Bible time?
 

So for those of the GFF community that are religious, how often do you read your bible?

Also for those who are not religious, have you ever taken the time to read the bible? If not, how come?

When I say bible I am referring to the Christian bible, but if you are of another religion state which one and how often you read your holy book.

Also do you actively attend church or not? Explain.

I know the story. I'm Jewish, so there's a lot less to read, anyway. I don't actively read it, though.

Also, I go to synagogue twice a year, for Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana. Maybe more, depending on the number of Bnai Mitzvahs that year.

I'm with you Capo, I almost never go to church and only on rare occasion (Like a wedding) do I step foot into a church.

I go to church every sunday, but only to run the audio eqiupment. I don't read the bible.

<-- Jewish. Eh the last time I looked at the torah was...last year. (omg sorry god!!!)
And I haven't been to temple since last summer. Why? I hate my temple, more like the people. Our rabbi is a joke, everyone there is so fake. It is all about how much money you have not religion. I plan to attend some services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur at Chabad than my temple this year. I like it there, it's a lot nicer.

I have read the Bible for both religious reasons (raised Catholic) and for study purposes. I also did the whole Bible study crap when I was a kid, but I don't think that counts.

I neither enjoyed it or believed in it.

I've been to church about a hundred times or so. But having been raised Catholic in New England, our masses were often parsed with English AND Latin.

I never enjoyed church either.

I DO kind of wish I was raised Jewish, if only for the KICKASS TRADITIONS and shit. I spent about a year living with a Jewish family, and man. They were awesome.

What's so much better about being Jewish? Also, just how Jewish was this family. Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, (gulp) Hasidic?

They seem a lot more fun. They actually have a sense of humor about their religion. Or the ones that I went to school with did. And I went to school in a pretty dense Jewish community in town, so.

Reformed. Yea, yea. Go ahead. Laugh. ^_^

But they were active in their temple and they seemed to take religion more lightly. I don't know. It just seemed like they were more GROUNDED. They weren't god-fearing people, but they were a lot more....lighthearted, I guess. I really enjoyed it. It was a nice break from the HEAVY CHRISTIAN perspective.

Also, maybe its because it was more reminiscent of the European family unit. I'm not sure if thats what I liked most, you know? They seemed to really have a good, strong family unit.

But obviously, you can't say it of all Jews. I'm just saying the ones I knew (about two dozen families, mixed of Orthodox, Reformed and Hasidic) were all pretty rockin'. I had some friends over at the Yeshiva too. They were pretty neato. I have no idea what you call those undershirts they wore, and those AWESOME hats and shit. But they were all like "YEA, WE'RE AWESOME. LOOK AT US WITH OUR HATS AND BEARDS." You know. Sense of humor. ^_^

I've yet to read the Bible all the way through, but I have read a large portion of it. I also used to attend church. But I stopped attending when it dawned on me that the churches in my area were more about pushing their own political agendas and bashing other religions than anything.

Plus...I just can't blindly follow what's written in the Bible, considering its history. But it does prove as a guidline to follow in regards to its moral stories.

Set foot. ;)

Same here.

It used to be that I'd only go to church for Easter and Christmas. Then it became just Christmas. Now, thanks to working the night shift and having a bizarre sleep schedule, I've missed the last two Christmas masses.

The undershirt you're talking about is just a more practical form of a Tallit for daily use.

And, yeah, Reform (not Reformed, as my Rabbi once told me. "We're still reforming!" Haha.) Jews are a lot more relaxed about everything, it seems.

Conservative are still a little relaxed, but the main Conservative Rabbi around here is pretty strict, and really, a total douche. There was this co-Rabbi before who worked with him, but he quit because he couldn't stand the other Rabbi. He was this huge, 6'6" 300-some pound guy, with a nice Jew-fro, and a big beard. He was really funny and totally cool. I really liked him, and saw him a lot in the community. Hell, he played on the synagogue basketball team.

And then there are the Orthodox. These guys are fucking SERIOUS about Judaism. Almost like the internet. They go to synagogue everyday, and don't seem as carefree, and never make jokes during services. Plus, the women sit away from the men during their services, which is pretty odd. They're the ones you always see wearing the "undershirts", and kippas, or yamakahs.

The ones with the black hats and suits on all the time are the Hasidic. These are the extremely religious Jews, who adhere to as many commandments as possible. It's totally impractical for today, but they do it somehow. Haven't met many of these guys, but they are even more serious than the Orthodoxes.

As for the kids I have met, the majority of them are Conservative. Considering I went to a private Conservative Jew school for 6 years, this isn't really a surprise. They're your typical American kids for the most part. Some keep kosher, but they are in the minority. Same goes for kippa use.

The reform kids I know are completely "normal", and most of them never go to synagogue, save the so called "High Holidays". There were only a few of them at my school. Still, completely normal. Don't keep kosher. Don't wear kippot.

