Why does it sometimes appear that agnostics and athiests understand the bible more than christians?

Question

I really don't think that copying and pasting bible versus is what "god" or whoever had in mind. Isn't it more important to understand what a verse means than it is to be able to identify a verse as relevant to a discussion?

Answer 1

It appears that way, because it's generally true.

Answer 2

Because More Atheist have read the bible in its entirety than Christians have.

Most christians (not all) are the ones who go to church, listen to what verses the preacher reads and what his/her interpretation of those verses are.  They may attend sunday school, also doing their assignments for the next week.  so then they read a view more verses.  they don't get the entire book, they get bits and pieces that are good for them to hear and others that aren't good enough to keep them on the line are avoided.

Answer 3

Because careful reading and understanding of the bible usually leads to agnosticism or atheism.

Answer 4

Many of us are ex-Christians who studied hard before we became atheists. I don't know that we understand the Bible "better" than Christians but that might help explain why we are more familiar with some sections.

Answer 5

Because atheists and agnostics avoid looking at it as the literal 'Word of God', and instead analyze it as a body of text to see the underlying meaning of the words.

Answer 6

they find ways to convince themselves that god doesn't exist and their logic is irrefutable....

nuff said! >_< .v,,

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and another notion, deep philosophy is needed in translating the metaphors of the bible and the bible is not literal in meaning, sometimes it is fun to read it, in a way you enrich not only your morality but your psyche... hey that's what i do...(^_^).v,,

Answer 7

Its more fun to deny the possibility of interpretation and call everybody else stupid/damned for disagreeing. If I wanted the truth, why would I assume I already had it?

Answer 8

i would like you to prove it !

i see some pretty bad examples of atheist theology in interpretating the bible.

christians may get it wrong, on major issues but they get it more correct than most atheists!

if it were not true there would be less atheists.  

Answer 9

It's definitely more important for Christians to be able to identify with a verse, because we live by what the bible says. Atheists don't live by it so they probably just look at it as a text book.  

Answer 10

Very good point. I've made this argument myself over the years. Yet, I think an agnostic (someone who questions religion) is far more likely to understand something religious than an atheist (someone who shuns religion).

Answer 11

I have several atheist friends who are very active in debating theists. Rather obviously, one cannot present a compelling argument against something that he or she knows nothing about. So they've read the Bible many times over. Two of my friends have written books on atheism, and invoked Biblical arguments in their works to attempt proving points to Fundamentalists who won't accept an argument unless it comes directly from Scripture. It's about knowing your audience, and doing your research. I wouldn't attempt entering a debate on a topic about which I know nothing; no sane person would. So it's often in their own best interests to read the Bible, and to have a working  knowledge of Christian theology. I know an atheist who carries a Bible with him at all times. It's marked from front to back with what he feels are errors, and he uses it frequently in impromptu debates.

Answer 12

There is a set of people (and I'm one of them) who read the Bible in its entirety and found it wanting.

Answer 13

Becausae Christians are taught not to ask questions, or really to understand anything.  They are brainwashed from a young age to just "do" and to simply not ask questions.  They have no reason to understand the bible because mommy and daddy told them "this is how it is."

Answer 14

That means agnostics and atheists understand what the verse is not saying rather than what the verse is saying?

No wonder they are what they are!

Answer 15

Because most of us actually have read the bible.

We don't rely on a church leader to lend us his/her interpretations of only the parts of the bible that he/she feels necessary to his/her agenda.

We can read the ENTIRE bible and understand it as if we are reading any other book.

No one will understand a book if they just take quotes out here and there and try to peice them together to suit their agendas.  

Answer 16

because you shouldn't reject something unless you

study it first

and just because you copy paste doesn't mean you don't understand it

Answer 17

That's how they became atheists and agnostics, in most cases.

Answer 18

I won't say everyone does. I wouldn't even stretch out and say the majority do.

Just, a lot of us take the time to actually know (on some level) what it is we're against.