Reading the Bible

Originally posted by Penguin
Good luck with it. It is something I would like to have done but I am not sure that I have the perseverance to actually do it!

I did read a few books of Genesis a couple of years back from a Gideons I liberated from a hotel room.

--- Penguin.

erased

Originally posted by Rank outsider
Now this may be first (and last) time, but I am going to take RJHinds' advice.

In another thread (where Dasa is evading my enquiry for source material on the Vedas and Islam), he said:

But don't despire for you can use the time searching for the real truth by
reading the Holy Bible. HalleluYah !!! Praise the Lord!

So that is what I is the version I listened to in chapel at school.

Any thoughts or recommendations welcome.

You listed 3 reasons for reading the Bible, but I get the impression that #3 is the most important of the lot. If this is the case then I suggest your reading should focus on that - its the words of Christ and Paul that is important in the Bible, for your salvation.

Matthew to Romans can be read slowly and casually in a couple weeks. Any translation will give you a good understanding of what is required for securing your salvation when Christ returns. Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are also good inspirational books. Next are the major Prophets of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

Sure you can go back afterward and read the entire Bible at your leisure, but knowing what Christ said and did is an excellent foundation for understanding what is Gods plan for mans redemption through Christ.

If you do take an interest in Christianity thereafter I would advise to avoid the churches that preach :
- Once saved always saved doctrine
- Prosperity Gospel - those who pray and ask God for material things
- That good works are of no value.
- Those who take 10% of your salary and who constantly ask attendees for money.

Stick to the teachings of Christ and you will be fine. Good Luck to you.

Originally posted by Rajk999
- Once saved always saved doctrine
- Prosperity Gospel - those who pray and ask God for material things
- That good works are of no value.
- Those who take 10% of your salary and who constantly ask attendees for money.

Thank you for your comments and good wishes.

"Once saved always saved" - if this a reference to when we are alive, which it must be if it is a reference to a church I might attend, and I understand it correctly, I am baffled that any church would suggest this.

"Prosperity Gospel" - I do not think I am a particularly materialistic person (though I worry far to much about financial security). But again I am amazed that anyone would think God was interested in hearing these types of prayer.

"That good works are of no value" - Again, baffled! I don't think that now, and I wouldn't think that if I were a screaming atheist.

"10% of salary" - given my comments on "Prosperity Gospel", you can rest easy on that one!

Originally posted by Rank outsider
Thank you for your comments and good wishes.

"Once saved always saved" - if this a reference to when we are alive, which it must be if it is a reference to a church I might attend, and I understand it correctly, I am baffled that any church would suggest this.

"Prosperity Gospel" - I do not think I am a particularly materialistic person (though I f salary" - given my comments on "Prosperity Gospel", you can rest easy on that one!

Many Christian churches can be very deceptive and they preach doctrines which make their attendees very materialistic and self-centered. Read your Bible first and know what Christ said, then they wont be able to fool you. But you look like you are already on the right track.

Many here on this site believe in some of those wrong doctrines which I mentioned.

Originally posted by Rank outsider
Thank you for your comments and good wishes.

"Once saved always saved" - if this a reference to when we are alive, which it must be if it is a reference to a church I might attend, and I understand it correctly, I am baffled that any church would suggest this.

"Prosperity Gospel" - I do not think I am a particularly materialistic person (though I ...[text shortened]... f salary" - given my comments on "Prosperity Gospel", you can rest easy on that one!

A 'screaming atheist'???

What is a screaming atheist?

Originally posted by googlefudge
A 'screaming atheist'???

What is a screaming atheist?

Somebody like you ? 😀

Originally posted by googlefudge
A 'screaming atheist'???

What is a screaming atheist?

http://screamingatheist.blogspot.co.uk/

Originally posted by Rank outsider

Hi RO,

I don't know your background (no profile! 🙁 ) so I assume you are what one could call an "honest sceptic", hence your resolve to broaden your understanding of some of the issues discussed on RHP.

The suggestions posted in this thread so far are all, no doubt, well meant, but can really confuse an outside observer! Your tenacity to stick with your original resolve (I'll begin by reading cover to cover, thank you very much!) is remarkable and praiseworthy.

Here are my two cents worth. You won't understand the NT if you have not read the Old, so reading the Bible cover to cover certainly makes sense. As far as the genealogies and reams and reams of ceremonial regulations in, e.g. Leviticus and Numbers is concerned, I'm sure you will have enough sense to see that you can glance over those, until you get to the next interesting bits, especially if you are familiar with speed reading, which you must be if reading makes out a large part of your job.

It's a fascinating journey, and I wish you lots of joy, as you make exciting discoveries!

