What Percentage of DUers Has Read the Entire Bible,

[MineralMan]

including Old and New Testaments, during their lifetime? Answer this poll and we'll get an idea.

35 votes, 1 pass | Time left: Unlimited
	I am a Christian and I have read the entire Bible.
	10 (29%)
	I am not a Christian and I have read the entire Bible.
	14 (40%)
	I am a Christian, and I have not read the entire Bible.
	3 (9%)
	I am not a Christian and I have not read the entire Bible.
	6 (17%)
	Never mind. None of your business.
	0 (0%)
	I can't remember.
	0 (0%)
	Other
	2 (6%)
	1 DU member did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[valerief]

1. Oy vey! Why isn't this in a Religion group? Democracy is secular. nt

[MineralMan]

6. Because it is not a religious thread.

It's just a question about whether a person has read it. It's an important piece of writing in the Western World. It has had great influence on lots of things. I'm not asking if people believe the Bible, just whether they have read it. We're not having a religious discussion.

If I asked whether people had read Moby Dick or some Charles Dickens novel, or On Walden Pond, it would be a similar question.

[valerief]

7. The Bible is ENTIRELY religious. That's its purpose. nt

[MineralMan]

15. That is correct, but a person can read it in many ways.

It also purports to be history. I'm not a religious person, but I recognize that it has influenced western civilization. I've read most major works that have influenced western civilization. It's important in that regard, and reference to it are numerous, so it's been part of my education.

[Yo_Mama]

21. It's also a piece of history

There are some sections that go through the history of Israel, and the entire book has a huge place in western history.

I've read Mein Kampf because it was historically relevant. I think Nazis were and are disgusting, but that doesn't mean that our history wasn't hugely affected by the warped theories laid out in that book. So I read it.

Just because someone reads something doesn't believe one believes something.

[L0oniX]

38. +1

[REP]

88. I've read several English translations as part of my English classes

There was absolutely no discussion about the content of the book or the rightness or wrongness of the translations from a theological standpoint; the focus was on changes in the language, poetry, etc. read that way, parts of it can be quite good reading (I never saw a great version of the 'begats').

[Bluenorthwest]

39. No, it is a question which asks first for one's religion or lack of one and then asks about reading

a particular religious text. If it just asked about the text, maybe not a religious thread, but 'I'm a Christian' and 'I'm not a Christian' are personal and religious questions which have not to do with the question 'have you read it'. Your question is two questions.

[MineralMan]

41. You needn't answer it, then, if that's a problem for you.

Others are participating. I don't expect everyone to do that in any poll. There is no compulsion to participate.

[Kelvin Mace]

8. See your point,

however as a substantial portion of politicians believe it to be the lteral word of "God" and use it to make policy, it is a GD topic.

[valerief]

12. No, those pols are the topic, not the damn bible. nt

[MineralMan]

17. Anyone who claims to have read the Bible and thinks

our Constitution is based on it is a liar about having read one or the other.

[valerief]

19. I don't see a question about pols or the constitution in your poll, just religious stuff. nt

[MineralMan]

22. Well, see, the thing is that it's news right now, since news stories about

a politician who says that the Constitution is based on the Bible are currently being discussed here on DU.

I also have a poll about how many have recently read the Constitution.

This is not a religion thread. I don't care about religion, which is why I asked the question of both Christians and non-Christians.

[malthaussen]

33. Well, we could have an entertaining time discussing that one...

... but not, I think, in DU.

Depends on how literal you want to be.

-- Mal

[MineralMan]

42. Yes. I'd have done something different if I wanted to have that discussion.

It's not a simple discussion, and wouldn't be that interesting for many. I've had it a number of times, though, or have attempted to have it. Proponents of the idea that the two are connected don't seem to stick to the discussion very long.

[Kelvin Mace]

81. What if the poll was asking about "Atlas Shrugged"?

Would that be different? Ayn Rand's works are considered the "Bible" of the Libertarian movement.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

57. If it was in the Religion group

I would not have taken part in the poll because I'm not religious, and don't go in the religion group...but I have read the bible.

[Tikki]

2. I am not a Christian, never read it..but if you have a question about it, there is no shortage...

of answers to your question.


Tikki

[Hepburn]

3. I read it, re-read it and thought about a third read, but...

...the first two reads had convinced me it was a fairy tale!

[MineralMan]

13. Thanks for your reply and your vote.

[RKP5637]

20. I read part of it and other than for some questionable historic value I stopped, I found it

a bunch of nonsense cobbled together, especially the book of revelations. I thought of it as akin to an indoctrination manual.

[Kelvin Mace]

4. Grammar nit pick

"...have read the entire Bible"

I am an atheist and have read a good bit of the Bible, not not all.

