Have you read the bible, cover to cover?

[Evoman]

I bet that this poll has been done before, although I'm not sure. Anyways, lets do it again. Have you read the bible from cover to cover (or at least over 75% of it)...no lying now....

[Vexatious Ape]

1. How about this:

I'm an atheist/agnostic and have read some parts of the Bible.

[jeff30997]

7. Same answer.

[damntexdem]

20. Yeah, that's me, too.

I don't know what my cat's breath smells like and don't intend to find out.

[MistressOverdone]

48. Really? You don't?

My cat walks on me and breathes right into my nose.

[Mass]

2. Why does it matter? Is it more important than the Torah, the Koran, or Confucius teachings?\nt

[jeff30997]

11. Bible,Torah, the Koran...

Is it more important than Lord of the Rings? Because I put them all

in the same category:Fiction/Fantasy.

[catbert836]

25. Yes, it is.

The Lord of the Rings has not had such a profound effect, mostly highly negative, on the development of the human race and our culture.

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. I advocated getting one's ideas of morality from The Silmarillion

just a couple of days ago. I can't tell how serious I was. :evilgrin:

[MistressOverdone]

49. I respect your opinion

that these "sacred" texts are fictional, and therefore in the same category as Lord of the Rings, but these texts are hugely different in their impact.

[Warpy]

14. Not if you're an atheist

and I read most of that stuff, too, to see if I'd missed anything.

I hadn't.

Either you have a god or you don't.

[Igel]

18. For some purposes, the Bible is more important than the Qur'an.

(Of course, the Torah is simply part of the Tanakh which is part of the Bible.)

You want to understand Milton or Dostoevsky, you know the Bible and how it was interpreted when he lived. The Qur'an gets you nowhere.

You want to understand Qutb, it helps to read the Qur'an. The Bible doesn't get you very far.

I was taught early on that "important" is a word fairly devoid of meaning when stripped of context. Important for what? to whom? under what conditions?

[Evoman]

19. I've read most of the Qu'ran, bits of the Trah and some Confucius

A little bible knowledge, and some of its themes, is helpful in understanding other literature. Otherwise, I pretty much agree with you. I just read it out of curiosity..and because I like flipping the pages of bibles....they have that nice thin paper in em.

[donco6]

3. Currently an "other" but professed Christian in the past.

And I have read the entire bible many times.

[krispos42]

4. II Chronicles 4:2

I use it to piss off the fundies :-)

[JackintheGreen]

9. Maybe I'm thick, but...

How does

4:2 Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.

piss off fundies? Because it miscalculates pi?

[jeff30997]

12. Lol!

Maybe it's pissing them off because they never heard of pi ? :shrug:

[jgraz]

37. And yesterday was Pi day!

[krispos42]

42. Bingo!

The Bible has a flaw. Egro, it is not perfect.

I explained that to my very nice but fundie sister-in-law, and she just brushed it off... BUT the matter dropped rather quickly! :-)

[HockeyMom]

16. Didn't read in the Bible in Catholic School

Other than passages the Priest read during Mass. Actually in HS, we spend more time learing about OTHER RELIGIONS.

[mahina]

5. twice.

Reformed Catholic here.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. Multiple times.

[shain from kane]

