I took 10 years to self-teach study history, science, archaeology, and bible history. It's what made me an atheist.

I studied the History of Religion for two semesters in prep school, so forgive me if I do not read your lengthy post. What I gathered from those studies is still true today and will not change for me: gods are created by men. Religion is opium for the masses and keep your deity out of my life.

I am an atheist. I did Biblical Studies for my first degree and it was fascinating. I enjoy the history, the stories and their roots, the archaeology and the creation of the book itself. The apocrypha is incredible. It’s a document worthy of study in its own right and does not require faith to do so. I wish more atheists would get to know it as it does give you a respect for the document even if you disagree with the belief.

Most people, including devote christians have no idea how the bible was put together. How little evidence there actually is for Jesus having ever lived (on earth). How purposeful redactions, accidental interpolations, mis-translations, damaged/missing texts and misunderstandings and confusions have made it all a muddled mess to determining any actual truths. The Gospels for instance are wholly created literary constructs (Alagorical Fiction) written by Greek educated authors who freely changed the narrative. Mathew redact Mark, Luke Redacts Matthew and John Redacts them all the most freely. Add to this, that all documents we have (authentic letters of Paul) come decades after the supposed death of Jesus, some like the Gospels are more like 50 years after the fact. and later texts come centuries later.

The Bible....biggest publishing snafu ever

As an atheist of 58 years I have read the bible cover to cover three times. I have read the Talmud as well as the Sumerian and Babylonian mishnahs . Ive studied buddhism, toaism, hell I was even bored enough to read Dianetics! there were many books of the bible that were removed because they challenged the veiws of the church ( catholocism ) which set the stage for the other branches of christianity. but what most are unaware of is that Christianity, Judiasm and Islam are ALL three based solely on the Abrahamic teachings and laws! But what they don't want you to know is they are all based on older religions that they plaguriazed from older stories. jesus was one of several dozen " virgin births " celebrated through out history. Buddah was a virgin birth, Alaxander the Great, a virgin birth, the flood? another story stolen from Gilgamesh . Well actually there are dozens of flood stories. What gets me is they give the dimensions of the Ark in the bible which was smaller than the Titsnic yet they believe that the ark took all 1.5 MILLION species of animals IN pairs so there was a total of 3 million animals on the ark, plus the food to kerp them for a year PLUS the factnthat there are 1.7 MILLION spevies of plants that had to be destroyed by the flood as well! Now, that covers just the ABRAHAMIC based religions that doesnt even take into acvount for the Vadic /hindu based beliefs. OR their great number of gods. So you are correct, theres a lot of information they just do not want known, plus a lot that has been stolen from other old mythologies and religions from through out time.

It is one of the most eye opening revelations you could ever want to explore. Then go and read the lives of Luther, Calvin, Erasumus and John Calvin. Most of todays current Religious Leaders don't want you to know this and will damm you for ever giving it a thought. Many Atheists were at one time extremely religious until they discovered these facts. The scrolls that were discovered in the Late 1800, early 1900 in Iraq lost scrolls were found that were burried in earthen jars in caves. The Nag Hammadi scrolls contain some of the lost books which include the Gospel of Thomas. There is also a Gospel of Mary Magdelene who was the most famous apostle of the prophet Jesus because she was literate, and was also believed to be his wife. If you really want to follow that episode, you will find some facinating facts and contradictions to what was thought to have been destroyed by Constantine who was a Pagan.
I think Constantine had his Wife and Son Murdered before he was baptized so he could go and confess it and be forgiven. You may want to check up on that one because its been a while, but I'm pretty sure of such a fact. Where and what book I am at a loss.

I've spent a lot of time studying biblical history, and I find it fascinating. I view the bible as I vew The Iliad or Odyssey, or any other classic. It's a classic. That it had the misfortune of becoming what it's become today kind of sucks, but it is a literary classic.

No, Just book really. "Bible" Etymology: Middle English Bible "the Bible," from early French Bible (same meaning), from Latin biblia (same meaning), from Greek biblia (plural) "books," derived from Byblos, ancient city in Phoenicia from which the Greeks imported papyrus.

Thus the modern named version "The Book".

Boring, really booorrring also scary and delusional

I've studied the Bible more since becoming an atheist then I did as a believer. Of course it's with a whole different perspective now since I see it for what it is, a collection of ancient writings by various men. But I find it pretty fascinating. I like the work of Dr. Bart Ehrman on the subject. I like Robert Price's perspective too, although I disagree with him on many things.

Whoa! This post is as broad as it is detailed. If memory serves, Constantine's mother, Helena, was a Christian.

It was during my period of doubt and reexamination that I became interested in the vote (of men, no women) that determined which books were 'inspired' (belonged in the Canon) and which were 'heretical.' Obviously, the Gnostic gospels were out, and nearly all were destroyed. Even later--much later--there were arguments over which books belonged in the New Testament--the Protestants needed their own canon. Having walked away from it all, the whole argument seems such a useless waste of energy today. I am reminded of the argument over the number of dancing angels which might fit on the head of a pin!

Not recently and have no desire to bs history.

Whoah! Too long. And I think most of us know that everything in the abrahamic religions was taken from previous belief systems, so there's really no need to know more than that.

I was being groomed to be a Pastor, but that was before I had a brain.

Very intresting read. I belive they books selected were written to try to prove certain OT prophecys,as time and technology moved on these were easily proved to be false so the church found a very misleading way of getting around this problem,they said the OT prophecys were multi layered and could apply to different people at different times in history!!! What a great get out!!! And still some xtians can't agree what are messianic phrophecy and what are not! This whole charade relys on one UN arguable point,you must have faith! This is the greatest money making tax avoidance scheme ever invented.

I joined because I thought we wouldn't be discussing religion.
I'd rather cuss it.
I'd like to see the end of it.

I find this to be a an interesting subject, indeed. A point of interest is that catholic is a Greek word for universal.

This is one of the better summaries of Judeo/Christian history that I have found: [bidstrup.com]

My husband was raised Catholic. At one point about 39 years ago he became a born again Christian. I went along with it for about a year until there was a sex scandal in our church involving the head Pastor. The church fell apart & that was it for both my husband & I.We both were finished with religion & eventually the whole god idea.

Regardless of the few saintly mystics who come by to attempt to elevate humanity ever so slightly it seems that their individual and collective efforts are systematically thwarted successfully and their works lost trashed buried etc.; they are also crucified, burned st the stake, silenced, and disappeared while their demonic counterparts are exalted, praised, and allowed to continue their despotic and monstrous ways. I’m quite convinced that this level of materialization in which we all find ourselves is the seventh level of hell and through reincarnation we are all stuck here in an endless loop returning to this outer darkness, this eternal damnation. No other explanation seems plausible.

Lots of examples in the TaNaKh, otherwise known as the Old Testament. Two Genesis stories, one after the other, that contradict each other. Two interwoven versions of the Flood story. Several other cases as well.

I believe religions to be part of the evolution of dogma in a historic sense. Theology is a very interesting field of study.

I believe religions to be part of the evolution of dogma in a historic sense. Theology is a very interesting field of study.

I believe religions to be part of the evolution of dogma in a historic sense. Theology is a very interesting field of study.