Also, WHICH Bible, there are a number of versions.

[MineralMan]

9. That's why I put the word "entire" in there.

As for different translations, I don't think that matters very much for this question. Personally, I've read three different translations over my lifetime. They all say pretty the same things.

[hfojvt]

11. true

I have not read every book in the Catholic Bible, even though I am now nominally Catholic.

[Bennyboy]

10. Read it growing up Christian,

My Mom she lived the bible. bible study, bible school, she taught it everything.. But she knew NOTHING aobut it. She couldn't get the jeopardy answers most of the time. Weird that book, so many characters, so much dialog etc.....

[RC]

59. I used to know a strongly religious woman.

She said she had read the entire Bible 6 or 7 times and planed to read it again. Me, a non-believer knew more about the Bible than she did.
She had a masters in education and otherwise was quite intelligent. But she believed what she believed.

[Iggo]

14. I've read Lord Of The Rings twice.

[countryjake]

78. +1

Me too! (at approximately the same time that I first read the book in question)

[bravenak]

79. +1

And ASOIAF many times.

[MADem]

16. I have probably read as much Quran as Bible.

Frankly, I find them to be horribly BORING. I don't think any of the versions are well written and the stories are a bit lame and obvious, the lessons--for want of a better word, and this word has been over-used here lately--patriarchal, and there's far too much smiting and violence and revenge and dumb-ass rules.

Of course, if you look around the world, there are a lot of people still buying off on those attitudes and pulling that same stupid BS, so I suppose we haven't come too far in a couple of thousand years, in some respects.

[EvilAL]

18. I'm not sure if you mean

the entire bible as in both New and Old Testaments. I answered that I read the entire bible, but I really only entirely read the New Testament and that was when I was very young.

[MineralMan]

24. I included both Old and New Testaments in

the question, which continued from the title. Maybe you missed that.

[EvilAL]

29. Yeah I did miss that.. Fixed it..

[malthaussen]

23. Read the whole thing a couple of times...

... I'm a firm believer in knowing my enemy.

I have also spent a bit of time studying theology and exegesis. I prefer to have at least a nodding acquaintance with a subject before I discuss it.

-- Mal

[MineralMan]

25. Thanks.

[jberryhill]

26. Why is your poll not directed to the question?

My guess is 5%

[NuclearDem]

28. I was a Christian and read the entire Bible when I was.

Turns out that was probably a bad idea to force someone to read the whole thing and then demand they ignore the inconsistencies and evil stuff.

[Johnyawl]

30. I was a christian when I read the entire bible...

...(my father was a pentecostal minister, I had no choice), it was later that I lost my faith. And reading the entire thing contributed to me rejecting religion.

[Arugula Latte]

52. That tends to happen to those who use their innate logic and reason.

[seabeckind]

31. Never saw the point n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

32. "The bible is a book with some beautiful poetry, a bloodstained history, a wealth of obscenity, and

upwards of 10,000 lies." Mark Twain

However, I'm not Christian and have read much of the Bible and a number of books about the Bible. And, I agree with Twain's synopsis of the contents.

[Aerows]

34. I went to private school all of my life

Bible was one of the subjects that was required. I also further studied it in a literature class on mythology in college.

[think]

35. Numbers & 1 or 2 other OT books I just never managed to read through completely. Bad on me

There are some NT writings of Paul that I'm probably not real familiar with as well though I've read them.....

[MineralMan]

48. I hear you on that. Still, there are so many things that are

referential to Old Testament figures and stories in western culture that it always has seemed that a thorough reading of the Bible makes sense in relation to all of the other literature and philosophy.

I will admit to skimming through Numbers, though.

[Rex]

36. I do sometimes wonder what percentage of DUers have read all four of the Vedas

but not very often.

[MineralMan]

40. I have, but they have had only minor influence on our own history.

Interesting, though, in their own right. The same can be said of the Quran.

I've also read the Book of Mormon, which only goes to show that I've been persistent in my reading of religious scriptures.

[Democracyinkind]

37. Thanks for making me remember... ;)

[L0oniX]

43. Read it many many times all the way through and continue to reread mostly NT.

Doesn't make me a christian for doing so and it also doesn't make me a believer nor does it make me a better person. For me it is inspirational and foments introspect ...it also has provided me an understanding of what's wrong with other believers understanding and my own. Most are misdirected and the truth is maligned by wolves posing as preachers and teachers. I will say this ...IMO everyone will not be lost. I base that on what most believe. 1) God is perfect 2) God is everywhere throughout time 3) God knows everything 4) God is all powerful. So God has no plan B or He is not perfect. He is not caught off guard or He is not all knowing. No one can be "lost" or God is a loser. ...and I got a lot more where that came from.

