Atheists know more about the bible!

Comatose

A newly minted atheist, she uses her YouVersion Bible app to try to persuade people away from the Christianity she grew up in.

“I know of a lot of atheists who have come to their nonbelief by actually reading the Bible rather than just the fluffy stories they choose to tell you about in church,” she said.

“Reading the full story with all its contradictions and violence and sexism, it should make you think, ‘Is this really what I believe in?’ At least it did for me.”

I love that. Open access to the Bible is helping atheists strengthen their unfaith.

It’s always telling when Christians are unaware of what their holy book says, and atheists can now point that out to them with a never-before-seen ease:

“There was a girl in my math class who had a tattoo about Jesus and I asked if she knew Leviticus says you shouldn’t have tattoos,” [Adam Wright] said. “She said that wasn’t true and I opened my app and showed her the verse.”

I really like how atheists are embracing this app instead of denouncing it or trying to persuade people not to download it. In fact, we stand to gain more than Christians do by having the Bible so easily accessible. The more people who read it, the more times you’re going to see a horrified reaction followed by the words, “Wait,

THIS is in the Bible?!”

As Kimberly Winston‘s article notes, atheists and agnostics already top the list when it comes to basic religious literacy:

Watkins

I find it kind of contrary to be so well versed in something you don't believe in. I guess I understand that you must have an original argument to counter... I'm not that argumentative anymore. But I did do that when I first learned TTAT - really immersed myself in all things wt in order to find the flaws. It's been said many times that we 'apostates' know more about wt doctrines than most jws who are at every meeting. In a way it's necessary, but it's still kinda sad that I had to waste so much time on it.

So, well, yeah, I guess I understand it... at some point, though I hope to move past being obssessed with the wt and be able to just live my life the way I think I should without thinking of them once. I'm not going to continue to battle the wt - I will, at some point, have won that battle to my satisfaction and anything wt will be only a long-ago memory. I feel like until I've completely let it go I won't fully be free. Obviously I'm not quite there yet. If it would come up I'd warn someone away from the wt, but I certainly can't maintain a high level of anxiety about it forever.

Don't any of you atheists feel the same way about what you formerly(or never) believed? Is it something you can get past, like the progression of unfaith - or is it something you feel you'll always need to fight against? I'm sure you all have different feelings about it for a myriad of different reasons...

W

Comatose

I wouldn't always want to argue over it all the time. I am not a 100% sure atheist. I just don't see evidence for the god of the bible personally.

But I found this fascinating for the same reason you did. It reminded me of digging deep into the "truth" and realizing it's not the "truth". The same seems to be indicated for many atheists. Actually reading the whole bible and studying it is what caused my doubts and current state of belief. Quite interesting.

Black Sheep

I find it kind of contrary to be so well versed in something you don't believe in.

I see no reason why someone who is well versed in 'alien abduction' should believe in it. They may have a good understanding of how such a delusion comes to it's believers and I see that as an interesting reason to study the phenomena. Why were they interested in the first place? If your Dad believed alien abduction instead of the WT or Allah, Buddha, whatever, what would you be well versed in? If you studied it, would you believe it?

talesin

Well said, Black Sheep. :))

J

SanLuisObispoTruthSeeker

What evidence to back a bold claim?

Black Sheep

at talesin

zound

The difference is - atheists don't have an interpretation of the bible and don't have to justify or do ridiculous leaps of logic to make verses fit a particular worldview (other than reality).

Therefore most atheists read the bible and see what it says plain as day - whilst many believers 'forget about' certain verses that don't gel with their beliefs, or add extremely dubious suppositions and assumptions to make the bible 'cohesive'.

Just as apostates are generally x100 more well versed in watchtower publications - I can see why it 'could' be true that many atheists are more well versed in bible - they have nothing to worry about if they stumble upon a not very loving act of god therein (of which there are many).

If believers want to remain believers or remain believers with little cognitive dissonenece then they better not read that thing - just cherry pick a bunch of scriptures now and again.

cantleave

I am atheist, Im have read the bible through at least twice (even if it was just the NWT), but I don't really know much about it. What I do know about it is it is not inspirational, rational, inerrant or infallible.

Witness My Fury

I studied and read the bible a great deal while fading as I wanted to give it every chance to prove itself, ... it didnt.

For me, bible study = atheism.

Atheists know more about the bible!

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