If people were forced to read the ENTIRE bible before converting, do you think there would be less converts?

Question

They would have to especially read the bad parts that most churches skip over or hide from their sheep.

Isn't an informed decision a wise decision? If I had understood the immorality and contradictions of the bible before I was saved, I never would of fell for it.

Answer 1

Yes, in fact, several of my favorite quotes fully support your theory.

"A thorough reading and understanding of the Bible is the surest path to atheism." Donald Morgan

"The inspired Bible has been and is the greatest curse of Christendom, and will so remain as long as it is held to be inspired" Robert Green Ingersoll

"The Bible was written by barbarians in a barbarous, coarse and vulgar age." Robert Green Ingersoll

"Most people are bothered by those passages of scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I DO understand." Mark Twain

Answer 2

Actually, I think you have it backwards. HAVE you read the entire bible? Most people can't get past all of the Old Testament regulations and strange stories. If you get a bible that describes those stories (that are always so controversial with non-believers) you would see that God does not agree with what the people do, and that is why the stories are there.

When you get to the end, and read the lovely things in James and Peter and the Corinthians, you will understand why God has to be harsh with the people who won't follow him. Believe me, sometimes I still think-Wow! That sounds harsh. Or, Why would they put THAT in the bible? But after you take the time to research it, things come together and make more sense.

And the minor contradictions in the bible are unimportant. So many translations have been done on the bible so many times, I'm sure that the original Hebrew version would be much more of an accurate portrayal.

Answer 3

Well so far in my 28 yrs of life, i haven't came across anyone who would do that before accepting Christ or converting to HIM.I agreed with some of the users that someone would have fallen asleep even before reaching the new testament especially early believers. Lets not talk about christianity, how about taoism? buddhism? or any other religions.....do u feel u have to read everything about them before converting to it too?
Excepting God as yr personal saviour is a very subjective context. Read bible with an open mind. Just like history, there are bad and good times. I don't pinpoint HIM just because some of his work stated in the bible weren't encouragable in our moden civilisation. Moreover it's the learning we gained from it. It doesn't matter if the churches are skipping or hidding something behind the bushes. but it's yr heart and sincerity that counted.
So think about it! And lastly i am wondering what type of informed decision is a wise decision for you? If u really want to know more about immorality and contradiction of the bible, well take a bible class, go for a christianity course and even talk to your pastor personally.

Answer 4

I think there would be less converts. People are lazy by nature. Many Christians have no read the entire bible, myself included. If people had to read the bible to be saved no one under the age of 30 would probably be saved because people are busy and dont have time to spend a year on nothing but reading the bible and researching it.

People should be well informed before making huge decisions. I dont see where the Bible contradcist itself. There are parts that are difficult to understand that must be researched before they are realized. The bible makes much more sense than the alternative, evolution. We are not here because of a 1 in a trillion chance.

Answer 5

I love reading the bible. I also love reading all the mythology stories. I also enjoyed reading the Tao and others. I consider myself Christian but don't belong to any church. I interpet the stories different than all current churches. The stories have meaning and teach great morals. I find that if someone that takes the time to read their prophets teachings completely that person will make a difference in the world. The problem is the people that only take one section or rely on others to explain it to them. They never understand the true meaning. There are no bad parts and remember the stories in the bible were all selected by the current churches. Only recently have some of the hidden texts come out.

Answer 6

Too many individuals seem to imagine that human rights practice in hardship-free words at the same time as they imagine it is suitable. you may't supply up someone from progression a Mosque close to a area which Muslim extremists (who're, in reality, a really small minority) bombed. How massive is the circle round this area the position some thing Muslim isn't allowed going to be?? What surpassed off to peoples freedom to worship? I keep in mind that persons ought to experience like that is disrespectful, yet Muslims were killed contained in the attack too, and that is not any longer even on the positioning. I have a terrible feeling that if it turned right into a Christian terrorist, and a Catholic church about to be equipped, this talk would not be taking position.

Answer 7

Well, due to the fact that most people today are too lazy to read at all, probably. But I know that's not what you're getting at.

Not really, there wouldn't be any less or more regardless. The reason is because the only way that a person can come to Christ in the first place is through the Holy Spirit. I know plenty of people who know a lot and believe in Christ, I know plenty that know a lot and don't believe in Christ. I know people who are ignorant and believe in Christ, I know people who are ignorant and don't.

Knowledge isn't what saves a person, it's faith. The Holy Spirit draws people, and that is the only way people can be saved. It has nothing to do with how much they do or don't know, it's how much faith they are willing to place in God.

There aren't any contradictions in the Bible, there are just things that are hard to understand. If you'd like to challenge me on it, you're welcome to. There is plenty of immorality in the Bible, the whole point of the Bible is to show us how immoral we are compared to God's morality. If one is referring to God's morality being immoral, you must first remember that God has a perfect understanding of what is moral, since he gave us our ability to understand any morality.

Answer 8

The church I presently attend has a lectionary, so that means they read and preach through the Bible every 6 years.

One might be shocked by the reporting of pagan elements in the Old Testament in particular, but I take that as evidence that when God chooses to speak to us, He meets us where we are at the given time.

I myself find that my faith has a much more solid foundation, however, upon reading all of the Bible. I think doing that is a necessity in order to understand:

the Trinity - for you need to see the Old Testament's teachings about the nature of God, and then see how they are applied to Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the New Testament;

Jesus' Messiahship - for you need to see both the Old Testament prophecies about Him and the New Testament's reporting of their fulfillment;

God's moral law - for you need to read the Torah and then read Jesus' exegesis of the Torah as reported in the Gospels.

These are probably the most precious parts of my faith, personally, and they occupy the place they do in my life and in my understanding precisely because I have read the whole Bible several times.

Answer 9

personally i believe it is better for a new convert to study the whole bible after he has given his life.
i try as much as possible to convert many people, especially those my age to the understanding of my faith(i'm a Christian and it must b noted that Christianity is more than religion, but an indiviual's personal relationship wiv God and having Christ being formed in them) anyway, as i try 2 convert people i always bare in mind that life has not been promisd 2 any1, no1 knows how long we'll live and wen and where we'll die. so the person i'm tlkin 2 cud die at any moment its betta he/she dies a shallow minded Christian than to die as som1 hu has all knowledge and understandin of the Word and hasnt given thier life to Christ. let them convert, and gather thier own understanding aftawards. if every1 was promised 120 years of life, then they cud read the entire bible b4 convertin, however i strongly believ thatthis wud decrease the number of converts. bcoz Christianity is a very spiritual walk which mean its complicated. 2 read it alone will confuse u, 1 has to b humble enuff to ask for wisdom from God to help u get a betta understandin. Ephesians 1:17-18 "That God will give you the spirit of Wisdom and Revelation..and that He will enlighten the eyes of you understanding" its somthin we need in our Christian walk otherwise we'll b in total confusion and regard the Bible as a religious book of contradictions.

i hide absolutely nothin from my sheep and new converts, any church dat does this is practicin a wrong doctrine, because we are told in John 1:1 that God is the Word, so as we study(not read) more of the Bible we build a relationship wiv Him. to keep things from your sheep is an insult to God, he has nothin to hide so y shud u. evrythin mentioned in the Bible God calls it perfect, so let all Christians, new converts and oldies study all the Bible and increase thier Faith in Him. 'Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of God'

Answer 10

I'm not sure there would be fewer but those who do convert would know what it is that they are signing on for. Most Christians do read the whole Bible after they convert but by that time they are pretty fixed in their beliefs, whether they are actually based on the Bible or not.