Current Events > Is it likely that reading the Bible in it's entirety makes someone Atheist?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I see this often said in atheist environments, that reading the Bible should be enough to make anyone an atheist due to certain irreconcilable passages within the book being at odds with treating your fellow man/woman how you would want to be treated.

I am slightly in agreement with this sentiment as I once read the Bible front to back myself instead of solely being led in prayer in my youth, but it was not enough to make me atheist necessarily, only eschewing much of it's text in favour of taking a few notable passages to heart as guidance of sorts.

What do you guys think?

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metallica846 posted...

Nice flopic.

There's two poll options for this sentiment. Don't do this to me :(

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Highly unlikely, pal. An atheist wont sit through that show. The Bible is huge.

I read it twice and I'm still a Christian.

The whole "the Bible is the absolute truth as dictated by the very Hand of God" narrative is difficult to maintain if you've read it.

The better question is how can you read through the bible and still believe after all the shit God did that he's good and actually cares about you.

Not that you should need any convincing anyway after all the bad shit that happens and gets ignored as "it's just gods plan, yo!!!"

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Its horribly written jibberish.

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This isn't a bad topic, but the idea is bad.

Internet atheists are edgy af about this.

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FortuneCookie posted...

I read it twice and I'm still a Christian.

The whole "the Bible is the absolute truth as dictated by the very Hand of God" narrative is difficult to maintain if you've read it.

Yea, that's the big thing that a lot of people don't get. That the bible isn't some sort of divine rule book that you have to follow in a literal sense to "believe." The bible itself has been changed by the powers that be over the generations and different denominations can't even agree on what books should be in it. :v The important part is the message and spiritual growth.

It's likely that if you read the Bible in its entirety you were already a Christian and nothing short of God descending to tell the world that he doesn't exist could change that.

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I tried writing my own bible one time but I got bored with the idea after a few minutes

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depends

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I think this is more of a thing if you grow up in a biblical literalist environment, which a lot of the evangelical US is. I've actually been reading through the Bible lately, both on my own and with study materials, and it's interesting to see the non literalist perspective.

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For me personally, it wasn't just reading the bible but also studying its scriptures that helped me on my way to being an atheist. If I didn't do such a thing, I would probably be a Southern Baptist now tbh.

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DeadBankerDream posted...

It's likely that if you read the Bible in its entirety you were already a Christian and nothing short of God descending to tell the world that he doesn't exist could change that.

Likely, certainly, but by no means assuredly.

EmetSelch posted...

Yea, that's the big thing that a lot of people don't get. That the bible isn't some sort of divine rule book that you have to follow in a literal sense to "believe." The bible itself has been changed by the powers that be over the generations and different denominations can't even agree on what books should be in it. :v The important part is the message and spiritual growth.

This is pretty much where I'm at with it. For all that it implores and relates, I feel that there are still some worthy takeaways from it, albeit from the New Testament.

Strider102 posted...

The better question is how can you read through the bible and still believe after all the shit God did that he's good and actually cares about you.

Not that you should need any convincing anyway after all the bad shit that happens and gets ignored as "it's just gods plan, yo!!!"

I like this point as well. Especially when you've been introduced to it at such a young age like I was, it's easy to understand the Flood, Lot, Sodom and Gomorrah, the 40 years etc., as simply stories of the Bible instead of thinking about it more critically in terms of human lives wiped out and made to suffer through divine judgement.

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FortuneCookie posted...

I read it twice and I'm still a Christian.

The whole "the Bible is the absolute truth as dictated by the very Hand of God" narrative is difficult to maintain if you've read it.

So how do you reconcile that difficulty and maintain your faith? Is it a matter of simply accepting the Bible as it is, or simply living according to Christian ideals as best you can?

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filth

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Moeperry posted...

filth

die, pagan

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_Angel_ posted...

So how do you reconcile that difficulty and maintain your faith? Is it a matter of simply accepting the Bible as it is, or simply living according to Christian ideals as best you can?

Reconciling what difficulty?

FortuneCookie posted...

Reconciling what difficulty?

That of taking it as God's literal word, as it were.

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Christianity would have more going for it if they didn't choose to tie themselves to the Old Testement. They should have just said it was a totally new God.

It's hard to take seriously when nobody bothered to translate it in the past 400 years. And for every random "I am the way and the truth and the life" billboard I see, does it mean anything without context?

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I just wonder how catholics handle being on low carb.

Zikten posted...

Christianity would have more going for it if they didn't choose to tie themselves to the Old Testement. They should have just said it was a totally new God.

There are certain people and groups that preach on the New Testament, espousing the idea that Jesus's crucifixion meant that anyone is free to be forgiven with no conditions, regardless of any sin.

It's been a decade since I have delved into this particular theological debate, but I recall it not being a terribly popular interpretation, the most common argument being that it meant the worst of us could be forgiven, while those who lived good lives would not be because of something as apparently small as not believing that Jesus died for your sins.


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FortuneCookie posted...

I read it twice and I'm still a Christian.

The whole "the Bible is the absolute truth as dictated by the very Hand of God" narrative is difficult to maintain if you've read it.

The words inside it are as important as the words inside of a Playboy. The words inside it have been changed almost as much as the Playmate of the month.

If you read the entire Bible and still think that god is somebody to be worshipped youre crazy

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To quote H.P. Lovecraft: The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.

A person can easily read the entire Bible, and still reconcile the contradictions and inconsistencies with their personal beliefs.

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_Angel_ posted...

That of taking it as God's literal word, as it were.

The Old Testament makes several references to God killing with little to no cause. This is in-keeping with the myths of other religions. Ancient humanity imagined gods as beings who would strike you blind if you walked in on them bathing or who would cost an army a battle if a single soldier committed adultery. I don't personally think that's reflective of God.

A lot of atheists feel that Christians are supposed to throw out the baby with the bathwater upon reading such texts. I find that's not the case. Ancient humanity thought the sun revolved around the Earth. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop believing in the sun.

Hmm, the whole Bible?
Ughh, tldr

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