believer and unbeliever alike. I will probably read the Quran too and more on Buddhism. Is there a collected works of Buddhism? I know there are many Sutras but is there a collected group of works that could be considered complete? What is it called?

Thanks,
Rhizo

Here is a good link Rhizo on the basics of Buddism and it's teachings. http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/footsteps.htm

---

Reading the bible is essential to all atheists for one reason and one reason only. If you are going to refute a religion you have to know what it is that you are refuting and going to the source, in this case the bible, is the best way to go about it.

[Rhizomorph13]

Thanks Chatpilot,

I'll have to check it out!

Rhizo

[Meatball]

Reading the bible is essential to all atheists for one reason and one reason only. If you are going to refute a religion you have to know what it is that you are refuting and going to the source, in this case the bible, is the best way to go about it.

I wholeheartedly disagree. I could see this possibly holding water if you're speaking only to atheists who wish to debate christians, but even then it's shaky.

I grew up non-religious and became an atheist on my own without ever reading the Bible. There are hundreds of theistic religions that I do not beleive in, and I feel it is unneccesary to become an expert in each of them to justify my position.

I find your statement to be borderline offensive, to be honest.

[chatpilot]

Meatball the reason I made that statement is because Christianity is the number 1 largest religion in the world. Most atheist refute other religions with ease but it is good to know what it is you are refuting when it comes to Christianity. At least in my view it is not only good enough to state the obvious that religious beliefs in all its forms are nothing but myths and delusions but to be able to turn their own doctrine against them now that my friend is a challenge and fun at that.

[Edwardo Piet]

The ubiquity of any religion, and even Christianity as the biggest, is not evidence whatsoever for the truth of the matter. I no more need to read the Bible to refute Christianity than the read the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster to refute the FSM himself, and his amazing noodly appendage that touches us all!

EvF

[Violet]

Yeah, but by reading the bible: you can read its stupidity firsthand Thus you can further establish its stupidity You don't need to of course... but that isn't to say it can't help you

[Edwardo Piet]

Yes, it can help - it can help you see what bullshit it is. But you don't need to if you don't give it any special treatment over, for instance, the FSM in the first place.

EvF

[Violet]

Oh, most certainly not As meatball said above, it is a terribly dry read... Dry + terrible message + the fact that it should never have cleared the editors in that state = boring, no interesting ideals, and at times difficult to read. The small print size they always write it with is hell on the eyes as well...

The only bible i find worth reading is the Skeptics Annotated Bible... and that only because it presents the idiocy quite well while you are reading, and has decent text size

[Edwardo Piet]

I enjoy reading the SAB too sometimes

An actual proper Bible though, I get so bored I have to stop after about page 3.

EvF