Current Events > Is it worth reading the Bible for someone who isn't religious?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Like I'm not religious at all, but I kind of want to read it and I don't know why. Are the stories compelling and is it... well written? >_>

And if so, which version should I get? There's so many!
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Its not a well written book, I tried once and I was bored

nah. only for insight into ancient literature and whatnot. same goes for any ancient religious text. you're not gonna be wow'd by the stories or anything
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Yes.

The gospels give a good moral way to live your life, regardless of your religious beliefs.

The Old Testament is also great from a literary perspective.
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Damn_Underscore posted...

Yes.

The gospels give a good moral way to live your life, regardless of your religious beliefs.

The Old Testament is also great from a literary perspective.

lol
lol
and
lol

If you want to read something for moral guidance just pick up the Principia Discordia and The Illuminatus Trilogy and you'll be set.
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If you're interested in ancient literature, sure why not. Old Testament has some ridiculous stories and the New Testament will let you see how unchristian most Evangelicals/the right is in general.
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I mean, you can read it from a scholarly perspective
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I used to go to church when I was a kid and I guess a lot of morality came from that but damn...I'm not even Christian anymore and I still feel like I have a lot more morals than a lot of the Republicans/Right who are hardcore Christian.

Hexenherz posted...

Damn_Underscore posted...

Yes.

The gospels give a good moral way to live your life, regardless of your religious beliefs.

The Old Testament is also great from a literary perspective.

lol
lol
and
lol

If you want to read something for moral guidance just pick up the Principia Discordia and The Illuminatus Trilogy and you'll be set.

Don't forget The Gospel of The Flying Spaghetti Monster *rollseyes*
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dameon_reaper posted...

I'm not even Christian anymore and I still feel like I have a lot more morals than a lot of the Republicans/Right who are hardcore Christian.

Calling yourself a Christian doesn't necessarily make you moral.
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To be completely honest, no. There are some mildly interesting sections mostly found in the old testament but it's not worth wading through the whole thing, especially not the new
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Yes

There are a lot of references to the Bible in various forms of media not to mention various English metaphors and figures of speech

I think Genesis is interesting but I tend to like all creation myths. Honestly, after that it's just stories about dudes living in the desert and it's pretty boring.
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Damn_Underscore posted...

dameon_reaper posted...

I'm not even Christian anymore and I still feel like I have a lot more morals than a lot of the Republicans/Right who are hardcore Christian.

Calling yourself a Christian doesn't necessarily make you moral.

Yeah I know, but generally you would think that the whole point of Christianity is for morality. Follow the good book and you will do well. You will help your fellow man. Everyone is saying "What would Jesus do?" but everyone seems to think Jesus would be a capitalist and accept gun laws and agree with the police.

Damn_Underscore posted...

Hexenherz posted...

Damn_Underscore posted...

Yes.

The gospels give a good moral way to live your life, regardless of your religious beliefs.

The Old Testament is also great from a literary perspective.

lol
lol
and
lol

If you want to read something for moral guidance just pick up the Principia Discordia and The Illuminatus Trilogy and you'll be set.

Don't forget The Gospel of The Flying Spaghetti Monster *rollseyes*

They're far more pertinent to the modern human condition, are far more entertaining and just as real.
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Jesus would be neutral on those political issues. That's what makes him such a great role model regardless of your religion.
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ultimate reaver posted...

To be completely honest, no. There are some mildly interesting sections mostly found in the old testament but it's not worth wading through the whole thing, especially not the new

There are more than a billion people around the world who follow the Bibles teachings and stories, either as literal accounts of past events or at least as symbolic interpretations. Are you seriously telling TC that there is no value at all in trying to understand how these people think, even if its just the basic framework for the way they live their lives?
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Damn_Underscore posted...

Jesus would be neutral on those political issues. That's what makes him such a great role model regardless of your religion.

if I remember correctly, he was a rebel.

It's worth knowing the story. It's inspired tons of other works and art, and being able to connect the references to the source is useful.

Don't read the book itself, though. You can find tons of analyses/summaries which deliver the content in a way that isn't as awkward and clumsy as the actual religious text. You aren't gonna gain anything by slogging through a hundred pages of people begat-ing other people.

The "read it for the moral teachings" argument for reading the original text is bad. Nothing about reading it in the original text will make it click in your mind in a way that can't be done with better-written things. (Let's not worry about the fact that the bible has some objectionable moral teachings in it anyway.)
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Somebody give me an Amazon link on which version to buy, please <_<
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LinksLiege posted...

Don't read the book itself, though. You can find tons of analyses/summaries which deliver the content in a way that isn't as awkward and clumsy as the actual religious text. You aren't gonna gain anything by slogging through a hundred pages of people begat-ing other people.

This, the bible has a lot of context to take into consideration when it comes to its text. Reading the bible blindly is a bad idea. There's lots of different analyses and summaries to read online or in other books about the bible so you can have a better understanding of it. As a book on its own, its terribly written but it's good insight to old ancient literature.
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Lorenzo_2003 posted...

ultimate reaver posted...

To be completely honest, no. There are some mildly interesting sections mostly found in the old testament but it's not worth wading through the whole thing, especially not the new

There are more than a billion people around the world who follow the Bibles teachings and stories, either as literal accounts of past events or at least as symbolic interpretations. Are you seriously telling TC that there is no value at all in trying to understand how these people think, even if its just the basic framework for the way they live their lives?

