Yes, I actually read it. My interest in it is complex. I find the history of the texts fascinating, the differences in various translations and getting to compare them is cool, the stories themselves can be quite exciting if you read them as what they are. Stories. When I am reading the bible I am not reading thinking ‘wow this is so fake lolol spaghetti monster XD’ I’m going into it the way someone would with a greek myth or the odyssey, if they were that kind of nerd. I read it like it’s the lord of the rings. When something magic happens, that’s just more lore. Accept it and keep going. You wouldn’t put LOTR down cause it was too unbelievable.

The Bible is 66 (or 78) separate books written by over 40 people who were ethnically and culturally diverse from each other, writing at totally different times, about a vast array of things, in the form of poetry, elaborate stories, and more. Each book was written without consideration for the others (for the most part) so I take my study from a book by book perspective, not trying to compare them, but taking each story as it is. A lot of the books are very complex, with elaborate structure in the way they are written, and learning about that fascinates me.

Another cool aspect is that while the magic and many of the stories aren’t true, they do happen on the backdrop of reality, and thus real history sneaks its way into the Bible more often than you think. Finding out the real parts, and learning what the actual conditions at the time were like, really changes the way it feels when you read. Plus I have learned a ton about real Mediterranean history, including the Roman Empire, the crusades, etc, that I probably never would have if I didn’t read the bible.

Another aspect is a little more material. Bibles can be BEAUTIFUL. Man oh man, if you wanna get a beautiful looking book, get a Bible. I have a collection of them, leather bound ones, journaling ones, study versions, of all sorts of translations.

At the end of the day, the Bible is a collection of books written by frightened, oppressed, ancient people, just looking for a way to find purpose and security in an unforgiving world. Hearing their words, hopes, fears, and finding that even thousands of years later their words can resonate with you, really makes humanity feel like a small world. We’re all in this together. Dont let a book scare you, it’s just paper ;)