Adam Kirsch reviews Timothy Beal’s The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book:
While there is no denying that the Bible remains central—Beal quotes polls indicating that “65 percent of all Americans believe that the Bible ‘answers all or most of the basic questions of life,’ ”—he notes simultaneously that Americans are surprisingly ignorant of what is actually in it. “More than 80 percent of born-again or evangelical Christians believe that ‘God helps those who help themselves’ is a Bible verse,” he writes. Less than half of all adults can name the four Gospels; only one-third can name five of the Ten Commandments.
Hat Tip: Andrew Sullivan. Maybe Christians Should Read The Bible – The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan
Though I am an atheist, I have read the entire bible, except for some of the less insightful books such as Numbers. I often find there are more argumentative and bigoted Christians who haven’t read it than not. It is shameful and frustrating. Luther would be disappointed.