Read the Bible for Yourself

[Columbus]

I am occasionally stunned by the people who have never read the Bible. When I posted:

So all I can do, in politeness, is to encourage readers to look up Genesis 3: 1-5 for themselves. They can decide for themselves whether you or I more accurately describe Scripture.

it occured to me that many of the readers on this forum have probably never read 100 consecutive sentences in the Bible.

Whether you think the Bible is the Literal Word of God or The World's Biggest Fraud, read it. Read It. It is the most influential work of literature in the entire course of human history. If you are not intimately familiar with it you are illiterate. That is just how it is. Not knowing the Book of Genesis is like not knowing your multiplication tables. Having Faith that there will always be a calculator available is not the same as knowing basic math.

It's also really fun. Sex, violence, nihilstic thought, there is just no end to the excitement. Don't think of it as a book, it's really a library of books. Start with Genesis and Exodus. Then skip forward to the Gospels. Then go back to Samuel and the Kings. Then do the Acts. Then go back to Psalms, then read the Epistles. I'm telling you, you haven't lived until you've done the Bible. These are all different books, with different messages.

I have personally,within arms reach, five different Bibles. My favorite is the oldest, my King James Version. The rolling thunder of the language is awesome. But my wimpy New International "Readers" Version has it's uses too. You never know when you might want to quote chapter and verse to the ignorant.

You also must have a Strong's Concordance. Within reach. People who have real lives do not have time to memorize the entire Bible. So they learn the fundamental tenets, and depend upon the Concordance to lead them to a specific teaching when necessary. It's like not knowing what .745 times 385.26 is. You can guess accurately, but you can also check the book for details. The Concordance makes it easy to check the book.

I also keep Isaac Asimov's Guide to the Bible nearby for the really hard questions.

I don't know how to overstate this. A real thinker in the 21st century knows the Bible. Not just knows of it. A real thinker knows it very well. A real thinker has read it enough to have an original opinion about it.

Tom

[McCulloch]

I am occasionally stunned by the people who have never read the Bible. ... Whether you think the Bible is the Literal Word of God or The World's Biggest Fraud, read it. Read It. It is the most influential work of literature in the entire course of human history. If you are not intimately familiar with it you are illiterate. ...
I don't know how to overstate this. A real thinker in the 21st century knows the Bible. Not just knows of it. A real thinker knows it very well. A real thinker has read it enough to have an original opinion about it.

And the Qu'ran ...

[Lotan]

I am occasionally stunned by the people who have never read the Bible.

That doesn't stop them from believing it though. Kind of puts the lie to the notion that their beliefs are based on "the evidence".

”Statistics show that most people professing faith in Christ have never completely read their Bible.”
Crosswalk.com

• ” Of those adults who consider themselves "Bible readers," 65% have never read the complete New Testament. (According to Gallup in The Role of the Bible in American Society, Princeton Religion Research Center.)”
“George Barna, in Virtual America, tells of a U.S. Department of Education study issued in 1993 which reported that nearly half of all American adults are functionally illiterate. Barna points out that, "Some analysts now refer to ours as the 'post-illiterate age'."”
Statistics That Will Challenge Your Church

” On the other hand, while over 80 per cent of Americans believe the Bible to be either literally or figuratively true, much fewer ever read it. Only 17 per cent of those questioned read the Bible daily, 23 per cent read it weekly (probably in religious services), and only 13 per cent read it monthly. Additionally, while one-third of our nation's teens are daily (12 per cent) or weekly (24 per cent) Bible readers, one quarter of the nation s teenagers have never read the Bible and 44 per cent have no interest in reading it.”

”Because most Americans are biblically illiterate, they are vulnerable to popular and public notions about what the Bible says.”
A Monday Night Lecture by Judith Applegate

” 36% of Americans believe that the Bible is the word of God and is to be taken literally.”
TIME/CNN Poll

According to Gallup, "Despite the impressive statistics concerning Bible reading and study, it is apparent that ignorance about its contents is widespread."
He gives evidence for this conclusion:
-- Only half of adults interviewed nationwide could name any of the four Gospels of the New Testament.
-- Just 37% of those interviewed could name all four Gospels.
-- Only 42% of adults were able to name as many as five of the Ten Commandments correctly.
-- Seven in ten (70%) were able to name the town where Jesus was born, but just 42% could identify him as the person who delivered the Sermon on the Mount. 9
Researcher George Barna has also documented the lack of Bible knowledge in the United States:
-- 38% of Americans believe the entire Bible was written several decades after Jesus' death and resurrection (While this is true of the New Testament, the entire Old Testament was written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ).
-- 12% of adults believe that Noah's wife was Joan of Arc.
-- 49% believe that the Bible teaches that money is the root of all evil. (The love of money is said to be the root of all types of evil).
-- 75% believe that the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves." Americans and the Bible:
Bible Ownership, Reading, Study and Knowledge in the United States

These sites have more fun stats...
RELIGIOUS PRACTICES IN THE U.S.:POLL RESULTS
Duty Is Ours

[1John2_26]

I also keep Isaac Asimov's Guide to the Bible nearby for the really hard questions.

How will using Asimov's guide give a well-rounded view of Biblical beliefs? Why not Evidence That Demands a Verdict. It doesn't hurt at all to read.

I don't know how to overstate this. A real thinker in the 21st century knows the Bible. Not just knows of it. A real thinker knows it very well. A real thinker has read it enough to have an original opinion about it.

A rael thinker (an open-mind) reads orthodox and liberal opinions one after the other. I have Origin of Species sitting next to Darwin On Trial.

Read 'em both.

"Test all things and hold fast to the truth."

Good Biblical advice . . and science agrees. Again.

[theleftone]

I don't know how to overstate this. A real thinker in the 21st century knows the Bible. Not just knows of it. A real thinker knows it very well. A real thinker has read it enough to have an original opinion about it.

And the Qu'ran ...

Yup. Even if one considers both to be works of mythology or not, the fact is they have made large impacts on the way we think today. To know thyself, one must know thy heritage. And regardless if one likes it or not, the Bible and Qu'ran are part of our heritage.

[skeeterses]

Whether you think the Bible is the Literal Word of God or The World's Biggest Fraud, read it. Read It. It is the most influential work of literature in the entire course of human history. If you are not intimately familiar with it you are illiterate. That is just how it is. Not knowing the Book of Genesis is like not knowing your multiplication tables. Having Faith that there will always be a calculator available is not the same as knowing basic math.

Absolutely agreed on this. Even though I myself don't believe in the Bible, there's enough stories in there to keep myself entertained if I don't have money to go to a PC room or a video arcade. The Bible is also a very educational book as well. If you're learning a difficult language, sitting down with an NIV next to a foreign Bible will help your vocabulary.