Bible study was a big help in my de-conversion. I tell people all the time that the books of the bible were independent books. They contradict and disagree because they were not meant to be bound together as a story from beginning to end. You cannot tell believers that. Constantine wanted certain texts bound and used and others that seemed ridiculous to not be included. One common text would then work for all and the bogus books would soon be gone. The way it worked out left everyone with one great big bogus book.

It was my last and final reading of the Bible that convinced me that the entire narrative was concocted. I was brought up in a religious (school / church / social) community, where we memorized Bible verses and entire chapters, and could rattle off the names of the 66 books of the (Protestant) Bible by the 2nd grade. And yet, what a relief it was to finally arrive at the logical conclusion that the entire thing is a crock of shit—works of fiction nowhere near as good as Homer.

I can honestly say I've never read the Bible from start to finish. I've read a few lines or chapters here and there; I know the gist of a lot of the stories but not the fine details. I just don't give a shit about reading it; same for the Qur'an and Book of Mormon (I own all 3). I can't seem to make myself read any of them for too long when I know people actually believe these stories or would die over these outdated books.

As I'm not that well-versed in the bible, the bigger shock to me is when I ask people I know to be Christians general knowledge questions about the bible, but they have no answer. I could ask them who or what Leviticus is and they would have no answer, yet I am wrong for not following the very book that they know remarkably little about.

They found out it's BS as a result of actually reading it.

Yep.

Not me. Even when I was a kid and was taken to church it felt wierd to me.

The more you read the bible, the more it sounds like bullshit which leads to atheism. As long as you're not reading it with your brain firmly in the off position which most Xians do.

LOL, that's exactly why we disbelieve!

Ive gone to several churches the first thing that the people as soon as you walk in the door is to judge you the secound is they go through the motions of being friendly they practice what they preach

Yes because their brainwashed... They have the cognitive skill to analyze the Bible without emotion

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

~ John 8:32

And..it did..?

I did some bible study in my youth but was not a believer, must confess I've forgotten most of it.

Most Xtians would be atheist too if they would actually read their own holy book!

Yeah; the more carefully you read it the less true it becomes.

I think this has to do with having to believe it... the more you read of it the harder it becomes to accept as ‘divinely inspired’. So reading it is dangerous to a Christian mind, much easier to not read it and go about your business.

If you want to make it really interesting try asking a bible thumper ABOUT the bible.. where it came from? what the history of it is? how many different ones are there? what was the council of Nicea? Why is the KJV have two versions? Any thing that has to do with real history and they are totally speechless.. bible school doesn't teach anything about the bible.

Thoroughly reading the bible is what cured me of my faith. Hallelujah!

It's because we spit and don't swallow!

Its true, we analyze stuff i think way more than someone who is often like a puppet

That is true thats because we've looked harder for truth in it and got to where we are

Yes, it's a fact. I took an online religion test. In the end it broke down all the results by religion (including atheist) & we won by a landslide. I wonder, since it is a hard decision to make when religiosity is the norm, if we do a lot of research & questioning before coming to it. More so than if someone decided to change from Baptist to Methodist, for example. Perhaps even more than going from non-belief to belief, since that would seem to me to be a decision based on feelings, not knowledge.

I don't think I do; but now I am living in a very religious country here in Northern Ireland & I grew up without ever having or needing a god,in England.

Yes! I think it's because at a point in our lives we are curious of the other side (on anything) but tend to be great critical thinkers.

I especially feel that we know the OT WAY better!

That's part of being an Atheist. Every Atheist I know has read the Bible at least once Cover to Cover. I've known hundreds of Christians over my 58 years of being an Atheist, and only a handful actually read their bibles. Most of them pick up their bible, to,take it to church, open to what ever the preacher says he's reading from, and seldom do they even look! They pick the Bible up to go home and it sits there till the next church meeting. We read the Bible, we think about what is said. AND we THINK! Most Christians don't even realize that there is only ONE verse in the Bible about healing yourself! Yet there are churches that build their congregation on that one verse! WHY aren't there at least hundreds of churches based on Unicorns? After all they are mentioned in the Bible at least 9 times! No Christians don't read their bibles nor do they think! I honestly think they believe because they are LAZY! They want someone to tell them what to believe so they DON'T have to actually THINK!