Why Atheist Should Read The Bible

[Ottomenen]

Religion forces people to act good, however, not everyone who claims to be a christian acts like one.

[StrengthOfADragon]

I was raised Christian, since then have become an atheist. But at no point did I feel jaded about Christianity or the Bible. The Bible is great, and the Christians who seriously live by its teachings are good people.

I think it is rare to find someone who shares this view and it is not a surprise that I find myself drawn to the content you are making

[justamustachewithoutaguy]

If Christianity formed the foundation of western culture, then Buddhism did the same for the east. Your could see huge influences of both on their respective peoples.

[AnArtistInAVoid]

I might not be religious, or actively supportive of any religion, but I do recognize that christianity has been a huge influence on the world.

[okaberintarou]

I agree 100%, the only thing I dislike about the whole Religion thing is how the church has always used spirituality and fear for their own benefit. Oh yeah, and ofc all the blind followers who choose to believe simply for comfort, can't handle any criticism ("you heretic, how dare you to question god's great plan etc")

[Rufusdadoofus]

As a Christian when I talk to non-believers they have a hard time grasping some of the horrible things in the Bible mainly from the Old Testament. The Old Testament shows the brutality of humans and their sinful nature. Humans run into a cycle of being faithful to god then unfaithful and repeat. Many prophecies were written about the coming king to save the world (in which he fulfilled all of them). The old testament overall was a metanaritive leading to the life of Jesus (New Testament) where we are given a new covenant that changed everything. We humans are given a choice on if we want to accept him or not. He forgives anything you have ever done in life and only wants the best for you. That doesn’t mean we always listen though as we are all sinful creatures and will fall short. That’s why it is best to keep a close relationship with him for it helps with our strength against them.

[zphr_]

Rightfully so. And to emphasise on the "read" the bible part, discernment is a pretty big theme that's consistently mentioned. In a lot of the events that are recorded in the Bible (prominently, Genesis and the garden of Eden), the enemy's greatest (and only) tactic was lies and deceit. I find this somewhat poetic to modern society, given that all the wrong things get mixed with the right, and everyone's still figuring out which is which. With all the noise flying around, it can be hard to know what to think, and how.
Matthew 7:7: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

[stephentitus]

I read the bible and that’s why I’m an atheist

[jonneville]

Also non-religious here and also agree it's great literature. Book of Job is brutally poignant.

[frostiesr]

Moral values can be reached independently of religion. Imo that’s a very cherry picked example as Christian values have also lead to the murder and genocide of millions even in a Christian society were the percentage of people who participated in faith was far larger than what it is today.

[mad_E]

I've never read the bible (merely because I am a lazy reader so it'd take me years to finish it), but I have 3 friends that have read it. What I found interesting were their points of views on it. 1 summarized it as a love story between a father and son. The 2nd said it was boring and it had a bunch of malicious and unreasonable events. Finally, the 3rd said he was enlightened, and has found purpose to do good and spread the word so no body ends up in hell.

With the different perspectives I made my opinion that people are too focused on being right. You have some that are completely for the bible, to the point that its their personality, but completely miss the key points the bible is trying to convey. Where the people that supposedly notice the "wrong" within it just merely focus on that! When they forget that tragedy is everywhere, and they too are missing point! Which is hilarious!

Its a philosophical book that could benefit some, just like whatever people decide to let themselves be influenced by through watching, listening, etc. And some books are hard to understand what message they're trying to send out, but also just like any book, show, music, it shouldn't be forced onto someone who just isnt interested.

The beauty about learning is that you can do it in different ways. However, no one should bubble themselves into one idea.

Set your pride aside and just listen and learn, whether you're the one teaching or learning.

So I partially agree with you.
I feel like if someones wants to judge, and deem something as good/bad, they should allow themselves to be open, and understanding. This goes for both opposing parties. Otherwise, one is going to repeat the same defence meanwhile the other will repeat the same argument as if it already won the trial. Now both parties are upset because THEY BOTH HAVENT COMPLETELY RELAYED OUT THE MESSAGE, and they're just going in circles.

You're wrong because I'm right! Im right because you're wrong!

Its hilarious!

[x.o.x.o.x.o]

I agree for most people, and i'm not trying to say i'm special or different, but i've come to view morals as what's in my best interest. A society where rape, murder, and assult is taboo keeps me safe and living a happier life, so i go along with that. I also think a lot of it is because of empathy. If i got raped id feel horrible in that situation. Seeing a story of a women getting raped on the news will disgust and scare me because im viewing it as "what if i were her".

[WalkingRoscoe]

A man named Josh McDowell, many decades ago, sought out to disprove the Bible...

He eventually became an apologist.

[macias]

even famous atheist influencers like Richard Dawkins just recently admitted to being a cultural christian and how important Christianity was and is to the world since society pretty much benefits from the moral values that Judeo-Christianity taught

[Hasse]

"And kill every woman who has slept with a man,
18 but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man."

very protective of women, indeed. We have morality despite the bible not because of it.

[theminecommander]

I do, it's important to understand that while it is a great piece of literature, it is just that. It is not a story book, nor is it the end-all-be-all. It is a book full of metaphors.

[Humourous_Pie]

I am not a product of my morality. I was raised as Catholic then Protestant. Over the course of time I questioned things even as a child sitting in the Catholic church. I asked God why I wasn't close to him? It was a question that could only be answered by God not humans.

Religion shows you a moral code to live by. God shows you how to live a surrendered life.

If we could make it on our own then why do we need a belief in God only to be good in our own eyes?

God brings in conviction when we have wronged him or others. It's about a personal relationship with him and fellowship with other believers.

Sometimes it's really hard to find the fellowship with believers if they don't agree with you on the teachings. I have the biblical faith but not the tribe that fits the vibe.

[KatlegoMatlala-bs]

WOW. looking at it from that point really changes things.

[alimithani]

The fact that people think we needed the bibble to become a more moral society is insane to me! We had plenty people saying the same shit before the apostles.

[seilakkkk]

If someone say this to someone on r/atheism, they are probably going to get banned for life lmao