Why do you figure that, as an atheist, you need to know the Bible better than Christians? Why do you care at all? Just curious, probably won't be a follow up.
This is a great question; and though it wasn't directed at me, I would like to freely offer some relative info. I'm not an atheist, but I'm not a subscriber to the biblical narrative. What fascinates me are two things:
a) Near East history; whether geopolitical, sociopolitical, or religious.
b) The failed relationship with my mother (RIP). She was your typical doting and attentive mother of the 60's; divorced by 1970. After her divorcing my father, she went into this "search" phase; trying to discover meaning and purpose. She finally found refuge in Christianity, of which I too became involved, and eventually "saved".
But such fundamental changes have effects. Initially, as a "saved" church-going family, everything appeared idyllic. What I didn't take into consideration however was the distinct change in my mother. She stopped being loving "mom", and assumed this role of distant "religious teacher". From then on, for the rest of her life, whenever we talked or got together, EVERY SINGLE DISCUSSION involved a God and/or Jesus filter. She lost all her motherly compassion, became emotionally aloof; everything was according to "God's purpose". No matter what I wanted to talk to her about, she injected God and/or Jesus into the discussion. Every single time for the next 40 years. She eventually sent me to live with my father, for whatever reason, even though I was smack-dab in the middle of a private Christian education. I was still a believer. Soon afterwards, "God told her" she had to move away to another state, far away from her children. She spent the next 33 years completely isolated from her family, and never married again. At some point during my adulthood, I began searching for my own answers; and I realized Christianity was merely another ideological pursuit that didn't provide those answers. I wanted to understand the ideology that separated me from my mother. I wanted to understand the CONTEXT of the revered texts, and not the dogmatic principles behind them which consumed my mother. After decades of distancing herself, she eventually died alone in a freezing room with nobody to attend to her.
I just want to understand why.
Anyway, perhaps I've said too much; but now you get a clearer picture.
OM
