Atheists: how many of you have read the bible?

The only way primitive religion exists today is through the child abuse of forcing it into very, very young children but thanks to better education and growing intellects so many teens are able to discover the truth, throw off the indoctrination and step into the real world!

That is not only why they have read the bible but also why they always seem to know it better that the Chrsitians who try to misquote, twist and misuse it on here!

It is also why posts like yours reinforce the knowledge that Chrsitians can no longer beleive in a loving god or act like it!

Good question. I am from a catholic upbringing and, in fact, my brother is a pastor. I was baptized, made my first communion, and attended ccd classes on my way to my confirmation when I started asking questions. Instead of answers, I was promptly kicked out of class and labeled a trouble-maker. The more bible I read, the more I questioned. Atheists are not uneducated. It's still funny to me that I can have a conversation with my brother and pull out biblical quotes that he isn't familiar with. The difference is that he has faith while I have common sense.

Your question seems to be implying that the act of reading the bible somehow indicates and attachment to the beliefs espoused by christians.

If that were true, what would be indicated by the act of reading multiple, different, religious texts? If someone read sikh, buddhist, muslim and christian texts, what something would that say to you?

I am an atheist. I have read most of the bible, but I have read a large number of other books. To me, it is just another book, but an important one because of its historical influence in western culture. I read "Gone With The Wind", "Hamlet" and "Faust" for similar reasons.

What does that say to you?

In search of the truth, I attended Bible college - Northwest Christian College in Eugene, Oregon. Read the Bible every blamed day. Didn't change my mind. In fact, a class referred to as "Comparative Religions" taken at the University of Oregon (across the street from NCC) helped solidify my unbelief.

To many, it's a way of making or reinforcing their ideas, for others it's just literature. There's nothing special about that book. It's just words, created by someone to control and regulate other people through fear and empty promises. It's evil, and should be recognised as such. Any pretences of morality it claims are inherently inside people already, and the act of trying to claim them to validate itself is an evil act. It makes my skin crawl so I didn't read it, I knew I wouldn't enjoy what it said.

Atheists, agnostics most knowledgeable about religion, survey says

Report says nonbelievers know more, on average, about religion than most faithful. Jews and Mormons also score high on the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey.

September 28, 2010 By Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times

If you want to know about God, you might want to talk to an atheist.

Heresy? Perhaps. But a survey that measured Americans' knowledge of religion found that atheists and agnostics knew more, on average, than followers of most major faiths. In fact, the gaps in knowledge among some of the faithful may give new meaning to the term "blind faith."

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"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived." Isaac Asimov

People in the Cold War CIA often read Pravda, and not because they were Commies. It's called Know Thine ENEMY.

And, religion is the ENEMY of the human race. Oh, your god called, to say that he doesn't exist.

Nope, I haven't read any other religious texts either. If the rejection of the idea that there is a deity requires one to first read the scripture that relates to that deity we'd all, atheists and theists, be spending all our time reading a hell of a lot of scripture. And what exactly could we do in order to reject those deities for whom there is no scripture, would we simply have to believe in them?

I downloaded the KJV a while back and have read it just out of interest. However regarding myself I study religion and ancient history anyway. I enjoy it just because I don't believe in it doesn't mean I can't find it interesting. From South America to Africa to China ancient mythology and other religions are quite interesting especially if you study them in history as to in present.

Several times.

It's not for nothing that Penn said reading the Bible [cover to cover] was the fastest way to turn yourself away from Christianity.

(P.S. Yes, I've read it too.)