I’ve never heard this before and I love it thanks for sharing that.
I mean, most Christians haven't and they still exist. The only people I know who've read the whole thing are now 1) Not religious, or 2) Actively working in a church.
yep once you really understand the incoherent contradictory mess in its entirety you only have two options. Accept it as flawed human writings, or double down into esoterica and live inside the contradiction. You can't really be a normie Christian at that point, since modern whitewashed christianity is so alien to the bible itself.
Just gotta pick one gospel that vibes with you (should probably be Luke) and discard the rest.
Dude it’s probably the most important and influential text of the western world. Everyone should read just to understand how it informs our current context. Not believing the bible and urging people to not read it is a similar level of ignorance to someone who believes in it and has never read it.
This is a ridiculous claim. Reading stories about how god and the devil trick a dude into committing incest or how humans used to be 10 ft tall and live a thousand years before a divine flood wiped out all the non-believers isn't at all necessary.
It's entirely possible to have a cogent understanding of western politics without delving into the depths of the mythology. You'd be far better off spending your time reading legitimate political literature or doing irl stuff.
When did I say that it’s impossible to understand western politics without reading the Bible? How is my claim ridiculous?
Your argument makes you sound like a Bible literalist. If you read such a text and conclude that one of the most important bits is “humans used to be 10ft tall” then you might struggle with reading comprehension.
I’d be happy to share journal articles relating to the importance of the Bible and politics if that’s what you’re interested in. However I think a great starting point on the Bible’s influence would be through literature. Chapter 2, 7, 14, 18 of How to Read Literature Like a Professor is a great starting point.
An example of biblical literature being relevant to modern day politics would be the story of Moses. Moses was born to two different worlds 1) the common/poor or overlooked and 2) the wealthy ruling class. Because of this he is able to not only appeal to the masses but also wield the power to control them (this story is repeated is numerous ancient texts as well). The modern Republican Party uses a similar tactic. Someone like Donald Trump appeals to voters by creating a story where he is relatable and “one of them.” However he also has the financial and cultural backing to be a popular candidate.
Wow, biblical stories have allegorical meanings? This is brand new information to me!
No shit there's some basic stories about human nature. Yes, christian fundamentalism has been a shaping force of the west. That still doesn't make the Bible itself worth reading especially when, as previously established, most christians themselves haven't done so.
It's like saying someone should read Dianetics to understand why Scientology is fucked up.
I’m not quite sure why you’re trying to debate if the Bible has allegories. Tbh you’re being weirdly aggressive about a point I never even brought up.
It’s hard to describe how ignorant it sounds to say that the Bible isn’t worth reading. Is the Quran worth reading? Are the Vedas worth reading? Most people haven’t read The Communist Manifesto so we should probably just forget about it since we get the gist of it. I’m a firm believer in evolution but I never read On the Origin of Species so I’m sure it isn’t a very valuable text. I’m all for remembering the slave trade and giving a voice to the generational trauma of African Americans, but I don’t think there’s any reason to read Beloved . How can you not realize how insane you sound? What makes a book valuable enough for you to read it?
And yes, reading Dianetics would give a great understanding of why Scientology is fucked up compared to some bs like “Tom cruise is a weirdo and gave all his money to Scientology so it must be the worst.”
I was raised Muslim, I've read the Quran twice, no it's not worth reading.
Many self proclaimed Christians have not read the Bible , and are appallingly ignorant of the bulk of it.
And when they do know the stories like the good Samaritan, they don't live it.
Wealthy Christians should not exist.
Hey, one of the underlying premises to that story is prejudice towards Samaritan's, and they understand the prejudice very well
“I am he” is more like God manifesting through a human body, than saying the current meaning.
Several translations later..