Originally posted by CalJust
Hi RO,

I don't know your background (no profile! 🙁 ) so I assume you are what one could call an "honest sceptic", hence your resolve to broaden your understanding of some of the issues discussed on RHP.

The suggestions posted in this thread so far are all, no doubt, well meant, but can really confuse an outside observer! Your tenacity to stick with y ...[text shortened]... It's a fascinating journey, and I wish you lots of joy, as you make exciting discoveries!

Thanks CalJust.

I will post a profile soon!

Originally posted by Rajk999
Somebody like you ? 😀

I know you meant this humorously, but no.

Screaming, for me, is a term that I use to refer to people who are unthinking, uncritical extremists who believe unquestioningly they are right and that therefore debate is unnecessary. Anyone who disagrees or even questions this view will not be listened to and is to be either ridiculed, shouted down or worse. Hence the link to the website, though I think this is more puerile than anything else (and doesn't seem to be very successful). But it was what brought the phrase to mind.

I would use this terms to refer to religious people, non-religious people, politicians, anyone who displays these characteristics.

googlefudge is as about as far away from this as anyone I know.

And to clarify, the point I was making was that I would hope that, whathever type of believer or atheist I was, I would still think that good works are worth doing, as a lack of religious belief (to my mind) has nothing to do with the issue of whether such works should be done.

Originally posted by CalJust
Hi RO,

I don't know your background (no profile! 🙁 ) so I assume you are what one could call an "honest sceptic", hence your resolve to broaden your understanding of some of the issues discussed on RHP.

The suggestions posted in this thread so far are all, no doubt, well meant, but can really confuse an outside observer! Your tenacity to stick with y ...[text shortened]... It's a fascinating journey, and I wish you lots of joy, as you make exciting discoveries!

It all depends on the aim of the reader. Is salvation a priority or is it reading for the sake of general knowledge?

Do you think Paul advised the Greeks in his travels and preaching to read the Bible cover to cover? Let me give you a hint. There were very few copies of the OT and definitely no NT around at the time. The OT only existed in the Jewish synagogues at the time.

Phillip preached to the eunuch. Was his advice reading cover to cover? Is there any such advice in the Bible? The only people who read the Bible cover to cover [OT that is] were the Scribes and Pharisees and look at where that got them .. they ended up being the group Christ insulted and condemned the most.

Originally posted by Rank outsider
I know you meant this humorously, but no.

Screaming, for me, is a term that I use to refer to people who are unthinking, uncritical extremists who believe unquestioningly they are right and that therefore debate is unnecessary. Anyone who disagrees or even questions this view will not be listened to and is to be either ridiculed, shouted down or wo ...[text shortened]... ious belief (to my mind) has nothing to do with the issue of whether such works should be done.

OK .. clearly I was kidding around with GF.

The point I was making about churches is that they are capable [proof is in some of the posters here] of changing someone who believes that good works and following a Christ-like life is important, to someone totally different. Some Christians actually claim that doing good works is an insult to Christ. I dont know how they arrived at that but thats their teaching.

Originally posted by Rajk999
It all depends on the aim of the reader. Is salvation a priority or is it reading for the sake of general knowledge?

Do you think Paul advised the Greeks in his travels and preaching to read the Bible cover to cover? Let me give you a hint. There were very few copies of the OT and definitely no NT around at the time. The OT only existed in the Jewish syn ...[text shortened]... at where that got them .. they ended up being the group Christ insulted and condemned the most.

I didn't realise that wanting to read something, once in my life, from beginning to end, would be so contraversial!

Actually, from what has been said here so far, I could probably spend the rest of my life debating how to read the Bible. And I suspect that the problem with the Scribes and the Pharisees was not the fact of reading the Bible from cover to cover, but rather the mindset with which they approached the task. But I don't know this, of course, because I haven't read the Bible!

The decision is made. Cover to cover it is. I do appreciate the comments on this, but I can be a stubborn so and so.

Tomorrow I will decide on which version. Then on to reading on Sunday.

Originally posted by Rank outsider
I didn't realise that wanting to read something, once in my life, from beginning to end, would be so contraversial!

Actually, from what has been said here so far, I could probably spend the rest of my life debating how to read the Bible. And I suspect that the problem with the Scribes and the Pharisees was not the fact of reading the Bible from cov ...[text shortened]... tubborn so and so.

Tomorrow I will decide on which version. Then on to reading on Sunday.

Exactly .. good luck.

Eword is a nice free program. The site has lots of free Bibles and commentaries dictionaries etc etc if you reading on the computer.

Originally posted by Rajk999
Exactly .. good luck.

Eword is a nice free program. The site has lots of free Bibles and commentaries dictionaries etc etc if you reading on the computer.

or http://www.biblegateway.com/ has pretty much every version as far as I can tell.

Including KJV.

Full list here

http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/