8. King James version, Douhy version, Goods News for Modern Man, Bible Stories for Children,

Aldhelm: Psalms (existence disputed). Old English, late seventh or early eighth centuries. From the Vulgate.
Aldred: "Northumbrian Gloss on the Gospels" in the Lindisfarne Gospels. Old English, 950 to 970. From the Vulgate.
King Alfred: Pentateuch, including the Ten Commandments; possibly also the Psalms. Old English, c. 900. From the Vulgate.
Ælfric: Pentateuch, Book of Joshua, Judges. Old English, c. 990. From the Vulgate.
Bede: Gospel of John (lost). Old English, c. 735. From the Vulgate.
Caedmon manuscript: a few English Bible verses. Old English, between 700 and 1000. From the Vulgate.
Caxton: various passages. Middle English, published in Golden Legend (1483) and The Book of the Knight in the Tower (1484). From a French translation.
Farman: Gloss on the Gospel of Matthew in the Rushworth Gospels. Old English, 950 to 970. From the Vulgate.
A Catholic New Testament. Middle English, c. 1400. From the Vulgate.
The Ormulum: some passages from the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Middle English, c. 1150. From the Vulgate.
A translation of Revelation. Middle English, early fourteenth century. From a French translation.
Rolle: various passages, including some of the Psalms. Middle English, early fourteenth century. From the Vulgate.
"Wessex Gospels". Old English, c. 990. From the Vulgate.
West Midland Psalms. Middle English, early fourteenth century. From the Vulgate.
Twelve different ninth-century English glosses of Latin psalters, including the Vespasian Psalter and "Eadwine's Canterbury Psalter." From the Vulgate.
Brenton's English Translation of the Septuagint: Old Testament. Modern English, 1844. From the Septuagint.
The Apostles' Bible: Old Testament. Modern English. From the Septuagint.
Bible in Worldwide English: New Testament. Modern English, 1969. Paraphrase of the original Greek.
Cotton Patch Series: New Testament. Modern English, 1973. Paraphrase of the original Greek.
God's New Covenant: A New Testament Translation: New Testament. Modern English. From the original Greek?
International Standard Version: New Testament, with Old Testament in translation. Modern English. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. Modern English, 1844. Revision of the King James Version. Also called "Inspired Version of the Bible."
Kleist-Lilly New Testament: New Testament. Modern English, 1956. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek?
McCord's New Testament Translation of the Everlasting Gospel: New Testament. Modern English. From the original Greek?
The New Authorized Version: New Testament and parts of the Old Testament. Modern English, 1998. Revision of the King James Version.
Orthodox Study Bible: New Testament and Psalms, with the rest of the Old Testament in translation. Modern English. Revision and annotation of the New King James Version.
Phillips New Testament in Modern English: New Testament. Modern English. From the original Greek.
Spencer New Testament: New Testament. Modern English, 1941. From the Vulgate.
Twentieth Century New Testament: New Testament. Modern English. From the original Greek?
The Unvarnished New Testament: New Testament. Modern English, 1991. From the original Greek?
World English Bible: New Testament, with Old Testament in translation. Modern English. From the Majority Text.
Wuest Expanded Translation: New Testament. Modern English, 1961. From the Nestle-Aland Text.
The Emphatic Diaglott: New Testament. Modern English, 1864. From original Greek?
American Standard Version. Modern English, 1901. From the Masoretic Text and the Textus Receptus?
American King James Version. Modern English, 1999. Revision of the King James Version.
Amplified Bible. Modern English, 1965. Revision of the American Standard Version.
Analytical-Literal Translation. Modern English. From the original Hebrew and Aramaic, and the Majority Text.
ArtScroll Tanakh: Old Testament. Modern English, 1996. From the Masoretic Text.
Bible in Basic English. Basic Modern English, 1949. Paraphrase of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek?
The Bible in Living English. Modern English, 1972. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek?
Bishops' Bible. Early Modern English, 1568. From the Masoretic Text and the Textus Receptus?
Children's King James Version. Modern English. Revision of the King James Version.
Christian Community Bible, English version. Modern English, 1986. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Complete Jewish Bible. Modern English, 1998. Paraphrase of the Jewish Publication Society of America Version (Old Testament), and from the original Greek (New Testament).
Complete Moffatt Bible. Modern English, 1935. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Confraternity Bible. Modern English, 1941. Revision of the Challoner Revision of the Douay-Rheims Bible.
Contemporary English Version. Modern English, 1995. Paraphrase translation from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
A Conservative Version. Modern English, 2005. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Darby Bible. Modern English, 1890. From the Masoretic Text and the Textus Receptus?
Douai Bible. Early Modern English, 1609. From the Vulgate.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner Revision). Modern English, 1752. From the Vulgate.
EasyEnglish Bible. Basic Modern English, 2001. Paraphrase of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek?
Easy-to-Read Version. Basic Modern English, 1989. Paraphrase of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek?
English Jubilee 2000 Bible. Modern English. From the Reina-Valera, 1602 Edition.
English Standard Version. Modern English, 2001. From the Masoretic Text and a critical Greek New Testament text.
