Have you read the Bible?

Yes...read all of it, studied it and analysed it. Also the Koran.

They are both a cracking wheeze......right up there with the works of Shakespeare, Tolkein and JK Rowling only not quite as believable!!

I feel like I should explain my "Yes, part of it, I'm not Christian."

My family used to be Christian... we went to Chruch until I was about 7. I also spent 10 years in a Catholic school (jk-8), and after that had a very Chrisitian friend whose youth group I attended for several years. So while I don't consider myself Christian, I've had a lot of contact with the Bible. I've been intending to read it in its entirety, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Some of the more dull parts of the old testament I only skimmed, but otherwise I've read the whole thing.

I haven't really thought much about what effect reading the Bible had on my religious faith. I don't think it really influenced it that much. I was raised in an evangelical home, and my rejection of orthodox Christianity took place over a long period. Part of it was an intellectual process, and part of it was emotional. But whether the Bible is true, or agrees with science, or anything like that, was never very interesting to me.

Looking at the Bible now it's clear it doesn't actually present a clear, coherent theology or doctrine. It's more like an anthology on related topics. The doctrines of the church are not based on the Bible, it's that the Bible is interpreted through the doctrines. This is the result of viewing all its many books as equally inspired, and since they disagree on many points, really they are incompatible.

Christianity itself I find very interesting, probably moreso than when I attended church. Mostly I am interested in the origin of Christianity. Was there an actual Jesus or was he only a mythological figure? Who were the original Christians and did their beliefs in any way resemble contemporary Christianity? And most of all, what of the non orthodox, such as the gnostics? Were they a divergence from orthodox Christianity, or was it the other way around, and the gnostics were the original Christians?

The figure of Jesus I still find inspiring. Mainstream scholarship insists that he did exist, but since it does not see him as divine as far as I can tell does not offer much explanation of why he had such an influence. What was it about Jesus that made people want to listen to him?

I've read the whole thing multiple times. I am a Christian and I minored in Biblical Studies during my undergraduate experience. I am amazed by how frequently people - both Christian and non-Christian - take the Scriptures out of context.

As a side note my favorite books are James, Romans, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.

-CD

I have read most of the bible and I am non-religious. While I don't believe in a lot of its teachings, I know it would make a really good Zach Snyder film.

I'm an atheist and I read genesis and thought it was too silly to continue the rest of the thing.

I answered "Yes, part of it, I'm Christian".
I havent read it from A to B, so to say I've read whole is not true. But probably 80% and the New Testament several times, with some more relevant books more often than others. Some of it is very difficult reading, and shouldnt be read if not studied and correctly understood. (many parts of Old Testament)

I believe it is literally true, but should be understood in context of the book that is read, and of cultural knowledge that is certain of that time. I also that all of it is given to our time as well for us to learn from it.

i wonder how you class your as christian when havent even read the whole of the bible.

I've read the whole Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments. It has not made be doubt my faith but has actually made it far more real. I'll leave it to God to judge whether or not I am righteous in his sight because if I simply say I am a Christian people will have a whole lot of ideas of what that means. My faith, however, is not based on whether I have read the whole Bible from cover to cover, but on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I know I am a sinner and am nothing apart from the work of Jesus.

I have been an atheist since...well, pretty much since my less than immaculate conception. I have read parts of the Bible, actually a considerable portion. If I hadn't gone into as an atheist, I am fairly certain I would have come out one on the other side. I consider it on par with a historical novel. There are too many characters, the plot is all over the place, and I feel that the deus ex machina ending was, frankly, a bit of a cop out. That said, there are some moving passages, and it is not without a degree of wisdom. I think Thomas Jefferson had the right idea in rewriting the New Testament, focusing on the message of Jesus, and omitting all the mystical claptrap.