Has anyone here actually read the bible back to back?

[Questerr]

when you are done with Asimov; find out what God says and compare.

Cool, can you point to any actual verified statements by a god?

 

[Lutherf]

The sad thing is I was such an avid reader in general , but it becomes increasingly more difficult with the phone etc

I totally understand. I don't sit down with a book anywhere near as much as I used to but I do make it a point to read a few chapters of scripture every week. Joining a study group has been a GREAT help along those lines and hosting a group has helped in my teaching. In fact, my Sunday group has a couple of members from near London and anyone that's interested is free to attend via Zoom.

 

[MamboDervish]

please read it again and re-think your statement.


blessings, april 8 not mistaken

Believe me, twice was more than enough.

The Author of the Universe is not a racist; not genocidal; not jealous; not vengeful; not capricious or schizophrenic; and certainly not misogynist in the extreme. Conversely, the authors of the bible were all those things ... in spades. They made god in man's image - not the other way around.

The Author of the Universe is not the author of that book.

 

[ralfy]

Harold Bloom mentions it as part of the Western Canon. It's remarkable, too, as it involves books whose content spans many centuries and cultures.

Reminds me of a colleague in grad school who said that it's one of the three main influences of the canon, the other two being Shakespeare and Greek and Roman classics.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

I’ve tried before I’ve tried reading it

I did it back when I was in my late teens.
The amount of contradictions blew my hair back so much I thought I was the Maxell guy.



And no, I no longer remember enough to quote chapter and verse but in many discussions I begin to recall passages I thought I'd forgotten.

 

[VySky]

I’ve tried before I’ve tried reading it I have tried via audiobook but have never been able to get through it. The Old Testament especially is difficult the constant references to where people are from and what they do and why god wants to screw them over to prove a point. There is very difficult books I’ve got through in the past like Moby Dick and Plato republic but has anyone actually got through the bible here ?

I have. Just once. That was during Covid.

 

[VySky]

Reading the Bible front to back doesn’t get you the feel of a typical book. The books of the Bible are not in chronological order.

 

[VySky]

Nothing from god that I'm aware of. Especially since there is no god.

You hope. Now that’s acceptable risk

 

[Noodlegawd]

I’ve tried before I’ve tried reading it I have tried via audiobook but have never been able to get through it. The Old Testament especially is difficult the constant references to where people are from and what they do and why god wants to screw them over to prove a point. There is very difficult books I’ve got through in the past like Moby Dick and Plato republic but has anyone actually got through the bible here ?

Nope, that would be a complete waste of time. If self-professed Christians spent half as much time actually helping people and society in general, as they spend reading the Bible and "praising Jesus," I couldn't even begin to imagine how much better this world would be.

 

[Noodlegawd]

Reading the Bible front to back doesn’t get you the feel of a typical book. The books of the Bible are not in chronological order.

True, not to mention the fact that "typical books" are often either entertaining or informative, or both. The Bible is neither of those things.

 

[Logician Man]

Conversely, the authors of the bible were all those things ... in spades. They made god in man's image - not the other way around.

This^

 

[tosca1]

I’ve tried before I’ve tried reading it I have tried via audiobook but have never been able to get through it. The Old Testament especially is difficult the constant references to where people are from and what they do and why god wants to screw them over to prove a point. There is very difficult books I’ve got through in the past like Moby Dick and Plato republic but has anyone actually got through the bible here ?

Many times.

I was like you. I couldn't even get past Genesis and I abandoned reading it. Until I stumbled onto a preacher on tv, CHARLES PRICE (now retired) who was reading from a passage and then explaining it.
He made it looks so easy reading and understanding it. I opened my bible to what he was reading - and it's like my eyes got opened.
I can clearly see and understand!
It's exactly how he explained it. That's what it says!
I started reading the Bible again since then, and never stopped.


But I got myself and using a bible study bible. (KJV).
It really helps a lot.
It has footnotes explaining terms, or customs etc..,

 

[Slartibartfast]

Yup. The Old Testament tends to be hard to get through whereas the New Testament is a lot easier.

 

[ataraxia]

It's kind of important, before you read the Bible cover to cover, to decide what your purpose in doing so is.

If you're merely curious about Christianity but haven't yet decided to jump in head first then read parts of the Bible. Reading Genesis and Exodus then skipping to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke is fine. Doing that will give you a good idea whether or not you want to dig a little deeper.

If your purpose in reading the Bible is to explore your faith a little more deeply then you probably know SOMETHING of Genesis and Exodus so read Job and Joshua from the OT and then Acts and Romans from the NT.

If you want to study the Bible then read Daniel and the Gospel of John FIRST to get a little idea of what you're going to be in for.

