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Comment by demygale | Hacker News Reader

Get a study bible. The Bible itself is a vast work of literature spanning millennia and isn’t meant to be read cover to cover like a novel. It does not contain enough contextualization to guide you. You will require outside context for understanding.

A study bible will help with this. Also, read the Wikipedia page for each book of the Bible before you read that book. It will greatly help your understanding.

I am an atheist but have read the Bible extensively because it’s the foundation of western literature.

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Get a study bible.

A "study Bible" has one purpose --- to sell you on the religion. It's like asking the salesperson about a used car.

The ancient people who wrote the Bible were scientifically illiterate and their writings prove it. As an example, they believed the earth was flat and the sky was a solid dome (the "firmament" per the KJV) that separated the "waters above" from the "waters below". This "sky dome" was held in awe as proof of god's power.

But not only did they believe this, they doubled down on it by trying to build a tower to reach the dome. And of course, god was offended by their ignorance and punished them.

Now check your study Bible for the completely modern, white washed reinterpretation of all this.

Study Bibles go through the effort of properly cross-referencing elements as well as adding in historical context. If you're going to read the Bible that can be very important extra information than just some translated version without extra information. At least the Catholic bibles I've read (large chunks of) in the past still had those details about the ancient cosmology that you mention, they didn't remove it.

Are you, maybe, referring to those bizarre "modern translations" that have been spinning about for the past 20 or so years? Most of them really did manage to create an entirely new text almost completely divorced from their source material.

Study bibles — and a great deal of writing about the Bible — have a religious and evangelical perspective. They’re written by believers for believers.

If you want to read the Bible to better understand your religion, find a study bible that approaches the subject from the perspective of your religion.

If you want to read the Bible as literature, it’s not too hard to filter out the proselytizing.

And yeah, we know that the Bible was written by scientifically illiterate people and modern organized religion isn’t much better. The question isn’t should I read the Bible but how.

Sorry you had a hard time in Christian day school.

They’re written by believers for believers.

Yes. They start with an assumption --- and then work to justify it --- ignoring anything that deviates --- like an unjust god that punishes ignorance and rewards deception.

I'm glad you had a good time in Christian day school.

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