Most of those people don't base their lifestyles or moral systems on what the bible teaches, though, that's the problem. They claim to be christian, but that's become a rather generic and meaningless term.
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It appeals to deeply religious individuals who want a closer connection and to some nonreligious people who want insight into the psychology of religion or the mindsets of the ancient world.

It's not very exciting from a literary standpoint. Events are recorded mostly without dramatization or characterization. I'm a Christian. Of course I hold the Bible in high regard. It's not something I would read for personal entertainment.

If the concept of religion fascinates you, you'll probably enjoy reading it. Otherwise, you may want to pass on doing so.

It has interesting stuff in it. I would read it like I would read various mythologies.
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dameon_reaper posted...

Damn_Underscore posted...

Jesus would be neutral on those political issues. That's what makes him such a great role model regardless of your religion.

if I remember correctly, he was a rebel.

This isn't true. unless you're taking about his way of thought being revolutionary. He disagreed with the Pharisees (religious leaders back then) but that doesn't make him a rebel.
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Hexenherz posted...

Most of those people don't base their lifestyles or moral systems on what the bible teaches, though, that's the problem. They claim to be christian, but that's become a rather generic and meaningless term.

I dont know how many of those people are being genuine and sincere in the way they practice their faith. For sure, many do and say things that are un-Christian. Reading about what many of these believers have been learning since birth can still give you insight to what formed their early years and what they could be struggling with in adulthood. And Im not sure its true that most are being disingenuous, at least not all the time. They falter, but theyre still troubled by the threat of damnation and they often end up raising their kids on the teachings that they went through.
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If you have any interest in English or American literature, yes.
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yea read it
do it blindly. many priests use the stories and apply to their own to teach lessons.they interpreted it with the guidance of the church.

it's a tool used to open yourself spiritually. it is a tough read and you can get lost. back in the day, religious figures read the bible to congregations of people. thats why its written the way it is... for public speaking. like a previous post said though, there are notes and summaries about it.
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Lorenzo_2003 posted...

ultimate reaver posted...

To be completely honest, no. There are some mildly interesting sections mostly found in the old testament but it's not worth wading through the whole thing, especially not the new

There are more than a billion people around the world who follow the Bibles teachings and stories, either as literal accounts of past events or at least as symbolic interpretations. Are you seriously telling TC that there is no value at all in trying to understand how these people think, even if its just the basic framework for the way they live their lives?

op said nothing about learning how to think like other people or obtaining a moral system to work upon, he asked if it was compelling and well-written.

people around the world don't follow the bible because it's interesting or well written, they (theoretically, i would be surprised if a vast majority of modern christians have actually read the bible)read it as arecounting of rules and messages upon which you are meant to live by. for the most part said rules and messages are told with all of the zeal of a textbook.

unless op is very specifically interested in the category of ancient texts and recountings, the bible isn't something you just sit down and read in a platonic manner.
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https://newchristianbiblestudy.org/bible/story/the-man-with-a-measuring-line/king-james-version

>dude in the bible runs into a guy trying to measure everything

really activates the almonds
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MedeaLysistrata posted...

https://newchristianbiblestudy.org/bible/story/the-man-with-a-measuring-line/king-james-version

>dude in the bible runs into a guy trying to measure everything

really activates the almonds

holy shit @ that explanation how does the guy get all that from this nerd talking about measuring things.

I remember my own attempt at tackling the bible when I was in middle school. I remember the whole "in the beginning..." and then a few paragraphs in it's like "randy begat andy and andy begat sandy and sandy begat dandy" for twenty pages.

lol no thanks.
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Hexenherz posted...

MedeaLysistrata posted...

https://newchristianbiblestudy.org/bible/story/the-man-with-a-measuring-line/king-james-version

>dude in the bible runs into a guy trying to measure everything

really activates the almonds

holy shit @ that explanation how does the guy get all that from this nerd talking about measuring things.

I remember my own attempt at tackling the bible when I was in middle school. I remember the whole "in the beginning..." and then a few paragraphs in it's like "randy begat andy and andy begat sandy and sandy begat dandy" for twenty pages.

lol no thanks.

biblical lineage verse lol i remember that and youre right. they only do that in the old testament iirc and its only in the early parts of the book. I studied the bible in private school. read it in Jr high for the stories. I used to read the bible with my comics. some comic books reference stuff in the bible and i said to myself holy fuck! I think that's in the bible.
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ultimate reaver posted...

op said nothing about learning how to think like other people or obtaining a moral system to work upon, he asked if it was compelling and well-written.

But he did not just ask that. He titled this thread as Is it worth reading the Bible for someone who isnt religious? He also mentions that he isnt sure why he would want to read it. It came across, to me anyway, that OP is asking for a value judgment. Even if he wasnt concerned at all about my answer (I can accept that possibility), the Bible could still be compelling because Western culture has all kinds of references to specific verses, chapters and stories in the Bible that have been woven into art, movies, books and so on. How can you fully understand those materials if you havent been exposed to the source material that provides context?

Heres a clip from Pulp Fiction. Without understanding the source material, Jules quote just sounds like something cool (the character later admits this) and it doesnt shed light on his character arc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65HBibknLi8" data-time="
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Seriously reading certain parts causes confusion and at best makes it broad as hell.

If only a omnipotent super being could just directly talk to you. Wouldnt need an ANCIENT book.
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