Why do anti theists regularly state that "most atheists know the bible better than the Christians"?

Question

Not true. I just would like someone to say how they got this information. Not just repeating what some other has said. Most, not all, Christians know the bible very well. I'm sure there are a few atheists that studied the bible and do know it, but I would assume others do not.

Answer 1

Reading the Bible and Understanding it are too very different things.

I can study biology all day long, That doesn't mean I understand it.

Answer 2

This is very easy to answer..........

Atheists are atheists because they do KNOW the bible better then Christians. Please let me explain.

Christians know the bible, some very well. They take the written words as truth and the word of god. They do not question the gaps, the many moral issues in many of the stories, etc, they "Read and know" their bible very well. There is no doubt that many Christians can be asked a question and many can answer by quoting scripture and showing where it came from in the bible.

Many of the Atheists or "Non-believers" of the "Christian style belief system" know the Bible VERY well; however it is in a different context and point of perspective as the Christians. Both groups know it well, both can find passages, quote scriptures and the like, however there is a fundamental difference between these groups.

Christians know the bible and accept it as the word of God. They do not question it so they have not read it with an open mind, an objective mind, or a "seeking" mind, thus they know the words it says, but don’t really "Understand" the bible.

Atheists (and other non-Christians) have read the bible, questioned the many things, educated themselves beyond the King James version and found the many truths that dissolve the Christian faith completely. This is the reason they feel they "Know" the bible better then Christians. It is not a question of who can quote or memorize what scriptures, but who really understands what is written, where it came from, etc.

Both sides know it, but only one side is objective enough to see through it.

Answer 3

Yes this is true whether you would like to believe it or not. Many real Atheists, (not many of the teenagers on here that are trying to get a rise out of Christians for the fun of it) used to be Christan's, found contradictions or holes in the belief system. They desired to know the real truth read the bible completely and sometimes more than once and researched their questions thoroughly before turning from their faith and becoming Atheists. Their are many ex ministers that are now Atheists. I am an ex christian not an atheist, but while I was a christian I never actually sat down and read the bible from front to end, by myself before I began questioning my beliefs. And I know for a fact that many so called Christians are the same, and have never really read it except turn to the chapter the minister tells them to during the sermon on Sunday morning and follow along. This is not what I call having read the bible.

Answer 4

I do not engage in sweeping generalizations, because it is illogical. I can only speak for myself. Mom's father was a preacher, so I was brainwashed with their religion from the time I was born. When I was young, I did not realize they could be wrong, but I soon learned they were all too fallible, and I saw the Bible conflicted with science. I also corrected my teachers in school when they blundered. I did learn the Bible well. I minored in Philosophy in college, and my main teacher was an atheist who criticized religions. To try to be fair, I took Bible History along with my Philosophy. After much study and thought, I rejected Christianity and other religions I explored, eg. Buddhism, Taoism, etc.. I certainly do know the Bible much better than my relatives. As I said, I do not over-generalize, so I know not what "ALL" atheists or Christians know about the Bible. I do know that I obviously know much more about it than my relatives and many preachers I know. One thing that is upsetting is that many Christians use the Bible against others and ignore parts that condemn their behavior. Dad and my oldest sister are bad for that. I know the Bible well enough to know that is wrong.

Answer 5

It is anecdotal evidence (granted not truly studied, but it would make a good master's thesis).

In order to vary from the North American cultural norm of Christianity, it requires some thought to go into the evidence for and against the faith. Therefore, most atheists who were once Christians have a fairly good working knowledge of the Bible, simply because they've examined it for flaws and inconsistencies.

I think you're being too generous regarding Christians, too. Most Christians I know cannot name more than 5 of the ten commandments, don't know the names of the gospels, could not tell you who Ezekiel, Isaiah, or Jeremiah were (much less what they taught), and haven't read even one full book of the Bible, much less the entire thing.

Again, this is anecdotal evidence, but I encourage you to ask among your family, friends, and even fellow church members.

(By the way, I'm an atheist who majored in religion in college, with an emphasis on Biblical studies.)

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Answer 6

I have lots of friends that are devout conservative Christians. They know all the important "facts" like Paul was converted on the road to Damascus, and Adam and Eve were the first humans, and Noah built a boat.

But when quizzed about all the other details they fall short. Most have not read the Bible in it's entirely, and if they have, they have no grasped what it actually says.

How can you, as a Christian, simply gloss over verses like Hosea 13:16 where God speaks of dashing infants against rocks and cutting babies out of the stomachs of pregnant women? How can you, as a Christian, be unmoved by stories of mass execution, where entire populations are slaughtered at God's command, men, women, children, and infants. And how can you, as a Christian, just ignore Israelite men taking all the young, captured, virgin girls of neighboring cities as sex slaves, with God's permission?

Your question confuses Atheists with people who are simply non-religious or irreligious. A modern day Atheist is best defined as a Christian who learned so much about God and Christianity that he was forced to reject it. We are the Ubermensche of all Religions!

Answer 7

0% I had by no ability examine the bible in the previous I became an atheist. i replaced right into a polytheist and then found out I now no longer believed in any gods. I had rejected Christianity and a heap of different religions long in the previous that. when I totally known that i replaced into an atheist I examine the Bible for the 1st time. i chanced on it thoroughly ridiculous and illogical. i did no longer could desire to confirm it to correctly known Christianity replaced into no longer a faith i could desire to ever have faith in yet i'm satisfied I examine it besides (i've got examine it two times extra considering the fact that then) -- educations is by no ability a bad venture. I additionally examine the Tanakh and a great variety of the Qur'an.

Answer 8

Most atheists in the US were devout and born-again Christians (even if they would not necessarily have used the 'born-again' terminology themselves).

Very few atheists in the USA became an atheist by choice -- In fact, I became an atheist rather against my wishes, because I started to study religion in depth to prepare for the priesthood. What I learned, from that and other fields of study, was that religion was all false, whether I liked it or not -- and I didn't like it... but the truth is what it is.

I'm only a few courses away from a degree in Biblical Studies, if I ever cared to go back to school to take those courses.

Answer 9

I can only speak for myself, but I have had many discussions with Christian believers, many of whom can quote memorized passages and cite chapter and verse. Most often the quotation has nothing whatever to do with the particular topic at hand and it is painfully obvious the Christian is regurgitating memorized scripture because they rely on Biblical authority, rather than reason and logic, to define their version of Truth. Most often spouting scripture is an obvious ploy used to change the subject whenever a Christian debater is losing the argument.

Many atheists, including myself, have read the Bible from cover-to-cover. I can truthfully state that nothing creates atheists as effectively as a slow and thoughtful reading of the Bible, from beginning to end. The traditional Christian bible study group is a blatant and obvious form of brainwashing and mind control. If you want to understand what the Bible really means, read it yourself, complete, from beginning to end. You'll be shocked, you'll be horrified and it's very likely you'll become an atheist.

Answer 10

Because lots of atheists do know the Bible. Many atheists were once Christians