Some have, my own father has read it multiple times and is as conservative Christian authoritarian as they come.
The real problem is they have this issue where instead of actually reading it as one would any other book, they lightly skim the words of the text while using the book as a channeling device to try and achieve some greater meaning/interpretation of the text given to them mentally by God. Reading it for what it says isn’t good enough, it’s not even the true purpose. They genuinely believe that it’s meant to be “understood” on a higher plane of thought than just READING THE DAMN WORDS.
Which is fucking hilarious if you know church history, the protestant faith is literally based on the idea that reading the text is good enough and you don’t need any human to explain it to you, you don’t need some esoteric understanding of the text that you can only gain through additional seminary/linguistics education or personal revelation from God. The written word is the message itself, and just being able to read an accurate translation of it in your own language without someone else’s interpretation is supposed to be the only necessary thing for someone to understand God and the sacrifice of Jesus.
Except the written word isn’t good enough, the ecumenical councils were democratic in nature and even the three major divisions of the faith can’t agree on which is canonical and what is heretical/apocryphal after thousands of years of deliberation. So now you get pumped full of interpretation from day one. The snake is Satan, not a talking snake (too close to other mythology for their liking.) The cosmological beliefs of this faith included after lives from the get go, even though Sheol translates to grave and most Jews (including Jesus, if his line about “outer darkness” is to be believed) simply thought of death as the end unless spiritual resurrection took place. Turns out afterlives were mostly included when the Greek converts started bringing their traditions into the faith, and it was deemed necessary since it keeps people from leaving the religion. You get told countless things that aren’t from the text, but rather a “what could have happened/what could have been intended” and how it applies to your pastors agenda/tithes your life.
Like modern fundie American christians know who Barabbas is or have actually read the bible.
Some have, my own father has read it multiple times and is as conservative Christian authoritarian as they come.
The real problem is they have this issue where instead of actually reading it as one would any other book, they lightly skim the words of the text while using the book as a channeling device to try and achieve some greater meaning/interpretation of the text given to them mentally by God. Reading it for what it says isn’t good enough, it’s not even the true purpose. They genuinely believe that it’s meant to be “understood” on a higher plane of thought than just READING THE DAMN WORDS.
Which is fucking hilarious if you know church history, the protestant faith is literally based on the idea that reading the text is good enough and you don’t need any human to explain it to you, you don’t need some esoteric understanding of the text that you can only gain through additional seminary/linguistics education or personal revelation from God. The written word is the message itself, and just being able to read an accurate translation of it in your own language without someone else’s interpretation is supposed to be the only necessary thing for someone to understand God and the sacrifice of Jesus.
Except the written word isn’t good enough, the ecumenical councils were democratic in nature and even the three major divisions of the faith can’t agree on which is canonical and what is heretical/apocryphal after thousands of years of deliberation. So now you get pumped full of interpretation from day one. The snake is Satan, not a talking snake (too close to other mythology for their liking.) The cosmological beliefs of this faith included after lives from the get go, even though Sheol translates to grave and most Jews (including Jesus, if his line about “outer darkness” is to be believed) simply thought of death as the end unless spiritual resurrection took place. Turns out afterlives were mostly included when the Greek converts started bringing their traditions into the faith, and it was deemed necessary since it keeps people from leaving the religion. You get told countless things that aren’t from the text, but rather a “what could have happened/what could have been intended” and how it applies to
your pastors agenda/tithesyour life.“Barabbas? Isn’t that the Italian restaurant?”