never been there

Gospels (for a college paper), Revelations (as a teenager looking for psychedelia), Exodus (good plot, enjoyable read). The usual.

More recently, mainly inspired by The Brick Testament, I've been filling in important gaps: Genesis (had dabbled a lot but toughed it out this time), Job (power-read it for songwriting purposes), Acts (who the Beelzebub does this new guy think he is?) and of course the Song of Songs (NSFW).

But I still can't stand Paul long enough to get further than one chapter into an epistle. I don't mind the Christians who are blown on Jesus, it's the ones who are blown on Paul that are hard to deal with.

diana

I recall trying to imagine the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross as I took communion, and found myself--egads--unable to honestly care. In retrospect, I realize that I simply was unable to identify with a two-dimensional character.

Almost the entire bible suffers from this problem.

d

PinkPanther_04

I tried to read Revelations while I was in the pokey for a weekend several years ago. It was the only thing to read and I was bored. I still couldn't get through more than a few pages. It's just crazy! I've read a little here and there otherwise, mostly browsing through the Skeptic's Annotated Dictionary. I'm sure I read bible stories when I was little and went to Sunday school, but I'll be damned if I can remember any of that now.

Stout Drinker

This is more of a GRD topic.

Dryhad

Damn straight. "Oooh, look at me, I won a power struggle with Jesus's brother so I'm therefore divinely justified in passing down arbitrary rules and filling the Bible with my own stupid personal correspondance. And in 2000 years, people will look at the Bible and think that my word is the word of God, because I was in the right place at the right time and managed to illegitimately get it in there".[/requisite anti-Paul rant]

Eh, I've read bits of the bible here and there, a couple of books. A guy in my brother's confirmation class read half of the Bible before he ran out of time/got bored and just skimmed through the rest.

Astreja

Read a picture version when I was a kid.

Read Revelations because of the tie-in to the Genesis song "Supper's Ready" and to see what all the fuss about 666 was about. Similar experience for Ecclesiastes (The Byrds, "Turn! Turn! Turn!") and the 22nd Psalm (the ending of the album version of the Guess Who song "Hang On to Your Life").

At one time, I had the first two sentences of Genesis memorized in Hebrew. (Forgot the second one, but the first is still with me)

Looked at bits and pieces of most of the books at one time or another, but never read from front to back. (I intend to, some day, if I can stay awake long enough.)

But I never could stand Paul's rants...

FarmMama

Maybe BC&H is better.

Helpmabob

Skepticwiki - It depends Jephthah didn't need to come out with this promise to God to sacrifice the first person that came out of his house. God had already assured him of vicory in battle by sending him with the Spirit, but Jephthah then thinks he needs to also do a deal with God to win. There is a lesson here to be learnt.

French Prometheus

I read it from cover to cover (including the books which are only in the Catholic Canon). It's boring and contains a lot of crap. Every now and then, you can find something of worth but that's quite rare.

The Koran is shorter but even more boring to read (a lot of repetitions).

rhutchin

I have read the Bible and I like the way it describes people as they really were and that it does not sugar coat anything (this allows people to nit pick what they read). Paul was incredible because he did not cave in to peer pressure or the majority's selfish desire of the day. Paul was a strong individual who knew the truth and would not compromise his beliefs. People today are wusses, have no strong morals or beliefs, only want everyone else to know what really neat people they imagine themselves to be, and then go balistic when their egos get popped; pretty pathetic. Lot of work for the shrinks though.