It is my contention that even a hard-core atheist should know what's in the Bible

[Blackrook]

The Bible is the primary source of Western society's wisdom, and a person who has never read the Bible is ignorant of a great many things.

I would say the same about the works of Shakespeare.

 

[Moonglow]

The Bible is the primary source of Western society's wisdom, and a person who has never read the Bible is ignorant of a great many things.

I would say the same about the works of Shakespeare.

Can you recite the Koran? You should be able to..."The lady doth protest too much, methinks"

 

[BreezeWood]

The Bible is the primary source of Western society's wisdom, and a person who has never read the Bible is ignorant of a great many things.

I would say the same about the works of Shakespeare.

.

The Bible is the primary source of Western society's wisdom, and a person who has never read the Bible is ignorant of a great many things.

the people who read that book are the ones who knew no better and not only ruin their own lives but they seek to infect all those around them with that books evil as well - in all of history they have never ceased to persecute and victimize the innocent as their most singular accomplishment.

 

[bodecea]

The Bible is the primary source of Western society's wisdom, and a person who has never read the Bible is ignorant of a great many things.

I would say the same about the works of Shakespeare.

Nope.

 

[Indeependent]

Atheists used to master the major religions and philosophers.
Today they’re just a bunch of Internet PhDs.

 

[Blackrook]

You guys are missing the point. A person who doesn't know the Bible is a literary ignoramus.

 

[Blackrook]

"Do not cast pearls before swine" -- that's an example of something in the Bible that if you don't know what it is, you're just plain ignorant in Western culture.

 

[pinqy]

The Bible is the primary source of Western society's wisdom, and a person who has never read the Bible is ignorant of a great many things.

I would say the same about the works of Shakespeare.

Can you recite the Koran? You should be able to..."The lady doth protest too much, methinks"

Not for knowledge of Western Culture. For Middle Eastern, North African, and Central Asian cultures, you are correct.

 

[BULLDOG]

You guys are missing the point. A person who doesn't know the Bible is a literary ignoramus.

Knowing what is in the bible is the quickest way to turn a believer to an atheist that has ever been devised.

 

[Blackrook]

The Bible is the primary source of Western society's wisdom, and a person who has never read the Bible is ignorant of a great many things.

I would say the same about the works of Shakespeare.

Can you recite the Koran? You should be able to..."The lady doth protest too much, methinks"

Not for knowledge of Western Culture. For Middle Eastern, North African, and Central Asian cultures, you are correct.

No, you are incorrect. The Western civilization was built by Christians, and Christianity is still the prevalent religion.

 

[The Professor]

The Bible is the primary source of Western society's wisdom, and a person who has never read the Bible is ignorant of a great many things.

I would say the same about the works of Shakespeare.

Can you recite the Koran? You should be able to..."The lady doth protest too much, methinks"

Good point. There are over I billion Christians in the world and over 1 billion Muslims. Their beliefs have a substantial influence on the world we live in; therefore, it is important to know what they believe.

I am providing two links for those who want to do serious research. The first link will take you to a Bible site with dozens of versions in multiple languages. Each version offers both word search and verse search. The second link takes you to the M.H. Shakir translation of the Koran which has both word search and verse search. Word search makes research easy. For the non-Muslim who wants to know what the Koran really says about eating pork, just go the the site provided and type the word “swine” in the search block. Some of you may be surprised.

BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages.

The Koran

 

[cnm]

The Bible is the primary source of Western society's wisdom, and a person who has never read the Bible is ignorant of a great many things.

I would say the same about the works of Shakespeare.

How can two things be 'the primary source'?

 

[The Professor]

The Bible is the primary source of Western society's wisdom, and a person who has never read the Bible is ignorant of a great many things.

I would say the same about the works of Shakespeare.

I agree that everyone should have at least a basic knowledge of the Bible; however, I also believe that everyone should also have a basic knowledge of the Qur'an (Koran). Both Holy Books are far more important than the works of Shakespeare. The beliefs held by over 1 billion Christians and over 1 billion Muslims help shape the world we live in; therefore it is imperative to know what guides them. We have no choice but to live among people of different faiths but we cannot do it successfully if we do not understand them. I can assure you of one thing: there will never be a war fought over a Shakespearean sonnet.

 

[cnm]

there will never be a war fought over a Shakespearean sonnet.