[MineralMan]

47. Lots of non-Christians have read it, just as I have read many

other scriptures. I'm interested in human history and philosophy, and scriptures are interesting in both regards.

[L0oniX]

50. Right now my filter verse is Eph 2:8.

Reading others with that one in mind can and does change what is understood. The other major change in understanding what is being said is to apply this ...when Jesus said or did anything it should be kept in mind that He was living under the old covenant and was bound by that covenant. A lot of conflicts can be eliminated with that.

[Johonny]

44. My project to read the whole bible ended like my project to read Atlas Shrugged

At some point I got bored and realized there was other better written stuff to read. I found I enjoyed reading bible criticism and those interesting section of the bible than it is to read the whole thing. It turns out the good book has lots of stuff that is boring and that is seldom read. I imagine piece by piece I'll read the whole thing but then what does it mean to read the whole thing if translation matters... oh the problems with loaded subjects

[MineralMan]

46. Well, there are some Old Testament books that are a real slog.

Numbers, in particular. I confess to skimming through that book fairly quickly, more to see all of the names, since some reoccur. But, compelling writing it is not.

[Blue_In_AK]

45. I've read it a few times, different versions.

I no longer consider myself a Christian, since that term has been co-opted by the Talibangelicals. I'm more of a Jesusonian. I like the things he taught quite a bit, but I'm not down with that whole "divine" thing unless one considers that we're ALL divine, and since I'm agnostic about the existence of god, that's probably not legit.

[hollysmom]

49. I took a course in college, was supposed to be easy, was boring

I they would not let me take another science course, even though that was interesting, had to take a literature course. We also read several books analyzing the bible as history and as myth. I barely passed the exam because it asked questions like how many brothers and sisters did Jesus have? it was 6. I don't remember reading that anywhere .

[grahamhgreen]

51. I consider myself a Christian, as well as other things, but I could not get past Leviticus!!!!

[Blue_In_AK]

61. It's a tremendous downer, isn't it?

[WatermelonRat]

53. Not in one sitting, but between all the times I've been bored in hotel rooms, probably.

Definitely the New Testament, though I'm not sure I ever got to the middle/later Old Testament.

[longship]

54. Could not get through Numbers and Leviticus.

They are crushingly dull, especially in the King James Version which used out of date language even when it was first published.

I have an interest in the Bible, but does it have to suck as a read? I am not expecting Stephen King, but a good modern and accurate translation would be very helpful.

Alas, I'll likely will not ever read the whole thing.

[Curmudgeoness]

58. You are right about Numbers,

but how do you write a book that is basically a family tree without boring the crap out of everyone.

Now Leviticus, I found very entertaining. What's not to like about all the insane laws that were listed?

[lunasun]

55. Torquemada is that you posting????????????

[Curmudgeoness]

56. Well, I have not read the ENTIRE Bible,

because getting through Numbers is impossible. So I skipped it after a few pages of mind-numbing boredom. But I have read most of the rest of it. I may have gotten bored with a few other places and skipped them as well. I first thought that I would start at the beginning and just read it that way, but after a few attempts, and getting stopped at Numbers, I had to come up with a better plan that did not include sections that made me stop.

[mnhtnbb]

63. Numbers is where there's a description of an abortion ritual.

Your evaluation might have something to do with why so many Bible thumpers
are totally oblivious to it.

Did you ever read Numbers 5:11-31

[Curmudgeoness]

67. Well, I have now.

No, I did not get that far....didn't get past the first chapter and decided it was best to skip that book. Silly me.

It rather sounds like a test for witches, give them a poison and if they don't die, they were not witches. Of course, most usually died, witch or not. Same goes for this ritual---a pure woman will not miscarry. Yeah, right.

[mnhtnbb]

73. It's an abortion ritual designed to make sure that a man doesn't have to

support a child that he suspects is not his.

Clever, huh?

Clearly, though, the result of the process is to abort any fetus.

[lunasun]

94. KJV I think iis a standard version

creepy ritual stuff
oh yeah and something to miscarry =bitter herb tincture
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+5:11-31&version=KJV

I would like to see that old movie The Devil again

[tblue37]

60. I have long had an interest in comparative mythologies, so

I have read the whole thing more than once, read widely in literary, historical, and anthropological analyses of the bible, and taken college courses in the subject, as well, even though I am an atheist.

I think nonbelievers often know a whole lot more about the bible and about Judaism and Christianity than believers do.

[mnhtnbb]

62. How about a response for those who

have identified themselves as "Christian" at one point in their lives,
but no longer do so?

