A non-believers first journey through the bible.
A little background... I was raised in a non-religious household. My parents took us to a non-denominational church, but I stopped going around the 6th or 7th grade. Nothing I learned at church ever really struck me, and I never had an experience where I felt "saved", "born again", etc... However, my grandfather is a very devout Christian, teaching Sunday school at a United Methodist Church for decades with my grandmother playing piano at Sunday services.
Coming of age without belief, I've found the term atheist to being derisive and avoid it if at all possible. I subscribe to Sam Harris's views that the term is inherently nonsensical as we do not conventionally describe ourselves in terms of what we don't do, that is that nobody would describe their beliefs as "analchemy" or "anastrologist".
So, why is this blog here? Most of my knowledge of the bible has been gleamed from /r/atheism and other non-believer sources, and I've decided to read it for myself. I have not started yet, so I'll take this opportunity to ask Christians a few questions:
1. Is the King James Bible 1611 the version I should be reading? It's what I currently have on my kindle, and it seems to be the most wide-reaching version and historically influential version, thus my pick.
2. Is the best way to read it straight through or is there another way you'd recommend?
I can't guarantee much timeliness as I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan, and updates will come as I make progress. There won't be any "Hey, haven't written in awhile but I'm still here" filler posts.
Thanks in advance for all the advice/suggestions!
I saw your post on Reddit and decided to follow your blog. I also left my two cents as a reply to that post; I won't repost them here. Best of luck in your reading, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I'm doing a first read-through myself (only up to Joshua now, the sixth book), so it'll be interesting to get another take. :)
ReplyDeleteI just saw the post on Reddit, so consider me a follower! Im very glad that you are doing this.
ReplyDeleteI still have the blog open on my tabs, so consider me a follower!
ReplyDeleteThe KJV has some pretty archaic language - especially the 1611 version. The New King James Version is faithful to the 1611 version and is much clearer to the modern reader. The easiest translation to read that is still faithful to the original is the NIV (New International Version 1984). It is a more thought-for-thought translation, rather than a word-for-word translation like the NASB or the ESV.
ReplyDeleteOne of the worst ways to read the Bible is straight through. My suggestion is a three-pronged attack. Every day you read three chapters. Start with one chapter of Genesis, one chapter of Psalms and one chapter of Matthew. The next day you read chapter 2 of each book. The next day chapter 3, Lather, rinse, repeat until you're done.
Other Bible reading plans can be found here: http://www.ligonier.org/blog/bible-reading-plans-2012/
I highly recommend an organized plan. Many believers tire and fail at reading the whole Bible. You'll need the extra structure of a good plan to help keep you going.
I don't believe in luck, so I'll just say, "God be with you!"
Saw your post on reddit and decided to follow. Good luck, I've never been able to read through the whole thing. I get glassy eyed at around the Psalms.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend the ESV as it is less interpreted for you than the NIV. You will be more free to interpret your own meanings rather than what the translator thought. Here is a link to a free ESV for kindle:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Bible-English-Standard-Version-ebook/dp/B001EOCFU4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1326390678&sr=8-2
I understand what Dave is saying about reading from multiple sources so you stay fresh and don't get pulled into a "boring" part (correct me if I was wrong on your purpose, Dave). But let me share an alternate idea...
I understand you are reading this from a non-believer's perspective. The Bible is meant to be read as a whole story. One true giant narrative from the beginning of everything to the end. We are a part of this ongoing story and exist somewhere between Jesus' time and Revelation. If you have this mindset, I think this will be a more fulfilling read. You will be able to see how everything is interrelated and why certain things happen in the New Testament because of events in the Old Testament. If you keep that idea, I think you will learn more from it and be able to make a more informed decision on the Bible.
Hope that makes sense! If not, I will be more than happy to clarify.