Would you be willing to bet that most of those who criticize the Bible have never read it through?

Question

People base their opinion of the Bible on just about everything but a personal and complete reading interaction. They jump on some ignorant and nieve bandwagon wthout taking the effort and time to do a comprehensive personal reading which woud enable them to come to a fair and reasonable opinion.

Answer 1

Which means you can take their criticism and discard it that much more easily.

Why fret? If it does the business for you and your fellowship.

Answer 2

Actually, I believe the reverse. I think that a lot of the people that criticize it have actually read it and that is why they criticize it. I think that most so called Christians have NOT actually read the bible. They just know what their Sunday school teacher has told them. Because, many times when someone quotes something mean that god has done or said from the bible, the Christians are the first ones to jump in and say it isn't true when we all know it is and have read the bible and saw it.

And the answer is not that we don't understand it. I know Christians love to use that line like we are so hell bound that there is no way that we could understand it. I say, that if god wants everyone to read it and understand it, then it should be written to be taken literally. The real truth is, that some will tell you that you don't understand it or need it interpreted just to have some way to justify what doesn't make sense to them either. Then they can use the, well that part is to be taken literally but that part is not to be taken literally and then they decide which parts are to be taken which way just to justify anything written in it.

Answer 3

Wanna hear a funny story? I was once a very religious person. I wanted to know all about my faith and its source: the Bible. So, I decided to read and study the Bible in depth in order to deepen my faith.

Instead of deepening my faith, though, the Bible opened my eyes to the absurdities of the religions it spawned and the people who interpreted it. It made me realize that a lot of people parrot the scriptures it contains out of context. And it also made me realize that I really did not want to worship a god that delighted in smashing the heads of infants on rocks.

Don't get me wrong- the Bible isn't a total horror-fest. There are some really beautiful passages and ageless wisdom within its pages. But those passages are like commercial breaks between the violence and the sex and the horrific treatment of women and non-believers.

It was enough to make me walk away from the dogma and the ritual, and I have never turned back.

Here's the ironic part: I probably have more Bibles in various translations than most people, and know more about its history and editing than some seminarians.

But the Bible helped me to form my opinion- its very pages were a glorious testemony of how people screw up a perfectly good idea and exploit the heck out of it.

Answer 4

I would also make the same statement about many who claim to be Christan's and yet never follow the teachings of Christ. I make no pretense to have read the Bible cover to cover, although I am reading through it day by day. Many things I go back and read many times over because I get more insight from each reading. I have learned first of all is that it is not a book of Thou shalt Not!! But a book about Go and do for others. Weather you believe or not it has many ideas that are great for living ones life by.

It teaches many things that if practiced makes life easier to get along with others. But you would never know that unless you actually took the time to read it.

You can argue the points of believing in God but you can't argue that you can find very good information on how to live and love others in it. Shame many who say they believe don't spend more time practicing those points.

I don't care what anyone else thinks about the Bible I know that for me it is a valuable guide on how to live. I do claim the faith in both God and Jesus. I try as best I can to apply Jesus' teaching in my life, am I perfect (no) but I don't stop trying.

See what I have learned is it is more about the relationship, the walk, than anything else. That is what the faith is based on and then living it.

Answer 5

Couldn't agree more. Some of the ignorant things I've heard people say when attacking Christianity only display the fact that they know next to nothing about the Scriptures. There are exceptions, of course, and I should point out that just to read the Bible is not at all the same thing as understanding it. For that you really need to also study theology and commentaries and things of that sort.

Answer 6

I think you'll find that atheists tend to know more about the bible and religion than most christians do. They typically criticize because they HAVE read it and understand what it's saying. Most christians will focus only on the good parts nobody really has a problem with and completely ignore the horrible parts, all the while claiming, "If you only had God in your heart you'd understand!". When you factor in all the hatred, genocide, and perversion, it seems that atheists are the ones who actually comprehend it. And most of them came to their conclusion based on years of soul searching, not ignorance. Far from it. Maybe christians ought to start being more intellectually honest with themselves rather than blindly defending faith and 2000 year old social ideas.

Answer 7

Yes, many people that criticize the Bible have read it from cover to cover and understand it better than a lot of Christians do. The fastest way to atheism is by reading the Bible as it is, not for a moral code or historical fact.

Answer 8

I'll be willing to take that bet... I have criticized the Bible and have read it... I have been studying it alongside Hebrew and Greek versions for the past 10-12 yrs...

Not everyone fits in your generalization... But I see your point... Christians do the same thing to those of other religions. Pagans, for example, are "satan worshippers who summon spirits"... yet, there are very few Pagans that even do magic...

So I guess all is fair in love and war... and we're all going to have to deal with it.

Answer 9

With all due respect, that's an absurd statement. I know the general gyst of the Bible -- it's 2 thousand year old book of fairy tales that people want to use to base our government & morality on. I don't have to read EVERY fairy tale in the world to know that I don't believe in fairy tales! That's sorta like saying, "Okay, you claim not to dig gay porn. But how MUCH gay porn have you seen? Have you taken the time & effort to really READ GAY PORN so that you can come to a fair & reasonable opinion?" I'm guessing you don't really need to see MUCH gay porn to know it's not for you. I feel that way about the Bible. Nonsense is nonsense, it doesn't matter how much of it I've read!

Answer 10

Reading the bible is easy (if you can read). Understanding it can be difficult since the bible itself says there are many sacred secrets that are not revealed to everyone.

There are many religions developed from personal understandings. Man always develops a personal religion to suit his own lifestyles, motives and desires.

The bible explains itself. It is just that many don't like the answers.

Answer 11

Many have read it cover to cover... that is the problem... it is not designed to do it that way... it is not even for those who do not accept God's Gift in The Way He proscribes.

So no matter how many times a non-believer reads it There will be no understanding of The Truth of it...

I did not even own a bible on the day of my Salvation.. and no bible thumper even pushed one on me... I just finaly heard and answered God's call. Now I understand...most... of what I read in the Bible...and what I do not understand will eventualy be revealed to me... But every thing I have read and understood confirms to me my Salvation.