isn't it strange that atheist and the pagans seem to know more about the Scriptures then some Christians?

Answer 1

All Former Christians do have some knowledge but no spiritual growth. God is looking for those who will worship him in spirit and in truth not in book knowledge. They never formed a relationship with God because of carnality. How sad!
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Answer 2

Even Satan knows the scriptures. In order to defeat your enemy you must know the heart and mind of the enemy. Satan was the most glorified of all angels in Heaven. He was the most beautiful and radiant of all the angels. Satan's duty was to worship God. Satan knew God personally and was even allowed to re-enter Heaven on occasion. God would ask him, what have you been doing ?(already knowing the answer) and Satan would reply in general, (Oh, this and that, I've been here and there, etc.)

If an atheist or pagan (using your words) seem to know more about the scriptures than Christians that should tell you that you need to study more, pray more and learn more. The best weapon of defense is knowledge and understanding. Deceipt is a useful tool of the enemy. To take one verse and let it stand alone is one way the enemy will attack. When attacked in this way the best defense would be to read the entire text pertaining to this verse so it can be viewed in context rather than a literal stand alone statement.

Think about it. How many times have you heard that "money is the root of all evil"? Money isn't the root of all evil, "the LOVE of money is the root of all evil."

The first three words are almost always left off by the enemy causing you to think you've done something wrong if you have more than they do. Jealousy is the ill sown seed of the attack.

Combat fire with fire. Know your source (the Bible) and then you can fight the good fight against your enemy. Remember, fight with kindness. Your intent should not be to hurt your attacker but disable their defenses with truth. It's better to win one soul than lose one.

Answer 3

Yeah, it's one of those sublime joyful ironies that make life worth living.

The thing is, many atheists and pagans read the bible with an open mind, prepared to see what it's all about. But they don't necessarily come to it with any devout conviction - they don't accept it as true and god-inspired before they start. That means that when they come across any of its many contradictions, they don't rearrange the universe and their belief system so that it can hold two contradictory things to be true, they recognise the contradictions as such. This doesn't shake their universe because their universe isn't predicated on the existence of the bible's god or the literal truth of everything that's in the book.

So essentially, if you read the bible with an objective and detached mind, you don't find yourself getting wrapped up in the "truth" of it, but can appreciate the value of the book for itself. This DOESN'T mean that atheists hate believers for believing, or anything mad like that. It just means we've read the book and don't believe it to be entirely factual or god-inspired.

But is it still fascinating? Sure.
In fact that seems to be the cause of a lot of confusion between atheists and Christians. They've both read the same book, and had profoundly different reactions to it - Christians sometimes feel that atheists just didn't "get" it when they read it, and atheists sometimes feel that people who believe it haven't understood what it actually means. The continuing debate between the two groups is ultimately an attempt to prove not that one of them "knows" it better, but understands it more.

Answer 4

I don't think it is strange at all. I think to not know about the scriptures, and just accept them without anaylzing, is the only way to really be a Christian. I would have to say that any Christian that has read the Bible and understood what they read, yet remained a Christian, has the heart of a snake.

"I can hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be true; for if so the plain language of the text seems to show that the men who do not believe, and this would include my Father, Brother, and almost all my best friends, will be everlastingly punished. And this is a damnable doctrine." - Charles Darwin

There are those who read the scriptures with rose colored glasses on and they don't truly understand what they are reading. They go in with the mindset that everything in the book is good and it has to be. When they read the filth that it contains they will not allow their brains to accept what they are reading to be filth. And when they read blatant contradictions they will do amazing feats of mental gymnastics to make themselves think it is not there.

When you look at the Bible and study it just like you would any other book, I don't know how one could remain a Christian. To give just one example..

Numbers 31:17 - Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.18:But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

"We are told in the Pentateuch, that god, the father of us all, gave thousands of maidens, after having killed their fathers, their mothers, and their brothers, to satisfy the brutal lusts of savage men. If there be a god, I pray him to write in his book, opposite my name, that I denied this lie for him." [Robert G. Ingersoll, "A Few Reasons for Doubting the Inspiration of the Bible"]

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Answer 5

True. sometimes they only do to bash with others or prove it wrong. the things of God must be understood by the Spirit of God. although they do whole heck of research and study, they miss the whole point and it does no good for them. They miss the message of the scriptures, that testifies of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. They try to understand the things of not with open mind and heart, but with human sophistry and so called "intellectualism". The Savior said: "if you anyone of you My will, you will come to know that the things I teach are of God". Surely the atheists and anyone who is not really seeking for truth, is not really willing to exercise some faith and give it a go. They understand not the scriptures because they do not even ask God in faith, nor do they have desire to find out if He exists.
One, even some Christians, must have a contrite spirit and broken heart and willing mind and real intent to study the scriptures sincerely believing that God would show many wonderful things and be willing to keep His holy commandments.

Answer 6

The key to your question is the word "seem" as it applies to atheists and to "professing" Christians.

On the one hand you have a segment of a group of people who "seem" to know more about the Scriptures than some Christians because they appear to be driven to search the Word of God, not in an attempt to gain true understanding, but in an attempt to discredit it so that they can remain in their sin of failing to acknowledge their Creator and justify living their lives as the final arbiter of what constitutes right and wrond attitudes and behavior.

On the other hand polls show that while a majority of people in the United States profess to be Christians but their lives show little difference from the other citizens of this country when it comes to issues like divorce and abortion and the concept of moral absolutes. So they either don't read their Bibles or don't understand what they read because they don't have the Holy Spirit to teach and convict them, and although they call themselves Christians on the day when they come before Christ in judgment they will in all likelihood hear the words "I never knew you. Depart from me you who practice lawlessness!".

Jesus said that on that day MANY would say to Him "Lord, Lord did we not....in your name?" and He gives three examples of religious activity that on the outside would cause someone to think that a person was certainly a Christian. But they would be cast in the outer darkness with the hypocrites and not enter unto the Kingdom of Heaven.

I have yet to see an atheist posting here on this site that had true knowledge of the Bible beyond an elementary understanding of some passages because if they really understood what the Bible was saying they would fall under conviction and cease to be atheists.

Answer 7

Yes, it is... They aren't real "atheists" "pagans" in my view...

I am an unbeliever, and I really cannot say anything about "bible", given that I don't feel any interest in it - nor about any other religious/spiritual scripture anyway.

I don't undertstand those persons who claim to be atheists and who keep spiting at christian concepts all the time. Don't they keep speaking about "bible"?

They seem incoherent, in my view. Not real atheists.

That's why I gave up using "atheist"-label for myself.

I am an unbeliever, that means "someone who doesn't/won't trust any kind of religious & spiritual belief".

But I like talking with believers & unbelievers, sharing different perspectives. Aren't we all humans first?

Answer 8

Isn't it strange that Christians seem to know more about science than some atheists and pagans?

Generalizations will take you anywhere you wish. Both your and my statements are factually correct, yet imply an inaccurate conclusion.

Answer 9

Why is it strange? Even Satan can quote Scripture as when he tempted Christ when He was fasting.

As an aside, I have to wonder if your qualifier in your question, that is the word "seem", means that you don't think they don't know more than Christians yourself?

Answer 10

Not strange at all when we are constantly told that we have to believe that or else we are going to hell. And then when we try to express our own beliefs and feelings on the matter, we get bible quotes thrown at us to *prove* that it's true. Most of us know that you can't quote a book to prove the book is true though, so we test what we are given and give it right back.