If all you want to do is hop on internet forums and bash Christians then DEFINITELY go cover to cover and take lots of notes because you will need them if you run into someone that has spent most of their life reading, rereading, discussing and teaching the Word.

Also, getting a historical background and perspective on how these books were put together tends to be a little disillusioning. If the goal is faith rather than understanding, this is definitely something to avoid. It’s like seeing how the sausage was made.

The Great Courses

www.thegreatcourses.com

 

[American]

I’ve tried before I’ve tried reading it I have tried via audiobook but have never been able to get through it. The Old Testament especially is difficult the constant references to where people are from and what they do and why god wants to screw them over to prove a point. There is very difficult books I’ve got through in the past like Moby Dick and Plato republic but has anyone actually got through the bible here ?

Because your heart is hardened, and you don't want to be taught.

 

[butterfly]

I have read all the books and taught most of them. Each has its unique wisdom and revelation of God. By reading an entire book in the Bible, you can understand the verses better because you see the context of that entire book. And, yes, I can enjoy the books of history: Joshua, Judges, I and II Samuel, I and II Kings and I and II Chronicles. I understand them in context of God helping the little guy.

 

[Revelation]

I have read all the books and taught most of them. Each has its unique wisdom and revelation of God. By reading an entire book in the Bible, you can understand the verses better because you see the context of that entire book. And, yes, I can enjoy the books of history: Joshua, Judges, I and II Samuel, I and II Kings and I and II Chronicles. I understand them in context of God helping the little guy.

amen Butter

God is all about 'helping the little guy'.

the Crescendo was the story of christmas, Joseph/Mary when they went to Bethlehem to bring our Messiah to earth. not to rule the first time but to Teach and die for us. Jesus paid the price for our sin an prepared heaven for those who do love and live a life for him.

the Old Testament to my deficit is not my favorite end of the bible; too many pages, so i read the new testament over and over thru the years.

my error, so don't follow me people; i do enjoy old testament sermons and lessons as my primary learning tool from that part of the book. as a young christian the New Testament was my fave and have read that numerous times till everything was quite familiar.

Jewish people missed their Messiah the first time because they wanted a King to kick out the Romans; God gave them a Savior instead, most reject that and still are asking for their version of Messiah who IS coming back when Armageddon about finished.

blessing Butter, it wont be long

 

[Stealers Wheel]

Really appreciate the response guys. Maybe I’m just trying to do it to say I have but I find it a real struggle.

There are a number of ways to approach this task. You can go front to back. You can read it chronologically, etc. There are many online reading guides to help you. Most will typically take a year. I also recommend a version that you can read easily. KJV can be tough.

Also, there are several excellent commentaries that can give you background info, helping to make sense of difficult or obscure passages and chapters. Without them, it can be like being dropped in a strange city with a detailed map, but without knowing where you are on the map, you can't make sense of it.

Good luck.

 

[Revelation]

There are a number of ways to approach this task. You can go front to back. You can read it chronologically, etc. There are many online reading guides to help you. Most will typically take a year. I also recommend a version that you can read easily. KJV can be tough.

the KJV can be tough, i started reading KJV in first grade and there are Very Good reasons for using that version.

but i also use a Parallel Bible with a paraphrase next to my King James to understand the Tough Stuff. the paraphrase is the Living Bible for days i need some help or a different angle; it acts like a bible commentary because it is a Paraphrase and not a translation.

Also, there are several excellent commentaries that can give you background info, helping to make sense of difficult or obscure passages and chapters.

definitely, unless you have had years of experience, the commentary is like having a PhD in theology reading with you through various passages. some commentaries don't really do Bible Prophecy good and have no clue; you need a specialist for those circumstances to get a window on Israel and the world today

Without them, it can be like being dropped in a strange city with a detailed map, but without knowing where you are on the map, you can't make sense of it.

Good luck.

 

[Lutherf]

Also, getting a historical background and perspective on how these books were put together tends to be a little disillusioning. If the goal is faith rather than understanding, this is definitely something to avoid. It’s like seeing how the sausage was made.

The Great Courses

www.thegreatcourses.com

Lots of scholars have lots of views on how the scripture came about and I'm not at all opposed to the idea that it was a process that developed over a very long time. That being said, viewing the scripture from an anthropological basis alone (and I'm not suggesting that's what Levine does) is an incomplete way of viewing it. Likewise, I think that viewing the scripture as divine inspiration handed word for word from God to Moses is equally incomplete (and likely incorrect as nowhere in my studies have I found such a claim in the scripture).

