What percent of "Christians" have read the entire Bible?

[expatriot]

What percent of "Christians" do you think have read the entire Bible?



I will remember at the first meeting of a atheists & agnostics club at the university I went to, we were introducing ourselves and we were supposed to tell the story of becoming skeptics and this one guy said. "I was a good Christian until I finally got around to reading the Bible." Everyone laughed because we knew how true that was. I have read the Bible cover to cover five times and bits and pieces of it constantly. I love being able to quote more scripture than the fundies.

I seriously think that if every "Christian" had to read the entire Bible for themselves, about half of them would lose their faith.

This is NOT a Christian bashing thread. There are many, many Christians who I respect and have a deep, philosophical understanding of the ancient scrolls. My real beef is with the Sunday School Christians and the Pick & Choose scriptures of the Fundies.

So what percent? I think it is probably 5-10 percent who have read it in completion. and I bet at least 60% only know what's in the Bible from what the preacher reads to them on Sunday and from popularized Bible stories.... of course this is all conjecture.

[TrogL]

1. I've read it cover to cover (multiple versions) many times

You cannot understand the Bible without close study.

A concordance certainly helps.

No fundie I know of would go to the trouble.

[Sandpiper]

2. I'd dare say a big majority have never read the Bible

From cover to cover.

Most Christians have no idea how much racy, sexy, and violent stuff is in the Old Testament.

[Kid_A]

3. They will now!!!

http://www.thebricktestament.com

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:evilgrin:

[expatriot]

6. wow this is awesome!

I love it!

[Q3JR4]

5. ....

The X-Rated Bible an irreverent study of sex in the bible.

[Reverend_Smitty]

18. The song of Solomon

is nothing more than a racy love poem...but it is some fine literature...Im sure it's something that fundies would like to forget about

[happynewyear]

4. they'd be reading the Bible the rest of their lives

being there are so many versions of it - all slightly different.

Some born again freak called me up and was comparing * to David (as in Goliath) in the Bible and I said no way.

This person then questioned me about my beliefs and what Bible was I reading. I said the one that is the best in America, the New American Bible. This person hadn't a clue what I was talking about. It sounds mighty patriotic doesn't it?

In fact, the New American Bible is the bible that is used by the Catholic church and no, its not much different than the rest of them. This born againer was astounded. :evilgrin:

[Beware the Beast Man]

8. The only true way to master the Bible

Is to become well-versed in Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew, and take a little trip to Alexandria or wherever to read the original texts for yourself. Other than that, I like the New American Bible myself. Much clearer text and well-footnoted.

[happynewyear]

10. the reason I have one is the LARGE print

I was never a bible reader much myself, although raised a Catholic. I like the large print and the simplicity of it. It is far easier to read, I agree!

[ScreamingMeemie]

7. Not many. But I also don't believe that they should be judged upon

that. The job of a minister/priest/layspeaker is to bring the word of God to the flock. "Reading the Bible" has always been a loose term to me. :hi:

[Beware the Beast Man]

9. Also, too many rely on the Bible alone

As if it was some text that dropped out of the sky after the last verse of Revelation was put to paper. One must also understand the secular history of the times, as well as the sociology of the area to fully understand the context of the writings. Fundamentalism seems to thrive on ignorance of the historical context of the Bible. I think it is a great, inspirational book, but I also have to measure it up to the beliefs and workings of the times when the books were written.

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. I totally agree. I get into arguments about this all the time.

Picture 1,000 years from now...Someone stumbles upon a copy of "Gone With the Wind"...before you know it we are worshipping the great God Rhett. ;) Afterall, that's a historical based writing (albeit questionable) as well.

[pbg]

11. Not entirely their fault...

The Bible, unlike the central documents of most other religions, is not a book of instructions written (or supposed to be written) by the founder detailing rules for behavior and salvation. Instead, it's a mishmash of histories, lyric poetry, letters, proverbs, and even, arguably, drama (the Book of Job.) Even the other great mishmash--the Vedas--are better organized by comparison.

But I agree that even good Christians (as opposed to 'good' Christians) know their Bible as a disconnected series of verses. And while I don't think reading the Bible cover to cover will necessarily shatter a Christian's faith, it would probably change it.

As for the 'good' Christians, I've found that they tend to ignore the words of Jesus in favor of Paul (whom I never trusted.) When they say that the Bible is the literal word of God, I ask them about that camel through the eye of the needle thing, the pray in secret thing, and especially that 'turn the other cheek' thing, and watch them squirm.

[shaolinmonkey]

13. I started to read the New Testament but haven't gotten to Paul yet.

The words of Jesus are very moving and in stark comparison to what most fundamentalists seem to believe. I'm looking forward to comparing the Jesus sections to Paul. Paul seems a dubious figure to me as well.

[Beware the Beast Man]

15. They must also remember

There were groups of church fathers and rabbis who decided which texts were divinely inspired.

[noonwitch]

14. I read it once from cover to cover, but have read every part more times

There is a whole lot of weirdness, sex and violence in it. Just the life of Jacob in Genesis is racy enough-marries sisters, arm-wrestles and angel, cheats his father-in-law out of the good sheep (he had earlier practice from cheating his brother out of his birthright)and so on. David lived an even racier life, with all his wives and such. He put one of his generals in line to get killed, so he could sleep with the man's wife.

Lot, after offering the men of Sodom his virgin daughters, then fled with them. His daughters were worried that they wouldn't be able to find husbands, so they got their dad drunk and had sex with him.

Noah, after the flood, was drunk and naked in his garden one day. His son (Ham) found him and covered him up with a blanket. Noah, who obviously wanted the whole family to see him naked, then cursed Ham's son Canaan as a slave.

[jdonaldball]

16. No one can read it cover to cover and keep concentration

Cover to cover?
You would have to concentrate on, and digest, verses like these:
"Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, Hezro the Carmelite,
Naarai the son of Ezbai............."
zzzzzzzzzz........
....That's from the Second Book of Chronicles. Kind of like the Great Income Tax Code in the sky.
(Written - so the Fundies say - by the God of the Israel, the Great Real Estate Agent in the sky.... :-)
On that note, Joseph Campbell said, "a computer is like an Old Testament God, with a lot of rules and no mercy." :-)
Most of the Bible is dull dreary bureaucratic stuff, or obsolete ravings about long lost races of the Middle East. But the Gospels are wonderful, so is Genesis (wonderfully weird old legends in Genesis, and misinterpretations of ancient history). Saint Paul's epistles are half insane and misanthropic. Actually, the Gospels are the only wisdom I can find in the Bible. But the Fundies don't pay much attention to the Gospels...too much socialism and tolerance there...Jesus was too much of a socialist and feminist for the Fundies...

[SheilaT]

17. I have only read parts of it,

perhaps somewhat less than half altogether.

I was raised Catholic, and we weren't encouraged to read the Bible, at least not when I was growing up.

It is most definitely short attention span theater. No sustained narrative whatsoever. And it never develops any complex thoughts or themes. Perhaps that's why so many fundies can't begin to grasp anything more than a simple idea that can be expressed in short sentences, and very few of them at that.