# Nonbelievers: Do You Read Religous Literature **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 29, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721 "2010-10-29T00:45:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/41 "2010-10-29T15:23:43Z")
You mean like the “Left Behind” series? No. ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/42 "2010-10-29T15:33:15Z")
Absolutely. I have read the Bible, the Koran, the Gnostic Gospels, the Tanakh and the Talmud, the writings of the Kabbalah, Books of Shadows, the Necronomican, the Egyptian Books of the Dead, the writings of Confucius, etc… There was a point where I was reading it all, to the exclusion of fiction or magazines. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/43 "2010-10-29T15:36:07Z")
I’ve read the new testament straight through twice, in the King James version and Richmond Lattimore’s translation. I’ve also read bits of it in other translations. I’ve read a lot of the Old testament. I found an edition that skipped a lot of the genealogy and Jewish law. I’ve also read the penguin translation of the Koran (right after 9/11, how trite is that!) and a number of Buddhist scriptures. I’ve read a number of classic Christian thinkers: Augustine, Aquinas, Pascal, and Kierkegaard, among others. I don’t think anyone in “the West” can call themselves educated or culturally literate without some knowledge of the Bible. For better or worse, it’s the most important book in western civilization. I find the language of the KJV moving and beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/44 "2010-10-29T15:48:58Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > I’m not a non-believer, but I’m a non-Christian and I read the entire Left Behind series last year for fun. I actually had a really good time with it. It was fascinating to see the belief system translated into real life references like that. The UN Secretary-General is the Antichrist? You don’t have to believe in the theological underpinnings to be interested by what they did with it. > > The writing itself was really bad, but as long as the grammar and spelling are correct, I have a high tolerance for that kind of stuff. You have GOT to read The Christ Clone Trilogy by James BeauSeigneur. Same scenario but in only three volumes & much better written. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/45 "2010-10-29T15:57:18Z")
Yep. I’ve read the entire Bible (KJV) although naturally I did skip through a lot of the begats. That part strikes me as simply a family tree for reference, no more intended to be sat down and read than a telephone book is. I haven’t read any grown-up editions of the Quran, but have read a fair few kids’ stories - it’s fascinating to see a slightly different take on the same stories as are in the Bible. If a work of literature is religious, I’m happy to read it as long as it’s not _too_ evangelical. Yesterday, for example, I read ‘the Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud,’ which is extremely Christian (despite this never being mentioned in the blurb) but in a very pleasant, gentle way - and it’s Christian from the very first page, so you know what you’re getting into. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/46 "2010-10-29T16:02:02Z")
I’ll read the Bible from time to time; there’s some good stuff in it, depending on translation. I’m making my way (slowly) through the Quran for my own edification–in an English translation, of course, which I understand some people feel does not count, but I’m not about to study Arabic. I’ll read anything Elaine Pagels publishes, and much of Bart Ehrman. Also, I think you meant _y’all_ non-believers. The plural form of the second person nominative pronoun is _y’all_. Please use the proper term in the future. 🙂 I was going to make a ritual threat against anyone who implies that any story in Metamorphoses is fiction, but I figured that was implied by me being me. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/47 "2010-10-29T16:17:20Z")
I enjoy both mythology and eschatology. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/48 "2010-10-29T16:18:11Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Do you nonbelievers read religious literature be it Scripture (Bible, Koran, etc.) or just literature (ie theology books)? Do you own any books of that type? I used to when I was nominally Christian, but no, not anymore, and not for a long, long time. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/49 "2010-10-29T16:30:34Z")
Yeap. When you’re debating religious folks, it’s good to know of which you speak. My niece the Jehovah’s Witness is always sending me literature. I probably know more about them than any other atheist on the planet. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/50 "2010-10-29T16:33:43Z")
I have a bible, and a copy of the Spaghetti Monster book. I’ve only finished one of them, though. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/51 "2010-10-29T16:34:49Z")
I have read both the Old and New Testaments and the Q’uran, the Mahabharat, and the Ramayan. These days I only read Hindu mythology, and that rarely. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/52 "2010-10-29T16:40:26Z")
No, I don’t read/own any religious lit. I enjoy fiction (crime, mystery, horror) but do not like fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/53 "2010-10-29T17:04:30Z")
Back a few decades, sure. Rarely nowadays, because it always ends up being useless. For instance, on recommendation from another Doper, I picked up and am currently reading Michael Novak’s “_No One Sees God_” as one of the best responses to the “New Atheists”. As a response, it’s crap. Fallacies abound…and it just makes me wonder why I feel the desire every so often to assume the Charlie Brown role to modern Christian apologists’ Lucy. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/54 "2010-10-29T17:25:42Z")
I really don’t know how to form an opinion without educating myself on the subject first. So I read from nearly every subject. In fact I’m sometimes surprised how many atheists discussing the Bible show ignorance about the subject. Just because one disagrees with something doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t learn something reading about it. If nothing else it enables a person to make his case with intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/55 "2010-10-29T18:45:10Z")
Yes. I have read extensively across a variety of spiritual texts. It’s an essential aspect of life to dig into, work on and refine, yes? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/56 "2010-10-29T18:57:19Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I was raised a Christian, and I was dragged to Sunday school and then church every week until I was 16 and a half\*. So I’m pretty familiar with the Christian bible. And I own a couple of them, along with a couple of other religious/spiritual books, and I’ve checked a few out of the library. I went through several periods of trying to find a religion that I could believe in, including Wicca and Satanism. Yep, I tried to sell my soul. I didn’t get any takers. This is fairly close to my experience also. I haven’t sworn off religious books; I’ll read anything that interests me. However, my interest is far less than it once was. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/57 "2010-10-29T21:06:50Z")
Sure. I’ve read all the major holy books and a lot of theology, philosophy, and commentary. I am not a believer, but it’s important in the world as a whole and if you don’t know about it you have a big blind spot. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/58 "2010-10-29T21:28:20Z")
I am a nonbeliever and I have read a lot of religious literature from a variety of traditions. My own background is in ancient and medieval languages, so I have spent a fair part of my life reading and translating the Greek and Latin fathers through the theologians of the twelfth century renaissance. I am currently translating the Bhagavad Gita, which I hope to finish by the summer so I can work on Athanasius’ Life of Antony. Then, if my Sanskrit is good enough, I’ve got Asvaghosa’s life of the Buddha on tap. For what it’s worth, I was raised Reform Jewish. I think I stopped believing when I was 10, maybe younger. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/59 "2010-10-29T21:55:08Z")
_Do you nonbelievers read religious literature be it Scripture (Bible, Koran, etc.)?_ I have lightly read many of them to better understand world events, philosophical perspectives, history, etc. This includes the bible, koran, talmud, book of mormon, tao te ching, various buddhist texts. Most are dreadfully dry and boring and major portions were skimmed or skipped (e.g. Dave begat Mike begat Chester begat Simon ad nauseum). _or just literature (ie theology books)?_ Not sure what these are, the Left Behind novels (no) or CS Lewis (yes)? Or do you mean Billy Graham biographies and such? Or “literature” stuffed under my door? Since I don’t know myself, I probably haven’t read any significantly. _Do you own any books of that type?_ I own many Buddhist and Taoist works and have enjoyed them, but I characterize them more as philosophical works than religious. ---
**Author:** ![smileybastard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@smileybastard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smileybastard)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721/60 "2010-11-01T14:48:37Z")
I have read a lot of mythology, both ancient and modern and I own numerous books that are are the basis for numerous modern religions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nonbelievers-do-you-read-religous-literature/558721.md?page=4)