If, as polling data show, less than 10% of self-identified Christians have actually READ the entire Bible...?

Yet so many atheists have read the Bible cover to cover... hmm. Maybe that's why they're ath... Oh never mind, silly me. It's coincidence, surely.

Thank you for making a very necessary point about "Christians" and such has been the historic reality since the "faith" began as first, the stories were transmitted orally, then they could only be read by the few educated within monastic communities and not all monks could read..., then the faithful were told not read it as they could not interpret it correctly (which may have been proven true by the fact that each week a new, improved interpretation comes out or one aimed towards a target audience...) and the current modern day Christians have turned the Bible into sound bytes and catch phrases, verse out of context, etc.

It might be interesting to point out that many who claim to be Jewish can not read Hebrew and so they have to rely on the interpretation and reading of others.

This has also become common place in Islam.

The majority of Hindus can not read sanskrit and only a few Buddhist scholars can read the Pali Canon which is also written in sanskrit.

This could prove rather interesting...

namaste

I think that is about right. In my work as a Christian apologist over the past decade I can say that roughly represents the number out of the literally thousands of Christians I have talked to or directly interviewed.

However Christianity is not a religion based on a book. In fact Christians did not officially recognize a canon of New Testament writings until the 4th century. Christianity is based on following the teachings of Jesus Christ which were passed on to the apostles and in turn to the Church itself.

"The church of the living God" is itself is referred to in Scriptures as "the pillar and foundation of truth" because it produced the Bible. (1 Timothy 3:15) The Bible is based on the Church and its faith held in common by its believers. It is not the Church that is based on the Bible.

While it authoritatively teaches and instructs God's people with God's truth, it is not the source of this truth itself for which the Church acts as a foundation. Christians are professing faith in, or swearing allegiance, not to a Book, but to a Person: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."--John 14:6.

We swear allegiance to this Person, to Jesus, not to a Book. Many own and read the Bible, but it is not the source of truth, nor its foundation, nor truth itself. The majority of Christians throughout the ages have learned these truths from fellow Christians and not by merely reading or hearing or memorizing Scripture.

like the Ethiopian, all of us understand that for the period of undemanding terms analyzing Scripture (in spite of the certainty that he replaced into analyzing Hebrew Scripture/our OT) ability little devoid of training and practise. analyzing it on my own finally ends up in each form of private interpretations which would be erroneous. Can a guy or woman be a Christian devoid of analyzing all the NT? definite. Why no longer? Can a guy or woman be a Christian devoid of analyzing the OT? definite, in spite of the certainty that they pass over out on plenty! yet one would desire to truthfully argue that to bypass devoid of analyzing Numbers won't disadvantage you. Now, from a Catholic attitude, our 3 365 days Sunday readings cycle will present various the NT, with a first rate sprinkling of the old. Attend every day Mass and you're even nearer to the finished Bible.

I read the Bible when I was dedicating myself to Christ. I found it to be the worst collection of books, written horribly and to have hardly any facts inside of it. That is what caused me to search for the truth of where Christianity came from. My search opened my eyes to the world and what truth is.

Some others have sited the Constitution and Darwin's works on evolution. I have also read the Constitution and Darwin's works. You must read for yourself in order to claim knowledge. If you just accept second (or higher) hand information you are just following like sheep still. Everything you either believe or accept should be first hand knowledge not some bit of information someone told you. Also, in my opinion, you should believe in nothing and only accept what is proven fact supported by evidence and reviewed by peers of said field.

"Thy Word have I hid in my heart; that I might not sin against Thee." Reading the Bible is like reading God's Owner's Manuel for our lives and also explains all we need to know about eternity. I read it twice the first year that I was a Christian and then "studied" through it from Genesis to Revelations and now I read some part of it daily and have for years; but as someone said here; I became a Christian before I had read the entire Bible. The Pharisees were experts in the scriptures but did not recognize the Messiah. The Bible is God's Holy Living Word and must be received in our spirits or we could be just like the Pharisees and still not recognize our need for the Saviour.

I know of many Christians who read the bible. They pick and choose what they want emphasized, mostly ignoring the bad stuff or use apologetics to explain the bad stuff away. Most fundamentalist churches have bible study of some sort. Wednesday night is for praise and bible study. Sunday School is for bible study. A group will form and meet at a member's home for bible study. You can request bible lessons to be completed at home.

They should hire this guy to conduct bible study:

http://www.bartdehrman.com/

I cant believe I am going to say this. But <shiver>

Amen Brother!

You are 150% absolutely correct in context and content.

I just answered a question from someone claiming to be an Ex "full blown" Christian asking us what we thought GOD was. Then he rambled off some warped new age concept that was really not very thought out at all. Most of us Christians are just as guilty of fabricating make believe realities as any humanist is. It is very frightening.

When people like you ask real questions (even if they are loaded and mocking) There are many times great answers from a Biblical and Christ following perspective that are washed away by seas of luke warm, un biblical, un Christ like jibber jabber from people who wouldn't recognize Jesus if he was sitting at their breakfast table eating a bowl of fruit loops. So this time my hat is off to you reverend.

Well, it explains how so many of them think only christians or, if they're feeling generous, people of faith are capable of having morals. They really HAVEN'T read Romans 2:14. I thought I was just being mean when I threw that accusation out there, but apparently I was being horrifically accurate in my assessment of their lack of knowledge of their own book.

Sadly, this means more Nordic Heathens have read and studied the bible than Christians if that is an accurate number. Probably more atheists, Pagans and other "others" as well.

*sigh* People just don't read anymore, do they? Don't they have that thing in comic format yet? Of course the comic industry crapped out because they don't read those anymore either. Maybe if they put it on the back of a cereal box...a really, really big cereal box. (well, just the important bits)

Edit @ James: in my family, yes, you do have to have a basic understanding of how things work before you are allowed to use them, be it a car, a gun or a faith system. It's why we tend to live so long.

JEEZ i'm dying here...the OTHER 10%? so this 10 and the other 10 makes 100%, boy no wonder we're slippin' down the hill.

At least, you'd think folks would be familiar with the 32 commandments, beginning at Ex 2. Yep, 32. You thought there were only 10? Naw....

I'd liken that to: Are you are a true American knowing to what you swear allegiance to if not having read the entire US Constitution and read all the available Founding Father's support papers that reveal the foundational ideas leading up to it, including the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights?

First century Christians might have had the Greek Septuagint read to them, might have heard a gospel or two read, maybe an epistle too. Mostly what they believed by was hearing preachers, and the voice of the Holy Spirit....just like today's Christians.

It is far better for us to know all of it, the Jew's Bible, the New Covenant in the blood of Christ aimed at the Jews, and how it was opened up to Gentiles.

We profess in Jesus the Christ of God and His blood of propitiation. A Person of personal relationship.