Pagandawn

Well, I suppose the Bible has some interest due to the tremendous impact on history.

But it's content? Almost everything in the bible is pure BS, BULLSHIT that is. Not to talk about all the hokus-pokus and childish fairy tales taken seriously. Not worthy a serious consideration. There is no historical reality in it.

So Please enlighten me. What is the game? Splitting hairs about nothing?

Ulrich

The Game? It is rather simple, many Christians treat the Bible as an undeniable historical source. This forum exists to discuss the merits of such a position, as well as where, exactly, Bible History and secular histories disagree.

Pagandawn

Yes, I am aware of that. But this is an atheist forum?

When it comes to historical reality for atheists. The bible contains nothing of value. Completely useless.

It is fairy tales for stupid children.

Solitary Man

First of all, your comments are incorrect. There is history in it. Some of it is real. That means that your opinions on the "historical reality" (why the obfuscated talk? did Orwell not teach you anything?) are bullshit as well. But leaving that aside... Do we just toss out things that are non-historical? Stories, fiction or otherwise, are powerful. Look at the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Absolutely none of it happened. Yet it made millions at the box office. Best of all, there's even a peer-reviewed journal, Journal of Tolkien Studies, and one can find books dealing with the linguistic issues that Tolkien raises with his made up languages.

Perhaps even closer are the great epics: The Iliad, the Odyssey, the Aeneid, Beowulf, etc... which have been studied for thousands of years and are continued to be studied. Go on, go to a Classicist and mock his study of these classics since they contain about as much if not less history than the Bible as a whole does.

How much history is found in Beethoven's Eroica? You must think those piano players and musicologists who study Beethoven's works must be as frivolous as the biblical historians, right? After all, why would anyone want to discuss a work that has no history in it?

Ulrich

This forum is not just for atheists, we get our share of theists in here as well. Even if you had to be a card carrying atheist to get in here, that would not make this forum irrelevant, as many of us interact with Chrsitians on a daily basis. Rather than simply telling them that they are 'stupid children', and going on our merry way, some of us prefer to attempt to understand them, as well as their beliefs, then engage them in substantive debates regarding their beliefs.

YMMV, so feel free to ignore the existence of this forum.

Yellum Notnef

I see BCH as a sort of reality check for the endless stream of Christian fools who join this site to angrily shake their almighty bible at us heathens for not believing.

Most of these people have no idea how little truth is in the bible until they get here.

Pagandawn

No, there is no historical reality in the bible whatsoever. It is all pure fiction.

This means both the old and new testament. You see xtians want to believe, reality is not very important for them. All they want to do is to believe. Then they are happy. We atheists want the reality.

So what's real in the bible? The Jews in Egypt? Pure nonsense!
The existens of Jesus? Or the miracles? Grow up!

Everything in the bible are stupid stories for gullible people who wants to believe in BS.

Clivedurdle

Yup, there is history in the Bible - Pharoah's, Cyrus, Pilate, Caesar.

But how much and why? Contemporary scene setting by good story tellers to make their stories feel more plausible?

Why is not the Bible automatically thought about and looked at in the same terms as Homer and Tolkien and put in a league table with them?

Mark beats Superman but doesn't quite hack Gone with the Wind?

Geetarmoore

For me, it's about studying how and why what we see as the bible got to be what it is today. There is a quite vivid history in that, even if nothing written within the book itself is historical.

Anyway, I'm not sure why you care. You have your opinions, and you appear to be wasting your time here as well as mine if you're not interested in the history of the bible. Move along?

Malachi151

This is a pretty ignorant comment. Many people, atheists included, myself being one of them, find the Bible and Christian history to be fascinating. Try reading some of the posts to see the topics that are discussed here.

Secondly, to claim that there is "no history" in the Bible is just a flatly false and ideologically driven statement.

There is history in everything, even the fabrication of history is itself a historical testament to the fabrication. Moreover, there are books in the Bible that are generally historically reliable, but even more interesting is discussing the contradictions between "real history" and the Bible.

I feel quite sorry for anyone who thinks that there is nothing to be learned from studying the Bible or Christian history. I find the field completely fascinating and at the same time very culturally informative. Having an in depth knowledge of the Bible is not only culturally enriching in its own right, but it proves to be a major asset when discussing religion with Christians.

Sorry, but you come across as simply an ignorant <edit>, and this really does no good for the perception of atheists or critics of Christianity. I much prefer to be an informed critic than someone who simply says "that's stupid!"