Ferrar Fenton Bible. Modern English, 1853. From the Masoretic Text and the Textus Receptus?
Geneva Bible. Early Modern English, 1560. From the Masoretic Text and the Textus Receptus.
God's Word (bible translation). Modern English, 1995. Paraphrase translation from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Good News Translation. Modern English, 1976. Paraphrase translation from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Great Bible. Early Modern English, 1539. From the Masoretic Text, the Textus Receptus, the Vulgate, and the Luther Bible.
Green's Literal Translation. Modern English. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Holman Christian Standard Bible. Modern English, 2004. From a critical version of the Masoretic Text and the Nestle-Aland Text.
Jerusalem Bible. Modern English, 1966. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, with influence from the French La Bible de Jérusalem.
Jewish Publication Society of America Version: Old Testament. Modern English, 1917. From the Masoretic Text.
Judaica Press Tanakh: Old Testament. Modern English, 1963. From the Masoretic Text.
Julia E. Smith Parker Translation. Modern English, 1876. From the Masoretic Text and the Textus Receptus?
King James 2000 Version. Modern English, 2000. Revision of the King James Version.
King James Version. Early Modern English, 1611. From the Masoretic Text and the Textus Receptus.
Knox's Translation of the Vulgate. Modern English, 1955. From the Vulgate, with influence from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Lamsa Bible. Modern English, 1933. From the Peshitta.
The Living Bible. Modern English, 1971. Paraphrase of the American Standard Version.
The Message (Bible). Modern English, 2002. Paraphrase of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Matthew Bible. Early Modern English, 1537. From the Masoretic Text, the Textus Receptus, the Vulgate, the Luther Bible, and a French version.
Modern King James Version. Modern English, 1999.
The Modern Language Bible. Modern English, 1969. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek?
James Murdock's Translation of the Syriac Peshitta. Modern English. From the Peshitta.
New American Bible. Modern English, 1970. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
New American Standard Bible. Modern English, 1971. From a critical version of the Masoretic Text and the Nestle-Aland Text.
New Century Version. Basic Modern English, 1991. Paraphrase of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek?
New English Bible. Modern English, 1970. From critical versions of the Masoretic Text and the Greek New Testament.
New English Translation. Modern English, 2005. From critical versions of the Masoretic Text and the Greek New Testament?
New International Reader's Version. Modern English, 1998. Paraphrase of the New International Version.
New International Version Inclusive Language Edition (NIVI). Modern English, 1996. Revision of the New International Version.
New International Version. Modern English, 1978. From critical versions of the Masoretic Text and the Greek New Testament.
New Jerusalem Bible. Modern English, 1985. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, with influence from the French La Bible de Jérusalem.
New Jewish Publication Society of America Version: Old Testament. Modern English, 1985. From the Masoretic Text.
New King James Version. Modern English, 1982. From the Masoretic Text and the Textus Receptus.
New Life Version. Modern English, 1986. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek?
New Living Translation. Modern English, 1996. Paraphrase translation from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
New Revised Standard Version. Modern English, 1989. Revision of the Revised Standard Version.
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. Modern English, 1950. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Quaker Bible. Modern English, 1764. From the Masoretic Text and the Textus Receptus?
Recovery Version of the Bible. Modern English, 1985. Revision of the American Standard Version.
Restored Name King James Version. Modern English.
Revised Version. Modern English, 1885. Revision of the King James Version, but with a critical New Testament text.
Revised Standard Version. Modern English, 1952. From a critical version of the Masoretic Text and the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament.
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition. Modern English, 1966. Revision of the Revised Standard Version.
Revised English Bible. Modern English, 1987. Revision of the New English Bible.
Simplified English Bible. Basic Modern English. Paraphrase of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek?
The Story Bible. Modern English. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek?
Taverner's Bible. Early Modern English, 1539. Minor revision of the Matthew Bible.
Thomson's Translation. Modern English, 1808. From the Septuagint and the Textus Receptus.
Today's New International Version. Modern English, 2005. Revision of the New International Version.
Third Millennium Bible. Early Modern English, 1998. Revision of the King James Version.
Tyndale's Bible. Early Modern English, 1526. From either the Vulgate or from the Masoretic Text and the Textus Receptus.
Updated King James Version. Modern English, 2004.
A Voice In The Wilderness Holy Scriptures. Modern English, 2003. From the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek?
Webster's Revision. Modern English, 1833. Revision of the King James Version.
Westminster Bible. Modern English, 1936. From the Vulgate.
Wyclif's Bible. Middle English, c. 1380. From the Vulgate.
Young's Literal Translation. Modern English, 1862. From the Masoretic Text and the Textus Receptus?


