Atheists are welcome to debate why we should read a book we don’t believe in, christians to persuade us why we should pick it, when there’s no doubt so many books claiming to hold The One And Only Truth, most of us will never get a chance to examine them all.
(I’m not too curious as to why christians should read it, as it seems rather obvious, but do share anyviewpoints you might have.)
I don’t believe the Gods in *The Iliad * and The Odyssey. But, both works have influenced Western Civilization.
I’d say the Bible has the most influence on Western Civilization. Wars have been fought over it. Biblical stories are also influential in works of art.
Seems straightforward to me. Wish to make sense of Western history and literature? Gotta be reasonably familiar with the Bible.
That is just as true for the most convinced athiest as it is for the most religious Christian.
“Know your enemy”. Plus, it can be entertaining; as a teen, I enjoyed reading through it, and bookmarking all the contradictions and atrocities I could find. There were a lot of bookmarks.
Sort of like my approach to the “naughty” bits in various books when I was a teen. I hope you did not bookmark for the same purpose, though.
I second this! Reading the bible is the only way to really know how ludicrous the thing is.
If you don’t care about religion and never bother with bible-thumpers, save yourself the time and get something that’s semi-believable, like a Clive Cussler novel.
Yes, for several reasons. One, if you find a good translation, there is some very beautiful poetry. Two, there is actually some good practical advice in Proverbs (though admittedly a lot of stuff that’s utter crap). Three, it gives insight into the development of Western culture, the same way reading other myths do. Four, in the event of a unexpected vampire attack, it’s useful as a defensive weapon.
I say these things without fear of going to hell because I’m already damned for so many better reasons.
[tongue firmly planted in cheek]There are some darn good stories in there, especially the Old Testament: rapes and murders condoned by God, bashing infants against cobblestones, sex, sex, sex. It’s like Desparate Housewives meets The Sopranos. It was obvious the studio steeped in the middle of production, however, and the second half is rather touchy-feely chick flick crap. All “love your neighbor” this and “turn the other cheek” that. But it picks up near the end again, and some dude gets his comeuppance and then some. [/tfpic]
Seriously though, parts of it really are entertaining just for their own sake. I always skip the “begats”, however. I’m sure the lineage is interesting to somebody, but I don’t even know my *own *family tree further than 5 generations.
Couldn’t those books have been fought over just about any other religious book that would have been en vogue at the time? I’ve a feeling a lot of the interpretations of the bible are so disconnected from the real text, the history of Europe wouldn’t be all that different with another religion forced upon it instead of christianity.
My main reason for this thread is I’m not sure if this is a good argument. If you’re just as likely picking up good advice as bad, how’s that helping you? It comes down to if it’s “just as likely”, “more than likely” or “less than likely”, but which is it?
One must learn to discern the chill from the ill.
Sorry, not convinced. You could read anything with that objective.
Actually I was just rhyming for the fun of it.
Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.
I’ve always liked the King James version for the lyrical rendition of some of the Psalms and the Song of Solomon. Is there a better one?
I’m fond of the KJV myself, but I understand that many persons find it difficult to read; hence my not directly recommending it.
Forget understanding Western history, you’re going to have a hard time with Western literature, from Chaucer forwards, without having at least a passing familiarity with the Bible. Think of it as basic cultural literacy.
I don’t know. There are lots of naughty bits that never make it into the Sunday school version. I particularly enjoy Abraham giving Sarah to the Egyptian King to stay out of trouble. Nice guy.
I generally agree with my fellow atheists, since reading the whole Bible gives you access to the embarassing stuff the religious people try to avoid. They only give you the one version of the Creation, not the two mutually contradictory ones.
Aside from the indisputable and inescapable relevance to virtually every aspect of Western culture, familiarity with the Bible is the only way you nonbelievers are ever going to understand us Crazy Christians.
It’s worth reading for the same reasons it’s worth reading the Koran in light of the increasing socio-political relevance of Islam. At best it will give you the tools and perspective to understand a disparate point of view; at worst – know thy enemy.
Read it.
Read it for its seminal place in Western Civilization.
Read it for the history. Read it for the philosophy. Read it so you’ll know what people are talking about when they talk religion and archaeology.
Read it for the atrocities and the naughty bits and the uplifting parts, too.
Read it for the associations with myth and legend.
Read it for the philosophy. If you don’t believe that, definitely read Ecclesiastes.
Read it to get the details. Some animals went into the Ark in sevens, not two by two. Delilah didn’t cut Samuel’s hair – she got a barber. Jezebel wasn’t evil, just enthusiastic for her own culture.
read it for fun.
Found it boring as all heel in all those years of Catholic schooling/participation. But hey! if you’re at a Motel-Siox and forgot your current reading material and really, really don’t want nany porn charges on your room bill…then knock yourself out.
Ten minutes of the stuff, roughly equals three Tylenol PMs.
Sweet dreams.