Is the Bible a story? Yes, structurally. That method of conveying ideas over long distances has been the primary way man has operated since the dawn of time.

Is the Bible mythology? No. The Bible DOES, in places, incorporate allusion to myth and components of mythological method but it does so as a way of engaging those listeners (or readers) that are already familiar with mythology. It's also important to remember that a myth isn't "a lie", it's just a way of conveying an idea.

Is the Bible history? Yes, kind of. There is a historical theme to the Bible but the purpose of scripture is not to teach history as much as it is to teach why history matters. The idea being conveyed is that an understanding of history allows us to better understand the present and apply principles that will improve the future.

I tend to think of the Bible as a crucible. In a way, I see it as a tool that allows diverse ideas to be dumped in, melted down to their basic components and refined into something new, something more useful and, if done right, stronger than the components were individually.

 

[ataraxia]

Lots of scholars have lots of views on how the scripture came about and I'm not at all opposed to the idea that it was a process that developed over a very long time. That being said, viewing the scripture from an anthropological basis alone (and I'm not suggesting that's what Levine does) is an incomplete way of viewing it. Likewise, I think that viewing the scripture as divine inspiration handed word for word from God to Moses is equally incomplete (and likely incorrect as nowhere in my studies have I found such a claim in the scripture).

Is the Bible a story? Yes, structurally. That method of conveying ideas over long distances has been the primary way man has operated since the dawn of time.

Is the Bible mythology? No. The Bible DOES, in places, incorporate allusion to myth and components of mythological method but it does so as a way of engaging those listeners (or readers) that are already familiar with mythology. It's also important to remember that a myth isn't "a lie", it's just a way of conveying an idea.

Is the Bible history? Yes, kind of. There is a historical theme to the Bible but the purpose of scripture is not to teach history as much as it is to teach why history matters. The idea being conveyed is that an understanding of history allows us to better understand the present and apply principles that will improve the future.

I tend to think of the Bible as a crucible. In a way, I see it as a tool that allows diverse ideas to be dumped in, melted down to their basic components and refined into something new, something more useful and, if done right, stronger than the components were individually.

Sure, I would agree with most of what you say here.

But how is this any different than other great work of literature, such as Homer’s Iliad, or the Shahnameh? These too are works with some basis in history, some great lessons for life- far transcending the time and place in which they were composed, and lots of food for thought and discussion.

 

[Lutherf]

Sure, I would agree with most of what you say here.

But how is this any different than other great work of literature, such as Homer’s Iliad, or the Shahnameh? These too are works with some basis in history, some great lessons for life- far transcending the time and place in which they were composed, and lots of food for thought and discussion.

The principle difference is that the Bible is not, like most mythological or heroic epics, ethnocentric. Yes, the primary focus is the Jewish people and their history but even in the Old Testament they are constantly subjected to the rule of other cultures. The purpose of that message is gradually refined through the Old Testament and reinforced in the New Testament as one where individual responsibility to God, without consideration of outside cultural influence, is the key to building strong relationships among everyone. Ultimately, the message of God is NOT specifically for the Israelites but is to be carried by the Israelites to the whole world.

 

[MamboDervish]

The principle difference is that the Bible is not, like most mythological or heroic epics, ethnocentric. Yes, the primary focus is the Jewish people and their history but even in the Old Testament they are constantly subjected to the rule of other cultures. The purpose of that message is gradually refined through the Old Testament and reinforced in the New Testament as one where individual responsibility to God, without consideration of outside cultural influence, is the key to building strong relationships among everyone. Ultimately, the message of God is NOT specifically for the Israelites but is to be carried by the Israelites to the whole world.

Well .... sorry .... but this is bullshit. It doesn't get any more ethnocentric than claiming that the Divine has declared a "Chosen People", and at times, driving that point home by calling for the genocide of other peoples.

 

[Revelation]

Well .... sorry .... but this is bullshit. It doesn't get any more ethnocentric than claiming that the Divine has declared a "Chosen People", and at times, driving that point home by calling for the genocide of other peoples.

keep trying.

God has chosen Israel and you declare you 'know better'

well what do you know? apparently not much about God, but you will in time for toast.

God loves you, but you don't love God. your choice and your consequences.

may wanna visit Bible church tonight for Good Friday, could be the last one perhaps.


...oops now he is so 'intellectual' huh. regrets a million for many.

but not you people.

blessings april 8 all month long...............


.

 

[Lisa]

when you are done with Asimov; find out what God says and compare.

Your claimed god doesn't say anything because the bible is the work of man. It is attributed or inspired by god but it is 100% the work of iron age man who would not be intelligent enough to earn a GED.

I read it in college as part of a theology course, but I don't like fiction.