Who knows the Bible better, the Christians or the atheists?

Question

Are there any Christians out there brave enough to admit they've never read the Bible all the way through? I know you're out there...

Answer 1

Overall, Christians know the Bible MUCH better than atheists. The difference is that atheists read from a position of unbelief and mockery; Christians read from a position of belief and faith.

However, there are ignorant individuals in BOTH groups. I've met some Christians who are so Biblically ignorant that I was embarrassed for them.

p.s. -- I have read the entire Bible many times.

EDIT: "Great" Gazoo, you're not the only one who can come up with a research study:

According to the Barna Group, " ... Bible reading levels are about 33% less among twentysomethings than among older adults. Overall, only 30% of twentysomethings have read the Bible in the past week, compared to 37% of those in their 30s; 44% of fortysomethings; 47% of adults in their 50s; and 55% of those age 60 and above."

http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=149

SECOND EDIT: "Dave Frehley," you have proven my point EXACTLY -- the Bible actually prophesies in several places that, in the last stages of the Church Age, just prior to the Tribulation, Christians will become "luke warm," not making any effort to know Him, and are therefore unacceptable to Jesus. As punishment, they will be cast out of the Body of true believers.

So thank you for dramatically demonstrating that atheists don't understand the Bible as well as they think they do!

Answer 2

First, Not To Belittle Your Level Of Intelligence But For The Sake Of Any Other Readers Of This Answer, The Word “Atheist” Simply Means Without Belief In GOD Or Gods. Secondly, It Is Common For Many Of The “More Intellectual Or Scientific Thinking” People To Become Skeptical About The Numerous Discrepancies And Conflicting Teachings Concerning GOD And Jesus Because Unfortunately Anyone Who Can Read And Speak Can Be Considered A Preacher Or Teacher Or Authority Of “The Word” While Many Of Those Same Are Truly Agnostic Teachers Themselves And Their Interpretations Of “The Word“ Frustrate Some Of Those “More Intellectual Or Scientific Thinking“ People. Unfortunately, Some Of These Same “Agnostic Readers Of The Word” Have Led Many People Unto Becoming Agnostic / Atheists. Moreover, About Those Becoming Agnostic, Truly By Definition, Everyone Is Originally Agnostic But These Are Those Who Remain Agnostic. This Really Isn’t A Religion But Rather A Confession Of Their Religious Views Or The View / Philosophy Of Religion. The Word “Agnostic” Simply Means Without Knowledge / Not Knowing (Of Spiritual Truth) And Unfortunately Only Very Few Seem To Obtain Enlightenment. However, Many Atheist Know More About The Scripture Than Most Christians But Because Of Their Not Becoming Enlightened Unto Its’ Truth But Rather Receive It Simply As It Reads. They Become Discouraged, Disgusted And Then Sometimes Adversarial Even Becoming “Militant Atheists“. Now The Term “Militant” Simply Means Someone Who Is Aggressive Or Extremely Active In The Defense Or Support Of Something That Others May Find Unacceptable. The Word Comes From Latin Sources Meaning “To Be A Soldier - In The Military”. Sadly, Some Atheist Think Of Christians As Their Adversary, Even As Idiots That Believe In Fairytales. Many Proclaimed Atheist Make Claims That Christians Are Intolerant And Not Accepting Of Them. However, Their Idea Of Tolerance And Acceptance Is For A Christian Not To Be Offended When Being Enticed With Pure Ignorance And Arrogance, In An Attempt To Engage Them Into A Debate Or Defense And If They Do Reply, In A Negative Manner, Then The Atheist Feels Validated In Their Belief Or Lack Thereof. Some Of These Atheist Really Have No Desire To, Nor Will They Hardly Read Godly Replies With Understanding Or Comprehension. Sadly Many Insincere Atheist Authors Do This, Because They Seek To Belittle Or Destroy Anyone Else’s Faith / Religion. Moreover, The True Reason That Militant Atheists Become Malicious, Venomous, Discourteous Or Offensive And Even Strive To Destroy Anyone Else’s Faith, Is Because They Want To Display Their Portrayed Intellectual Superiority. The Fact That When A Question Is Posed, Even If In Sincerity, Within Only Minutes Many Atheist Or Militant Atheists Respondents Reply With Their Infinite Knowledge And Offer Up Their Wonderful Words Of Wisdom. (Sarcasm) Some People Simply Can Not Comprehend That Your Level Of Intelligence Has Nothing To Do With Your Acceptance Of Good Over Evil Or That Even If They Deny And Oppose Something, Does Not Mean That It Does Not Exist. In Conclusion, The Fact That The Proclaimed Atheists Or Militant Atheists Takes The Time To Log In, And Enter These Types Of Sites / Questions And Answers, Continuously Shows That Their Souls Are Longing For A Truth. --- Respect Is Truly Something That Must Be Earned... Why Are Those Who Preach Tolerance, Are Often The Least Tolerant ? Why Are Those Who Say They Are Religiously Accepting, Often Accept Many Religions, Other Than Christianity ? Why Are Those Who Cry That They Are Reviled And Disrespected, Often The Same That Revile And Disrespect Those Who They Are Accusing ?

Answer 3

It looks like there's a problem with each side reading the bible in context. That said, it probably varies by individual. Some atheists seem to know it pretty well, as do some Christians. I don't think reading is a strength for many people these days.