Nor will there be a war fought over a religious verse. Wars are always fought over land or power and money. But I repeat myself.

 

[The Professor]

there will never be a war fought over a Shakespearean sonnet.

Nor will there be a war fought over a religious verse. Wars are always fought over land or power and money. But I repeat myself.

Everything I said was absolutely true and I never expected a challenge. Let's set the record straight. History is replete with examples of wars based upon religion. In the world today, there is wide-spread documented slaughter based solely on religious beliefs, a war of sorts. There is an ever present threat of war between countries whose differences are based more on religion than any other factor. Money and power are the reasons the political elite want to go to war but ordinary men, those who put their lives on the line, do it for a cause. If you ignore religion as a primary motivating factory, you are naive.

Conclusion: Everyone should be familiar with both the Bible and the Qur'an (Koran). These books are far more important to the world than the works of Shakespeare. Religious differences have and will continue to beget strife until there is mutual understanding and acceptance. If it is to ever happen, the first step is to know what others are thinking and what they believe. I never heard of people killing others over Macbeth or The Taming of the Shrew.

I believe you are just being argumentative; therefore, you have the last word. I am done here.

 

[cnm]

Let's set the record straight. History is replete with examples of wars based upon religion. In the world today, there is wide-spread documented slaughter based solely on religious beliefs, a war of sorts.

No, no one in those wars is trying to convert the opposition, which would be the goal of a religious based contest, rather they are contesting for power, land or money. But I repeat myself.

 

[idb]

I thought The US Constitution was all you needed.
I notice you never mentioned it.

You mentioned Shakespeare (an Englishman...from England...that the Founders fought and died to gain independence from to establish the USA, The Greatest Country In The History Of The Universe), and The Bible (a document written by Middle Eastern types that your President has banned from entering the country...The Greatest Country In The History Of The Universe...unless they buy lots of weapons).

Why do you hate the US Constitution?

 

[pinqy]

The Bible is the primary source of Western society's wisdom, and a person who has never read the Bible is ignorant of a great many things.

I would say the same about the works of Shakespeare.

Can you recite the Koran? You should be able to..."The lady doth protest too much, methinks"

Not for knowledge of Western Culture. For Middle Eastern, North African, and Central Asian cultures, you are correct.

No, you are incorrect. The Western civilization was built by Christians, and Christianity is still the prevalent religion.

How does that make me incorrect that one does not need to be knowledgeable about the Koran in order to be knowledgeable about Western culture?

 

[PoliticalChic]

The Bible is the primary source of Western society's wisdom, and a person who has never read the Bible is ignorant of a great many things.

I would say the same about the works of Shakespeare.

I agree that everyone should have at least a basic knowledge of the Bible; however, I also believe that everyone should also have a basic knowledge of the Qur'an (Koran). Both Holy Books are far more important than the works of Shakespeare. The beliefs held by over 1 billion Christians and over 1 billion Muslims help shape the world we live in; therefore it is imperative to know what guides them. We have no choice but to live among people of different faiths but we cannot do it successfully if we do not understand them. I can assure you of one thing: there will never be a war fought over a Shakespearean sonnet.

I rarely disagree with you, Prof, but on this...".Muslims help shape the world we live in;"....this codicil is necessary: today's Muslim leaders are not the same as the ones who advanced mathematics and welcomed Maimonides.


They are these:

"Indeed, the total number of books translated into Arabic during the 1,000 years since the age of Caliph Al-Ma’moun [a ninth-century Arab ruler who was a patron of cultural interaction between Arab, Persian, and Greek scholars—WPR] to this day is less than those translated in Spain in one year. The report noted that Arab rulers stay in office all their lives and create dynasties that inherit power, and the peoples are unable to institute change."B
Arab Human Development Report - Worldpress.org


And these:

“New York Mufti says, Muslims cannot integrate: ‘Muslims should hate non-Muslims’ “The general principle… is to love and to hate for the sake of Allah,” New York Mufti says, Muslims cannot integrate: 'Muslims should hate non-Muslims' · Caldron Pool


But...I agree, it's a good reason to know the Q'ran.

 

[rightwinger]

The Bible is the primary source of Western society's wisdom, and a person who has never read the Bible is ignorant of a great many things.

I would say the same about the works of Shakespeare.

I know what is in the Bible

That is how I figured most of it seemed made up