I don't have time to read anything else.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

34. That's more that's required in most seminaries

:wow:

[Lint Head]

10. It's not

It's not if your have read the entire book but do you understand what it means. Any heretic can qoote bible verses.
Quoting by memory is not understanding the words. Most children can mouth sounds. That is why they are so vunerable to
propaganda adult lies. :dem:

[not_a_robot]

17. haha

Is that a quote of any well published loony? I have a talent for pattern recognition and an interest in psychology, and reading key words slopped together to try to achieve some control over others has always been an interest of mine. If you have links please post them.

[cosmik debris]

13. I've not only read it

I have 6 credit hours for college level courses in the Bible. That is a requirement for graduation from Baylor University.

[jaksavage]

15. Never read it

After witnessing those who assert that they repesent its views and subject matter, destroy our world for the power and profit it could provide, I'm not sure it or any other book is an indicator of spiritual progress.

[Dervill Crow]

21. Currently pagan, Christian for a while, read the Bible in its entirety twice.

I did "The Daily Walk" program and read the New American Standard version and then a few years later I did the One Year Bible. It was when I was reading the Bible the third time that it dawned on me that I just didn't have the faith in it that a proper Christian should have.

[The Magistrate]

22. Yes, Sir

[Imperialism Inc.]

23. I'm not quite to 75%. More like 66%.

I have very little interest in the Old Testament and have not been able to slog through it all. I have read all of the New Testament and many "heretical" NT books as well.

[Evoman]

24. The old testament is plain PAINFUL.

I can't even fathom what lets somebody read that and say, "Yes...I think I will be part of this religion". Its just embarrasing man.

The new testament is a little more intersting, in my opinion....basically, take all the sex and incest in the old testament, and toss it in with the Jesus stuff, and it would have maybe made a worthwile read, lol. The old testament actually made me hate Moses and Abraham :rofl:

[catbert836]

26. Only a few people have

Possibly none.

By that I mean read the original text in its original language, which given the strictest definition is impossible. But even the best translation is a shadow compared to the original text, and given the incredibly sucky translations many people take as gospel (no pun intended), almost nobody has a even generally good understanding of perhaps the most important book in terms of influence in the Western culture.

[muriel_volestrangler]

28. To the many agnostics/atheists who have read at least 75%

was it while agnostic/atheist, or when you were a Christian/Jew(/something else?)

If we're defining the Bible as the Christian Bible, the Old Testament is over 3 times the size of the New (in terms of pages in a copy I just looked at), so you have to read over half of the OT - about 65%, in fact. And, frankly, most of it is incredibly tedious, and usually of little use, morally - histories of Israel, and when it is prophets, they're referring to a religion that, if you're thinking about the whole Christian Bible, got superseded. I'm surprised at Christians who've got through three-quarters; I have to ask 'why?' to anyone who did it when not a Christian.

[cosmik debris]

30. Why?

As I said, it was a requirement for graduation. I needed a BA degree to get a job. I got the BA. I got the job. I'm STILL an atheist. And everybody lived happily ever after.

[Evoman]

31. I wasn't Christian at the time.

But I was sort of under its influence...my friends and I were involved in a church youth group. One of my friends gave me a book for christmas (I can't remember the name now, since I have long since lost it) that basically was almost like bible "crib notes"...what you were supposed to do is read the bible, and then use this book as a companion to explain the stories. I didn't even open it for years..and then one day I saw it...and said...why the hell not. I should read the damn thing just to say I could. I borrowed my friends King James bible and read it. It took me a LONG time to get through it...some parts of it went fast (the interesting stuff), and the other stuff...well...I kind of just plowed threw it (lol...and on more than a couple of occasions, I skipped over a couple of chapters...i.e. the beginning of matthew..I got the gist (descended from this, descended from that) and just keept going. I didn't read all the psalms though.

