Has anyone here actually read The Scriptures?

[Mellowmarsh]

Infinite stories.

Only one book.

Only one reader reading its own self authored no copyrighted book. 

[Atb210201]

9 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

Yes a few times.  In audiobook form.  

Very nice.

What similarities did you find in all of them?

Edited Thursday at 08:25 AM by Atb210201

[Atb210201]

9 hours ago, Willy Phallicus said:

If you can get your hands on an old bible, get yourself a good Greek concordance and you'll me amazed at how much liberty was taken with meanings so as to distort the message.  Im sure someone has done the work and put it out there but its good to have what you need so you can check for yourself.

 

This would be very nice to find.

[Atb210201]

37 minutes ago, Lyubov said:

large portions in bible school 

So it wasn't by your own will then.

[Atb210201]

30 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

Christians themselves are too lazy to read their own Bible in totality

Yeah I guess. Lots of Muslims too.

But knowing that you're a bookworm yourself have you read any of them fully?

[Atb210201]

29 minutes ago, Ulax said:

No but would like to

Maybe we could start together

[Leo Gura]

1 minute ago, Atb210201 said:

Yeah I guess. Lots of Muslims too.

But knowing that you're a bookworm yourself have you read any of them fully?

I only read non-fiction.

[Atb210201]

27 minutes ago, Mellowmarsh said:

Infinite stories.

Only one book.

Only one reader reading its own self authored no copyrighted book. 

This is said in sufi traditions as well.

You are The Quran.

Read yourself.

Edited Thursday at 08:39 AM by Atb210201

[Atb210201]

Just now, Leo Gura said:

I only read non-fiction.

Haha OK

[Ulax]

1 hour ago, Atb210201 said:

Maybe we could start together

Bro you can't be rude to me then ask to be my study buddy lol

[Atb210201]

55 minutes ago, Ulax said:

Bro you can't be rude to me then ask to be my study buddy lol

Yes I can I just did lol.

You're good though. Sorry about before.

[Inliytened1]

17 hours ago, Atb210201 said:

I haven't read any of them totally but I'm curious has anyone here actually read The Old Testament, The New Testament, and The Quran?

I want to start to read them all as well.

Just to see what is there.

I've read some suras of Quran because I live in a Muslim culture.

But I haven't read it fully yet.

I'm not very much familiar with The Old and The New Testament.

But I have it on my phone and want to start to read it.

It's not the Old Testament it's the Torah!  The Tanakh. The books of Moses 😀 for the chosen peeps. 

Edited Thursday at 12:30 PM by Inliytened1

[Atb210201]

25 minutes ago, Inliytened1 said:

It's not the Old Testament it's the Torah!  The Tanakh. The books of Moses 😀 for the chosen peeps. 

Yes sir.

Good point.

They're the same.

[Ziran]

On 10/21/2026 at 11:49 AM, Atb210201 said:

 I'm curious has anyone here actually read The Old Testament, The New Testament, and The Quran?

... I have.  I'm a religious studies student working towards Rabbinic Ordination and a PHD.

On 10/21/2026 at 11:49 AM, Atb210201 said:

But I have it on my phone and want to start to read it.

It's a big task.  But, having a command of the scriptures of the 'Big 3' western religions is a potent tool for making peace.

On 10/21/2026 at 11:49 AM, Atb210201 said:

've read some suras of Quran because I live in a Muslim culture.

But I haven't read it fully yet.

FWIW, If you're reading a translation, I recommend "The Sublime Quran" translated by Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar.  You can read about it here:  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laleh_Bakhtiar#The_Sublime_Quran_(2007)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254089621_The_Sublime_Quran_The_misinterpretation_of_Chapter_4_Verse_34

[Ziran]

On 10/21/2026 at 11:51 AM, Michal__ said:

I read bits of the Bible trying to find verses that are like Zen koans, but was dissapointed to see that it's mostly "praise the lord!" type stuff.

You'll need the original language for that.  Gen 1:1, Psalms 1:1, and John 1:1 are reflexive, self propagating, palindromes.  This is explicitly referred to in the Sefer Yetzirah, the book of formation:  "The end is firmly wedged in the beginning, and the beginning is firmly wedged in the end." 

[Ziran]

On 10/21/2026 at 3:36 PM, Willy Phallicus said:

Gnosis.  

Knowledge of the divine.

The Bible teaches Gnostic-Agnostism:  "I know that it cannot be known."

Deuteronomy 4:12, 39
וידבר יהוה אליכם מתוך האש קול דברים אתם שמעים ותמונה אינכם ראים זולתי קול׃
And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice.

וידעת היום והשבת אל־לבבך כי יהוה הוא האלהים בשמים ממעל ועל־הארץ מתחת אין עוד׃
Know therefore this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath; there is nothing else.

Jeremiah 23:23,24
האלהי מקרב אני נאם־יהוה ולא אלהי מרחק׃
Am I a God near at hand, says the Lord, and not a God far away?

אם־יסתר איש במסתרים ואני לא־אראנו נאם־יהוה הלוא את־השמים ואת־הארץ אני מלא נאם־יהוה׃
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? said the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.

Edited 3 hours ago by Ziran

[Ziran]

On 10/22/2026 at 1:04 AM, Leo Gura said:

But if one believes the Bible is the word of God, then one should be pouring over it day and night.

Yes and no. 

For the Israelites, Joshua 1:8
לא־ימוש ספר התורה הזה מפיך והגית בו יומם ולילה למען תשמר לעשות ככל־הכתוב בו כי־אז תצליח את־דרכך ואז תשכיל׃
This Book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth; but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written on it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.

For the others, Acts 15:7-10
And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.  And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.  Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?

[Ziran]

On 10/22/2026 at 1:25 AM, Atb210201 said:

This would be very nice to find.

https://archive.org/details/interlinear-greek-english-new-testament-1981/mode/2up

[Jirh]

On 21/10/2026 at 10:54 PM, Joseph Maynor said:

I read the Koran.  With the Bible I read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Revelation.

Very interesting.

Although, no Torah in there?

You were part Jewish or am I mistaken?

Edited 1 hour ago by Jirh

[Jirh]

On 22/10/2026 at 11:04 AM, Leo Gura said:

But if one believes the Bible is the word of God, then one should be pouring over it day and night.

Nice catch!

I think most religious people aren't truly religious. They're just subscribed to their birth religion out of conformity. I think this is especially the case for Orthodox Christianity.

These people mostly care about appearances. Shell over core. Illusion over truth.

Most religious people are actually hypocrites. Anyone who takes religion seriously eventually drops it, unless their livelihood depends on it, like the Pope.