That's me.

I used to go to Sunday school classes and have read a fair amount
of the Bible--but not all of it.

[Coyotl]

64. You mean "have read" not?

Or are you toning down the intellect for the bible thumpers

[etherealtruth]

65. Raised catholic ... did not read any of the bible

Not Catholic now (or for 30+ years)

[Warren DeMontague]

66. Aren't there like 50 straight pages of "Begats"?

I mean, how precisely does one "read" that?

[TBF]

68. Cover to cover? No.

A good portion of it over the years however. Sermons, Sunday School etc ... I consider myself agnostic but will attend church now if someone wants to go (the aforementioned lessons are from many years ago).

[Agony]

69. I quit after discovering the idiots who wrote Genesis could not get their creation story straight

why waste any more time with poorly sourced crap like that when there is gobs of reality based stuff to read?

[boston bean]

70. I have read a good portion of it, but really can't remember much

of it. It never sunk in, I guess.

[madinmaryland]

71. It's been at least 40 years since I attempted to. I think I got through

most of it, but just ran out of interest towards the end of the New Testaments. It was interesting coming across passages in sermons that I had heard in the past and seeing the full context of the passage.

[hrmjustin]

72. Read it and have to say some of it is interesting and some is boring.

I am more of a fan of the NT.

[countryjake]

74. I don't get why this is posted in GD. Your poll is very specific...

requiring posters to declare some religion (or not) before answering whether or not we've read the entire book.

I studied the thing when I was a child, thru two years of catechism beginning at age thirteen, read it twice during that time, confirmed at fifteen, refused to take communion with my class one week after that confirmation. Have read it again, along with most of the other religious texts, since my youth and those further studies confirmed my belief that none of them are very good books.

[hobbit709]

75. I read it because one needs to know the enemy.

[hrmjustin]

86. Who is your enemy?

[hobbit709]

92. fanatics of any type but especially religious ones

[hrmjustin]

95. .

[shraby]

76. I never could get past the begats.

[bravenak]

77. Read several different versions.

King James, life application study bible, and a couple more. Liked the life application study bible best, although it solidified my lack of belief.

I truly never believed any of it, and I would pray as a child to be able to believe like everyone else.
Just couldn't do it. I don't even believe Jesus was ever one living person.

[countryjake]

85. I had similar struggle within myself as a kid...

and it wasn't an easy thing to finally admit during the early sixties, in the area where I was raised. But, as you've said, studying the book is what actually brought me to a very certain realization.

If you've never seen this, you might appreciate Yvonne Elliman's song, as Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

80. I read the whole thing when I was in high school

out of curiosity, not religious conviction. Still not sure why I did it; maybe because it was there.

[Inkfreak]

82. I vote Christian and have. But I'm not practicing.

And I'm agnostic I guess. So I dunno what I should vote. I wouldn't have read it otherwise. But I did enjoy it as a young kid. The Old Testament was full of stories I eagerly read. Not believed so much.

[LWolf]

83. Twice. Cover to cover. I'm not a Christian.

When I was in high school, I DID want to read in context all the bits spouted at me by relatives and neighbors in their efforts to "save" me, so I read the whole thing. Twice. It didn't "save" me. I did find it fascinating, though, as a lover of stories, and a lover of history, historical fiction, and mythology; it DID spark my life-long interest in comparative religion.

[Vashta Nerada]

84. I'm an atheist, and not only did I read the bible, I studied it.

[Generic Brad]

87. I've read through it multiple times

I am an atheist, I might add.

[uppityperson]

89. It depends on the definition of "Christian", raised lib protestant and read the whole thing, though

may have skimmed begats

[MineralMan]

91. The definition is an individual one.

For me, at least. If someone says she is a Christian, then she is, by definition.

[uppityperson]

93. In which case I still chose Other and read but skimmed bits as can not define myself by the undefine

undefined

[H2O Man]

90. Other.

I have read the bible. I am a human being. I believe in all major religions; most minor ones; and no religion whatsoever.

[riderinthestorm]

96. I desperately wanted to be a believer. Read the "Good News Bible" cover to cover at 13 yrs old

then read through the King James Version twice before I was 18 years old.

Prayed! Gawd, I prayed. Desperate to be "filled with the holy spirit" and to be saved from a bad family situation and homelessness.

I was an Awana superstar. Knew ALL the bible verse challenges.

Tried on every faith on campus during my college years before finally graduating, and shedding, any desire for a faith based life.

Best decision of my life. I simply stopped trying to make myself believe - anything - and finally found peace. True inner peace in atheism.

I think most atheists have more knowledge of religious texts than those who claim to be believers.