[jgraz]

36. Started it as a 16-yr-old Catholic, finished it as a 17-yr-old atheist

how anyone can read that book and still believe is beyond me

[eridani]

46. You must be my long-lost twin, or something like that

I did it as a form of spiritual discipline at the same age, and all that stuff that the religion class teachers skipped really got to me.

[Crunchy Frog]

29. Don't like the phrasing of the questions.

I've read quite a bit of the Bible, but I haven't read it cover to cover.

[Evoman]

32. Over 75%?

[Crunchy Frog]

33. Probably not. n/t

[Lydia Leftcoast]

35. Does it count if you read the Old and New Testaments on separate occasions?

Actually, I'm currently in the midst of a four-year course for Episcopal laypeople that has you read the entire Bible over a course of two years.

[trotsky]

38. It's funny.

As a Christian, I never read the whole bible. Good chunks of it, yes. Most of the New Testament. The feel-good parts. As I began to question my faith, I felt I owed it to myself to read the whole thing to give this god guy one last chance to speak to me. But that last reading was the event that finally pushed me over the hump into disbelief. I don't care how convoluted an explanation you can create to try and justify some of the deplorable junk in there - there's just so much content that no all-powerful, all-loving creator should have ever let appear in his ultimate spiritual guidebook.

[BurtWorm]

39. I haven't read the whole Bible.

I've read the first five books, and bunch of others in the OT--certainly Ecclestiastes and Job--and maybe the gospels, some letters and Revelation. Not the whole book.

PS: My cat's breath smells like cat food.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

40. One of my friends has read it five times in four different languages.

Two English versions, the Vulgate, French and German (I think - I may have got those wrong), at a rate of one book a day, each summer holiday while she was in school.

She's now recovering.

[malikstein]

41. I read the Bible from cover

to cover when I was in highschool. That's why I'm an atheist. The Bible is the best antidote to belief. It's no coincidence that the Church forbade the laity to read the Bible, and that the Church persecuted early translators into vernacular tongues.

[WoodrowFan]

43. NT yes*, OT no.

all of the New Testament many times (except Revelations but my church isn't into "end times" stuff) but only part of the OT.

[nickols_k]

44. lost answer

This poll lose answer like: I;m not christian but I've read bible partially!

Be bless!

[EvolveOrConvolve]

45. Holy crap! What did you just say?

Whatever it was, welcome to DU. :hi:

[MistressOverdone]

47. Christian here

Never could get past all the begats in the OT. I have read all the NT and everything else I could find, like the Gnostic Gospels, etc.

Personally, I find that reading the OT before going to bed is better than medication. Instant sleep.

[RebelOne]

50. I'm an atheist and have not read the bible cover to cover,

but in the past during my younger years, I was a Christian and read quite a bit of the bible. My father, also an atheist, had read the bible from cover to cover 7 times.

[HamdenRice]

51. Various parts of the Christian Bible have varying levels of importance

It's strange that Christian fundamentalists claim that the entire Bible is the infallible "word of God" when for centuries Christianity took the position that the NT was more important than the OT. The main point of the OT for Christians is that it provides the prophecies which Jesus was said to have fulfilled. He is also supposed, under this theory, to have created a new covenant, which means the terms of the old covenant (in books like Leviticus) are irrelevant except as historical or comparative material.

The NT contains the gospels, then a lot of gloss (and a lot of that gloss is by Paul) and then Revelation. Again, the gospels are more important than the other stuff.

So if a Christian has read the gospels, I would consider him or her a well read Christian. Throw in the poetry books of the OT (Psalms, Song of Songs), a wisdom book (like Job), a prophecy book or two, and I would say the person is a very well read Christian.

Reading the other stuff, especially the OT laws and histories, without knowing why one is reading them, is actually counter productive to understanding the Christian tradition, and has probably contributed to mindless fundamentalism.