# Atheists and Biblical Familiarity **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 8, 2019, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179 "2019-02-08T15:20:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/21 "2019-02-08T17:56:08Z")
I’m not sure how the OP got “atheist _because_ they never touched a Bible” out of that quote. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/22 "2019-02-08T17:57:22Z")
I’ve read it several times in several different versions. I’ve also read many of the “lost” books. None of it convinced me of the existence of any God(s). In its favor, it is a better read than the holy books of some other religions. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/23 "2019-02-08T18:09:53Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I was wondering if “People that are atheists because they never touched a Bible” is an actual thing, so I created this poll. Is poll supposed to be only for atheists? It doesn’t specifically say so. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/24 "2019-02-08T18:11:07Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’m not sure how the OP got “atheist _because_ they never touched a Bible” out of that quote. It’s just a combination of this > [@k9bfriender](#): > > He certainly implied that an atheist would not know what a “good samaritan” was, were it not part of our culture. and curiosity about how well-read atheists are when it comes to the Bible. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/25 "2019-02-08T18:21:36Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’m not sure how the OP got “atheist _because_ they never touched a Bible” out of that quote. Me too. Surely the OP knows that correlation doesn’t imply causation. (If there is causation, I would have thought it more likely the other way around.) But that exchange in the other thread got me wondering about “atheists and Bible familiarity,” too. I would suspect that, in general (with exceptions), atheists would tend to have less familiarity with the Bible than Christians. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/26 "2019-02-08T18:37:51Z")
I’ve read virtually all of it, but only because I went to parochial schools and I had to. ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/27 "2019-02-08T18:54:45Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > It is not a genre I enjoy reading (historical fiction) and happily I was never forced to read it or learn about it. Hmm…you might want to learn a little bit more about it before claiming that a collected library of 73 separate books can be classified under one genre, not to mention a genre that, for all intents and purposes, didn’t even exist until the 17th century (historical fiction). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/28 "2019-02-08T18:56:39Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > Hmm…you might want to learn a little bit more about it before claiming that a collected library of 73 separate books can be classified under one genre, not to mention a genre that, for all intents and purposes, didn’t even exist until the 17th century (historical fiction). The genre existed-it just wasn’t labeled as such. ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/29 "2019-02-08T18:58:59Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The genre existed-it just wasn’t labeled as such. Even so, classifying all 73 books under one genre… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/30 "2019-02-08T19:03:04Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > Even so, classifying all 73 books under one genre… You are welcome to reclassify them for us…but I would personally prefer that you start up a new thread to do so, because I think it is an interesting topic on its own and would most likely eclipse this one. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/31 "2019-02-08T19:12:56Z")
I haven’t read all that much of the actual Bible. When I was a kid, we had a set of much thinner books (each about 1/4 inch thick, IIRC) that summarized each Book, with Chapters as headings and I think Verses noted off to the sides of the paragraphs. So I don’t know chapter and verse, but I learned most of the stories, enough to understand most Biblical references. What I remember most were the illustrations, from [Gustave Dore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Dor%C3%A9%27s_illustrations_for_La_Grande_Bible_de_Tours) – just looking at that page brings back memories. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/32 "2019-02-08T19:14:54Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > and curiosity about how well-read atheists are when it comes to the Bible. That’s just it really; with a lot of the Bible stories/traditions being well read is secondary possibly. So much has passed into daily life and remarks - heck the Good Samaritan was even the subject of a bad 60-second cartoon back when I was a kid (there was the companion one about hanging someone). Short of living in a cave and being raised by wolves … ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/33 "2019-02-08T19:19:21Z")
I voted by accident; I’m not an atheist. But I can say that of the avowed atheists I’ve known, they’ve all generally come from VERY religious backgrounds and were very turned off by the heavy-handed application of religion in their communities and/or families. Most people I’ve known who came from less religiously intense backgrounds usually end up being some sort of half-assed theist at best; they don’t repudiate the idea of God, they just sort of become areligious and secular through not being involved. It’s a less active process, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/34 "2019-02-08T19:29:15Z")
I’ve read the Bible. I’ve also read a few dozen books about the Bible (by believers and non-believers) which I feel is at least as educational as reading the Bible itself. I admit it’s strange that a non-believer like myself has a significant interest in theology but there you go. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/35 "2019-02-08T19:57:26Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > You are welcome to reclassify them for us…but I would personally prefer that you start up a new thread to do so, because I think it is an interesting topic on its own and would most likely eclipse this one. No need to reclassify them—there are plenty of sites that classify the Bible books by genre. > **[Biblical genre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_genre)** > > A Biblical genre is a classification of Bible literature according to literary genre. The genre of a particular Bible passage is ordinarily identified by analysis of its general writing style, tone, form, structure, literary technique, content, design, and related linguistic factors; texts that exhibit a common set of literary features (very often in keeping with the writing styles of the times in which they were written) are together considered to be belonging to a genre. In Biblical studies, Wi... ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/36 "2019-02-08T20:02:11Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > No need to reclassify them—there are plenty of sites that classify the Bible books by genre. > > [Biblical genre - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_genre) In-house classification that doesn’t allow the term “fiction”, let alone “historical fiction”. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/37 "2019-02-08T20:08:49Z")
I remember poking around in it a bit when I was a kid out of curiosity but most of what I know of the bible is from other references, anecdotes, pop references, wikipedia, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/38 "2019-02-08T20:39:39Z")
I’m closer to read than skimmed, so that’s what I put. I’ve read the entire new testament a couple of times and a lot of the old, but I skimmed a lot of the genealogy and Jewish law. I’m kind of with **EscAlaMike** on the historical fiction bit. How can you say that the Psalms, for example, are historical fiction? That’s like saying Leaves of Grass is historical fiction. If anyone is interested, I found [This book](https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Designed-Literature-Testaments-Version/dp/0671879596) to be a great way of getting at the meat of the Bible without having to deal with the repetitive boring bits or the inexplicable tiny print and numbering system. ---
**Author:** ![Marlonius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Marlonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlonius)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/39 "2019-02-08T20:40:55Z")
As someone who grew up in a religious home with Church on Sundays and went to a Catholic high school, I’ve more than skimmed, but have never actually read the entire Bible, cover to cover in chronological order. I’d estimate that if I were to add up all the passages that I read, it would likely cover it all. My atheism is well-informed. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179/40 "2019-02-08T20:46:27Z")
I’ve certainly read many portions of the Bible or had them read to me. I did attend Sunday school religiously 🙂 as a child, because my family went. I don’t know if they’d have forced me to go after I’d reached a certain age, but I never made an issue of it. I stopped going when I went to college, but my beliefs were mostly formed by that stage of my life. If atheist is defined as not believing in the god of the Bible (either new or old testament), then I’m an atheist. If you define atheist as someone who is 100% positive that no gods exist, then I’ll have to fall back on having someone give me a clear definition of a god first. I certainly know the story of the Good Samaritan. In fact I’d say I probably know it better than most religious Christians. “Samaritan” has become come a word that is essentially synonymous with “good Samaritan.” That was almost certainly not the point of the original story. Asimov is a much better writer than I. In his essay “Lost in Non-Translation”, he explained that there were no “good” Samaritans at that time at least to Jews of the time. In the South of the 1950s (and probably later), the story should have been translated as a preacher and someone else (a politician I think) ignoring the robbed man. The Samaritan wold be a poor black sharecropper. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheists-and-biblical-familiarity/829179.md?page=3)