The Bible

The Bible.

The Bible; I know people usually assume it means I'm religious, but that's simply not the case. It's an interesting book in its own right, and it has had the most meaningful contribution to my life because it's one of the most influential books of all time. Reading it grants one better insight into art, cinema, literature, music, etc. etc. etc. Even creations that disagree with it have been influenced by it - obviously, since they disagree with it - so reading it allows you to understand why someone disliked the book. You also expand your vocabulary by reading it. And the stories in it are generally very interesting; it has its dry parts obviously. I believe it's the most bang for your buck, or I guess bang per number of pages.

Bible as an atheist (with Jordan Peterson biblical lecture on youtube as an introduction) We live a story and to make society work that story has to be shared. The goal of life would be to be in self-sacrifice in service of truth and love, in a sense it’s similar to the stoic philosophy but with more dept. So much of our humans problems and pitfalls are outlined perfectly, but we have to find a way to read it without prejudice, with the intention of discovering what we don’t know. There is a deeper meaning than the bearded magician in the sky, but it’s a process for a scientifically minded person to be open to what is there (we have been taught that it’s a bunch of lies and superstitions)

> The Bible is not exactly .. readable? I can appreciate why people might say this, but modern translations are not that hard, and large parts are narrative and relatively straightforward. Probably a bit of an explainer is helpful, just like any other major work of literature. As to whether OP would find it worthwhile reading, that obviously depends. But as others point out it is the most important book in shaping Western civilization as we know it...so there is probably some value. On that subject Luc Ferry's Brief History of Thought has perspectives on several major thought streams. I don't know how accessible it is, but when I read it a few years ago, I found it reasonable, and I don't know much about philosophy.

You're not meant to read it like a regular book, front to back, like it's a romance or text book. Is something you're meant to read through out your life, not in one sitting. >then what what what?

Agreed - like it or not it's the foundation of our civilization and not having read it is more of a hindrance than anything

Read the Christian Bible. Even if you are not religious its worthwhile to read it from cover to cover.

If you are into that, try learning Hebrew and join a Rabbi there are endless books and discussion interpreting the bible.

Bible. Even rereading the same chapter sometimes makes me discover something a wasn't aware of when reading the text before.

The Bible (technically working on my 2nd cover-to-cover readthrough, but have read individual books in it many times, especially the Gospel of Matthew). All of Kafka's novels, but especially "The Castle". Several of PKD's novels: "The Man in the High Castle", "Through a Scanner Darkly", "Ubiq" "The Silmarillion" (when I was a young adult) Douglas Adams' "Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency" (when I was a teenager)

Yeah, you chose one of the absolute worst passages for that ;-) I read the Bible every day, a habit that is very important to me. But I don't just "pick specific passages I like", I take a book and read it through sequentially, then move on to the next. I find much of it intensely practical and applicable to my life; it challenges, comforts and teaches me. Of course, some parts are of a more historical interest, yet others (like the one you quote) can be really tough to make sense of. But I believe that the Bible is one of the main ways in which God communicates with people, so I want to read and think about all of it.

The Bible

I recommend the Book of Mormon as it is one of the most introspective books you can find. It comes across much clearer than many other religious books like the Bible (even though the Bible I recommend as well) because it has a common narrator who fills in the gaps for you and helps you understand the links between stories. It also is fairly scientific in its premise-- if you do an experiment by reading some of it and asking God if it is true, you can receive an answer from God if you ask Him sincerely and are willing to act upon the answer you receive. See Moroni 10:3-5 [1] The Book of Mormon also answers questions like why am I here? [2] and where am I going after I die? [3] A key idea of the Book of Mormon that is reflected many times is the cycle of "pride", where a group of people first humbles themselves, then prospers, then becomes prideful and makes poor choices, forgets love for others, and then falls, then causing the people to humble themselves again and repeat the cycle. Overall I heartily recommend this book. Reading it will make you feel great. [1] https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10?lang=eng [2] https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2?lang=eng…

The Bible provides a solid moral background for a very successful career in the long-term. I'd ask material atheists to go beyond the realms of Genesis and focus on the true revolutions it has brought about. Go ahead and read about Rene Girard. "Thou shall not covet or kill" is not a self-evident concept for Humanity.

The former has stood multiple tests of time and is my number one as well. Also, FWIW, while Harry Potter is complete fiction, the former is at least partly a history lesson as well. That said, I enjoyed both and I think some concepts are easier to grasp in Harry Potter.

The Bible. Probably has impacted the society I live in more than any other book and society in turn has impacted me. It's well-worth reading for a lot of reasons.

Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life The Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they "vexed" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :) Atlas Shrugged - no excuses Self and Others - personal pyschology Seth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being The Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs Letters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters The Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites Hear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous Rich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice Discrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference An Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing The Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people

The Bible How to win friends and influence people The Alchemist The Charisma Myth

I'm going to be on the receiving end of a great deal of vitriol for saying The Bible and the Koran, but sitting down and reading those two books—for the first time in my 21-year existence—was a really interesting experience. I'm not going to turn this into a personal essay. I realized—after reading both books with a critical eye—that there are a lot of trumped-up claims made about each books' contents that ultimately fail to bear themselves out. But there's a great deal to learn from each, and I say this as a nontheist.

the holy bible i mean all de answers are there in black and white for questions like how 2 run a sucessfully enterprise to personal stuff

1) Musashi's Book of Five Rings 2) Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People 3) Machaivelli's The Prince 4) Sun-Tzu's The Art of War 5) Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action 6) Steven Johnson's Emergence 7) Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel 8) Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything 9) Mark Buchanan's Nexus 10) C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain Taken together, these books cover just about everything there is to know about the sciences, about human history, human nature and how to understand and communicate effectively with other people. Only one other book besides these needs to be studied/read: The Bible.