I'm certain that I know the Bible better than 99% of the people I come into contact with, but I also have a degree in it, have studied theology, the original languages, and have been at it for a number of years. So, I would hope I know it well.

Answer 4

The fact of the matter is that the bible is pretty boring if you're attempting to read it all the way through. It's not so bad if you're looking for a verse to support your claim. However, reading it at length as one may read Harry Potter is not very rewarding. Christians assume eveything in it is true, and they've already heard most of the stories with any bit of excitement. The motivation to read further is nearly nonexistent. A skeptic may enjoy reading, however, because he can make notes from nearly every page saying things like "This right here contradicts something I read earlier" or "Come on, that's impossible." The bible cannot be rationalized, and any Christian who tries to do so will quickly learn this. It comes down to a matter of interpretation. Whose interpretation is the correct one? The believer, of course, because God reveals the Truth to him as he reads. Did you get that logic? A book claiming to be true, yet filled with lies, impossibilities, and contradictions, can only be correctly understood if believed to be true beforehand. Even though there's no proof or evidence of its credibility, one must believe it THEN read it for the correct interpretation to be given by God. Oddly enough, most Christians cannot agree on the majority of the bible -just a few small parts, the parts they focus on the most. Anyone who reads the bible and makes a serious attempt to remain intellectually honest throughout the reading cannot possibly conclude that the bible is true and is the word of God. Atheists know this because they have read the bible. Christians do not understand it because they either have not read it or have been brainwashed into believing it before they read it.

Answer 5

It really does depend on the individual as to who knows the Bible better between Christians and Atheists.

I would agree that atheists know the contents of the Bible better than Christians. I would also be willing to bet that a larger percentage of atheists have read the Bible than Christians.

The question about who understands the Bible better is highly debatable and there is possibly no way of determining the answer to that question.

Answer 6

I'd say more atheists per capita have read it. Though that's mainly because you don't see as many people who are "casual atheists". What I mean is, the majority of people who identify as Christians are people who have just gone along with their parents religion. Atheists, as with most religious minorities, more often tend to be people who have come to be atheists after studying religions and making a conscious decision.

As for this claim that Christians understand the Bible "better" because they use the "eyes of faith", gimme a break. You can say that about ANY book. There are people who believe all the answers in life are in "The Celestine Prophecy" and probably "Moby Dick" for that matter. If you WANT to "find" answers in any particular book, your mind will just interpret what's there and stretch the symbolism until it fits. That doesn't prove the Bible as being any more special.

Answer 7

I'm neither Christian nor atheist, but Ive read the bible cover to cover and have taken notes as I go. A case of "know thy enemy". Its easier to get rid of door knockers when you know more about it than they do.
The reason it was illegal to have the bible translated for hundreds of years was so that the average person could not read it and come to their own conclusions after noting all the contradictions and fatal flaws. They had to go by what they were told by the church.
Sir Frances Bacon made an attempt to fix it up with the King James version, not too good a job though.
The bible it preached by taking a verse, or a scrap of a verse, from here and there to paint a picture that doesn't really fit what the content truly is.

the Old testament or Torah is meant to be understood on 4 levels:
Pshat: to be told what it is about
Ramez: to read it yourself and reach your own conclusions
Demesh: to understand there is something truly occult about the bible
Sud: the true reason for the bibles existence as taught by the Egyptian mystery schools and the Freemasons today.
(I am pretty sure I spelt those wrong but the idea is there)
PRDS=Paradise :-)

I learnt the Sud version. Wanna know it? Ask me. :-)

Answer 8

Seems to me the answer to this question is obvious. There are obviously Christians who have never read the Bible, even though there are Christians who have studied every facet of it for years. And there are obviously atheists who have never read the Bible and other atheist who have studied it thoroughly. What's the point of this discussion.

To be a Christian it is not necessary to read the Bible and to be an atheist it is not necessary to be ignorant. Just reading the Bible is not enough to determine whether a person's beliefs are valid or invalid. As an example, Satan can quote scripture with the best of them, that doesn't mean that he is Christian.

Answer 9

I'm christian and have read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

If considering the christians as a whole vs the atheist as a whole, I would say christians knows The Bible better.

If you choose individuals, there may be some atheist that know the Bible better than many other chrsitians.

Answer 10

Sometimes neither Christians nor atheist know the Bible well. The honest answer to this question is whoever studies the Bible in correct context, learns the important questions of reading any historical document and applies these certain priniciples know the Bible...Who wrote it, to whom was it written to, what is the historical, religious, and cultural background of the material, when was this document written, what language(s) was the document written, and what was the purpose of the writting. If you have read the Bible and applied these principles to it than you MOST LIKELY understand the Bible better than most other people. Fact is that majority of people (Christian or non-christian) have not and do not apply these principles when reading the Bible.

If you feel you can outsmart me with Bible knowledge I am up to that challenge. [e-mail]
email me

Answer 11

I'm working on it!!

I've converted about six months ago (period in which i started reading the Bible)

Still, based on question i see here in R&S i'd have to say that christians know more about the Bible than Atheists (what is logical), I've also noticed that statements that say that atheists know more about the Bible than Christians are unfounded.

Like i said I didn't read the whole book yet, still i don't claim to be an expert on the Bible.

Also my answer was based only on what i see here.

Paz de Cristo