Come on! Tell it like it is. People are LYING when they tell you, "I've read the Bible." (page 6)

crazyhorse

LOL I love the comments. Some frank, some funny , most of them truthful (which JWs don't have). I haven't read the bible cover to cover. I started Genesis once and it was just too boring. I like the new testament more. It's more practical. Proverbs and psalms are practical too. Most people I know who read from cover to cover do it just for the sake of saying with confidence they have read it entirely . reading it entirely does not change you in any way. Applying it will. For those who think the bible is just a story book, well that's your decision. But recently seeing TTATT, I think the bible is one of my proofs that God exists. The WT just uses the bible to support itself and makes people think the bible was written only for them.

sowhatnow

ok,

so now some of us have read the whole bible, over again too, and how did that change our life? other that to put me to sleep or give me an anxiety attack,

I cant remember most of what I read.

I cant recall half the movies i ever saw, let alone remember a book that mostly has no application to my personal daily life.

what benefits me from the bible, might be a page or two of chosen wise sayings. do unto others, love everyone, forgive, and dont kill

bla bla.

myelaine

"Yes, as you might have gathered, I do take rather strong exception to being branded a liar!...

Try to think of it this way: other people are entitled to an opinion about everything . . . even things you have personal knowledge of."

yeah...like 1975. there's no need to take things the wrong way because you were mistakenly reading something into a statement...

Marvin Shilmer

I've read the Bible from the tips. I've also read the six volume set Jefferson And His Time, by Dumas Malone, and The Road To Reality, by Roger Penrose. In length Malone's work beats the Bible by a long, long shot. In tediousness Penrose's work again beats the Bible by a long, long shot.

We should not underestimate reading habits of folks we know little if anything about. For sure it's bad form to presume of others.

It's presumption to think a motivated reading of the entire Bible suggests a willingness to accept its message. But then, in my experience what "message" a person takes from reading this work varies from person to person; hence to suggest a particular "message" would be more presumption.

blondie

I am going to try to find where the WTS has said reading the Bible does not make one a good Christian.

Terry

Bungi Bill says: Are you trying to say that a person should only read the bible if they beforehand agree to believe what it says? I would have thought that the time to form an opinion about any piece of writing is afteryou have read it. That is what I always do, anyway!

________________________

Since you ask I'll give you a frightening glimpse inside my skull as to how I figure it . . .

The entire Bible contains

Chapters: 1,189
Verses: 31,101
Words: 783,137

Let's say the average novel contains 250,000 words. The Bible is the equivalent to 3 novels. Now, I don't know aboout you, but if I start to read a novel and it starts to bog down into mindless repetitions I will tell myself, "Self, I think I'm wasting my time." Consequently, I would reach for a more productive way to spend my time.

But this is, after all, purported to be the WORD OF GOD!

Yes, it does have that reputation. But, I think by the time you had slogged through Deuteronomy and Leviticus you'd need to lie down or uncork a bottle of something strong.

I have to ask myself, "Why would an intelligent person put themselves through such misery UNLESS they are motivated by a strong conviction the counsel contained inside IS WORTH THE EFFORT?"

And that is why I gave you the benefit of a hopeful conviction there was merit to your endeavor.

__________________________________

Or are you trying to suggest that the mere act of reading the bible will automatically transform one into a believer? For many who have responded to this thread, a reading of the entire bible actually had the very opposite effect on them.

_______________________________

If I was trying to suggest that I probably would have come out and said so. Your eisegesis does suggest a vivid imagination on your part, however :)

____________________________

At no time did I ever claim to believethe bible (including its remarks about "turning the other cheek"). I only stated that - contrary to the claim made in the title of this thread - I have read the entire bible.

____________________________

Point taken.

Think of it this way. If I drew a large circle in the middle of the street in downtown Dodge City and said, "Anybody who stands inside this circle

is a Jack Ass" and somebody came along and stood there saying, "How dare you call me a Jack Ass" . . . would I be justified in thinking

that fellow was spoiling for an argument?

_____________________________________

In an early Topic you posted title: A LOT DEPENDS ON OUR FRAME OF REFERENCE you wisely observed:

How we are looking at things largely determines what we actually see - or think we can see. Thank God for lateral thinking!

Bill.

OnTheWayOut

I have read tons of science fiction books with people/creatures from other worlds in them. Just the reading has not drastically changed my mind about whether other life exists outside of our earth. People read the Bible, but because of their own built-in-bias and because it's such a long boring book, they may not pick up on the contradictions and silly claims.

When I say I read the NWT cover-to-cover four times or so, I mean that I read it. Not that I examined every last particle of each verse to understand it better.

Blondie: "Out of a group of 30, elders, their wives, MS, their wives, long time brothers and sisters as well, single pioneers....only 2 knew all 66 and only one in order (regular pioneer).

So if they have read the bible through how is it they did not know the names of the books, let alone the authors, how many OT (39) and NT (27). Years of the Scripture Inspired book talks down the tube."

I get your point that the supposedly most important book ever, the communication from God to man, should have been more important to many. But I know that I have a mind better suited to problem solving than memorizing. I couldn't name all the books either.

Good day to you.

Hortensia

You know, Terry, you're an old poop-head now and then. Lots of people have read the entire bible, me included. Several times. That isn't the point, really. The point is, what did we get out of it? At the end I had a bible full of tiny hand-written detailed notes, and I cross-referenced my entire bible myself. It took a long time, I read all those cross-references, had little trails through the bible of arguments for all the JW doctrines. I was so busy studying the bible, I never took the time to think about whether I believed it or not. Once I got out of the wtbts, I had time to think about that and realized I probably never did believe it. But damn, I studied it!

Terry

You know, Terry, you're an old poop-head now and then. Lots of people have read the entire bible, me included. Several times. That isn't the point, really. The point is, what did we get out of it?

YOU MEAN, LIKE THIS?

I understand what you're saying, Hortensia. I really do.

But, you haven't spent any time with me in person or you'd know I have a wicked sense of humor.

I love bringing out latent pomposity. Why?

I was such a pompous windbag as a JW, all it took was a whiff of disparagement to bring out the Super-Dooper-Pooper in me.

I've known so damned many lying-ass Jehovah's Witnesses in my lifetime, I've become cynical about what anybody says

when they make a personal claim.

My policy (it may sound unfair or ridiculous) is to NOT BELIEVE a word I'm told.

That is extreme, I'll grant you. But, conversely, I hope nobody believes a word I say either.

WE HAVE TO TEST THINGS for the ring of truth.

__________________________0

Now having said all that . . .

The nerdy side of my JW "career" was memorizing 845 scriptures which I would quote verbatim.

I also memorized all the stupid chronology chart in the book Babylon the Great Has Fallen--God's Kingdom Rules.

I think I did it to show off how pious I was.

I guess I look at reading the Bible clear through as a similar gesture of holier-than-thou.

I'll wear my poop-hat with pride, however.

Strangelove

I started when I was 16. A chapter a day. (They have this cute little saying that makes me throw up a litte, a Chapter a day, keeps the Devil away) Was guilted into it. 4 years later I finished the book, word for word, cover to cover. Had some faith when I started, virtually none when I finished. If it wasn't for reading the damn thing, It may have taken a little longer to wake up from the WT nightmare.

But I sympathize with the OP. Terry. When people tell me they've read the Bible, I instantly assume it is an exageration. Not an actual "I started and finished it."

Because you couldn't pay me to re-read it. Oh, God no.

Come on! Tell it like it is. People are LYING when they tell you, "I've read the Bible."

Share this