Why do so many athiests study the bible if they dont believe in god?

I posted another question and learned sao many people claiming to be athiests seem to be reading the bible and even studying it..why?..to gather as much "Evidence" as possible to deny christ, cant we always find an error with something if we choose to do so?

Why do so many athiests study the bible if they dont believe in god?
Some might call it 'gathering evidence to deny christ'.





Others call it 'pointing out glaring inconsistencies and bald-faced lies'.





Some atheists might study the bible as historical fiction. There are still many wise words within the bible if you can seperate them from the superstitious nonsense.





While it is true that people can almost always find 'errors' in something that they have predetermined is false - it is also true that people overlook errors, inconsistencies, and lies based on 'faith' that it came from a divine source.
Reply:Thank you.





The truth is, noone knows the truth.





Some of us have bits and pieces of it - and we try to put it together. Report Abuse

Reply:ok all i have to say is when i search threw the bible its for answers im not christian and im not athesis i'm agnostic its like i believe theres a god but i have no faith towards him. and people read the bible for the truth and all it is is one big made up story! Report Abuse

Reply:It is to avoid being ignorant when arguing with christians. They, unfortunately, remain ignorant about atheistic (non-) beliefs.
Reply:know thine enemy





seriously, and how many christians have read the God Delusion?
Reply:For the same reason that some Christians study other types of fiction.
Reply:I think that it's simply a matter of being educated about what you talk about. The Golden Compass is a great example of what I see as standard thought processes among many theists. So many people have come out against this movie and book that have never seen the movie or read the book. In fact, in my local school district, an elementary school teacher in a gifted program told students they should never see the movie or read the book...that it was not good. When a parent who had read the book heard about this from their child, they confronted the teacher. The teacher admitted they hadn't read the book, but had learned this in a "study" group...meaning bible study.





I prefer to understand what I talk about. Some folks are willing to let others do their thinking for them. That's why I continually see posts on R%26amp;S from Christians that don't know their bible...
Reply:Many of us used to be Christian or what not. I was raised Southern Baptist until I was 13 and I started questioning things. I wanted to know more about what I was being told was true and the more I asked, the more I was stonewalled and told I was not to question God or the bible.





That made me very suspicious. I think it's rather funny that many atheists tend to know more about the bible and what's in there than most Christians. At church you just get the same old stories pounded into you with a little bit of fear, and some Jesus hope mixed in. Take away the entertaining presentation and actually get in there and read the book for what it is, and not try to come up with some allegorical meaning to it and you will see some pretty disturbing stuff.
Reply:Because I'm not ignorant. I'd like to have some knowledge about what I'm arguing on.
Reply:Ever heard of "Know thy enemy"?





Or remember in the film "Patton" where George C. Scott's character defeated Rommel and was screaming "I read your book, you b**stard!"?
Reply:Why do so many people study the Egyptian Book of the Dead, when they don't believe in it?





Mythology is interesting. I've read many religious texts. All of them have worth as historical studies and as sociological studies. I have no reason to pick them apart, as they clearly defy all logic or physical possibility.
Reply:in order to choose sides on any subject, its always a good idea to know the subject before you choose the side, otherwise the arguments you speak of to support your side, are really just idiotic ramblings
Reply:I have studied the Bible, the Koran, the Mahabharata, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, and many others in my anthropology research to learn about, not only the beliefs of man, but also the processes and histories behind those beliefs.





Much like Joseph Campbell.
Reply:The book is no less fascinating for being non-divine.
Reply:I read it searching for a religion, all i found in that book was a bunch of made-up and often times plagiarized stories...it had some nice ideas, and good concepts, but by and large it was full of junk...





I was raised by a catholic mother, and a non-denominational father, so i was encouraged to "find god", all i found were lies...





I read the Qu'ran, and Torah, too in my search for a religion...





but i found most of my answers in "college" where i learned about physics, and philosophy...
Reply:I regard it as a piece of fictional literature just like many other books I've studied. I also was raised as a christian even though I've never claimed to be one (because I wasn't). I will say the more I've read it, the more I find that supports my stance as an atheist.
Reply:Most of us who are familiar with the Bible are former Christians who became atheists after studying the Bible and realizing no god could possibly have anything to do with it.





Philosophical inquiry beyond that tends to lead to a similar conclusion about everything else.
Reply:Many of us are former Christians or were at least raised as such. Some of us had to go to religious schools. We studied the bible for various reasons and that was what lead most of us to being Atheists. Side trips into other mythologies was enlightening as well.
Reply:No. Find an error with the earth is round. Atheists are rational minded people and realize that truth lies in discovery. Discovery isn't magical, it takes hard work and brainpower. Give it try....do you believe people lived to be 900 years old as the bible says in Genesis 5:?
Reply:why do so many christians read the book and then do exactly the opposite of what ist says?
Reply:In the quest for knowledge, read everything.





Awesome answer, Corrosion.
Reply:I'm atheist and I find religion fascinating. When the whole world basically revolves around something it's hard to ignore it. Just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean you shouldn't learn about it. The thing that concerns me is that I have started to find that a decent amount of atheists seem to know more about religion than those that do believe in god. I credit this to people (I'm not saying everyone) that only listen to what they are told in church and don't do research about other religions pre-dating theirs, or the history behind their religion. For example people thinking December 25'th is a christian holiday...well I guess it is but they hijacked it. And no, you can't find error with everything.
Reply:- many atheists are ex-Christians.


- I just like a good laugh and some bronze-age bigotry.
Reply:For the same reason many Christians (and Muslims also) study the Theory of Evolution. To attempt to find any errors that may or may not be there, and to better understand those who do beleive the text in question.
Reply:The same reason I listen to music but can not play, the same reason I read mathematical proofs that I could never have made myself. I read it for inspiration, not as a historical document that supports my personal hatred to certain men and thoughts.





It seems you think atheism is something that it isn't. Atheism isn't about ignorance, it's about the opposite. I see great beauty in the teachings of Jesus, but it does not mean I have to hide behind the Bible to support my outdated views.





In fact, I follow Jesus' teaching more than most Christians. I understand how revolutionary his teachings are - then and now (watch how war-mongering the Christian Right is). Great ideas are immortal; men following other men because they claim to be chosen by God is just plain stupid.
Reply:To find the blatantly untrue, hateful, and contradictory parts. We can find errors if they are as massive as they are in the bible. Why do creationists not have even the slightest knowledge of evolution before they attack it? I think we should be commended for giving it a look.
Reply:Unlike arrogant "believers" atheists are willing to consider the possibility of being wrong.
Reply:Do you read other fiction or go see movies or chick flicks on tv.
Reply:"cant we always find an error with something if we choose to do so?"





Yes, we can.





Notice that finding those errors in the Bible logically refutes the claim that the Bible is the infallible word of God.
Reply:Education and learning are good things; I study many cultures, not just Christianity. I do not do it to gather evidence to deny Christ, but the evidence is overwhelming none the less, and cannot be ignored except through willful ignorance.
Reply:Many of us began as children in one of the many christian cults. As such we were told the bible fairy tales were the source of all 'truth'. So, when we began to question our cult's doctrine and dogma, we searched in the bible stories. We came away with the understanding that these were just fairy tales and that most christian cultists have no idea what those stories say. Why do you have a problem with atheists knowing more about the bible stories than you?
Reply:I am just glad they are reading it. God can use even the most unusual type of person to fulfill His purpose
Reply:They hide their fear of the unknown (life after death) very well.


God have mercy on their souls!