Orthodox kids are a mixed bunch. There's this kid Benny Schwartz (no relation!) who smokes weed everyday, and has sex regularly. He's not the usual Orthodox, but he's not in some HUGE minority, either. Some are pretty normal, some aren't, but all of them wear Tallits and kippot all of the time, keep kosher, and go to synagogue regularly.

I have never met a hasidic kid, but I see a ton of them around the neighborhood. They dress in all black, wear the hats and tallits, and grow out their sideburns into "peyot". You know the story from there. They're the typical, extremely Jewish kids.

So yeah, that's the little breakdown.

I don't read the Bible as much as I should. I went to Catholic schools all my life until college. I've been a part of a youth group forever too. And I go to mass every Sunday. It's boring as hell, but whatever.

Yea, the reformed people I lived with for a while were wicked lax. They weren't kosher, though the expressed a feeling of guilt or gave off a joke about it now and then.

Typical fat Jewish mother who never cooked for her poor house. Disney-loving, Broadway attending Jews. I love 'em for it. ^_^

The Hasidic dudes were the ones over at the Yeshiva, yea. They literally didn't DRIVE or COOK on the Sabbath. I think thats how you call it - same in Christianity, but a different day, yea?

SEE WHY I WANT TO BE A JEW? ^_^

Yeah, Sabbath, or the Hebrew, Shabbat. The Torah says you can't do any work then, and this somehow extends to not being able to use ANY electricity, including lights, and cars. Also, it begins sundown Friday night, and ends sundown Saturday night.

So whats the difference between Shomer Shabbas and Shabbat? If there even IS one? Forgive my spelling errors, if there were any. I am not sure how to spell Shomer Shabbas. ;_;

Shomer Shabbas is just the name for the people that keep the Sabbath.

I don't read the Bible actively now except for looking up quotes to annoy Christians with, but I HAVE read through the entire thing at one time or another.

I stay as far as possible away from churches.

I don't read the Bible. But I go to church every once in a while.

Yes, I abide by the Sabbath... though I don't see why you couldn't use your car as long as you weren't buying any gas :/

It has to do with the sparkplugs making fire. Not sure on the specifics.

WHAT? wow... some people take stuff way to far when they really don't need to.

I told you they are only the extreme Jews and are in the minority. They take the Torah at face value, and use it in everything they do.

I'm not religious, but I did read the bible several years ago. I used to get dragged along to church with my parents when I was a kid and didn't really know what it was about, but I stopped when I was around thirteen or fourteen.

I don't read the bible as much as I should. I have just heard all the stories so much beforehand that I have little interest in it.
I go to church regularly however. I really enjoy my church in Flint, as I feel that my musical talents are called to serve there, and the work that they do in the community is awesome. Also, the churches that I go to in Grand Rapids are full of great, intelligent, understanding, and kind Christians. (and yes, these are both Baptist churches)

I haven't read the Bible, though I think with all the bits and pieces I've heard over the years, it probably translates into me hearing the entire thing. I wouldn't mind reading it for story inspiration, and especially for a game idea that I have that I hope to flesh later. Plus the Old Testament seems to be filled with some pretty cool, violent and brutal stories.

Well, I'm Bahá'í, and church (House of Worship) going isn't really required, there aren't any sermons or church services or such. And the nearest House of Worship is in Chicago.
In regards to reading, there are the writings of Baha'ú'lláh, and the Báb, and those are supposed to be read and studied often, but I don't read them as often as I should.

I love these poll results. GFF doesn't care about God.

Care to elaborate on what you are talking about? I have no idea what Bahá'í is...

Double Post:
Honestly this doesn't suprise me considering the population of GFF.

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/3...30694658yi.jpg

I usually get all of my information out of playing as Jesus Christ.

The Bahá'í Faith is a global religion, founded in the 1800's by a Persian dude named Bahá'u'lláh. There are three basic principles, the oneness of God, the oneness of religion, and the oneness of humanity. We believe that the history of religion is a history of progressive revelations by other founders of religions planned by God. Bahá'u'lláh is the most recent, and most important (to us, at least), but not final. He claimed that his coming was predicted by Christians and Muslims. He wanted to establish a global unity, with peace and harmony.

This means, that unlike some religious groups, we regard other religions as divinely inspired, but they are just outdated according to progressive revelation. This doesn't mean that it's a combination of religions- it's a seperate group.

Most estimates say that there are betweeen five and six million Bahá'ís in the world now. We're very global, with followers from all races, and previous religions. We also aim to eliminate all prejudice and bigotry.

As to the churches, there are the Houses of Worship, of which there are seven, an eighth being designed. But worship and education are not on a large, monastic level. We believe spirituality should be pursued in everyday life, not just the church. That's why there are no sermons, nothing of the sort. Study circles at the local level are popular. There are also local Bahá'í centers. We don't have clergy either.

One of the big books is the one that contains most of the Bahá'í laws- the Kitáb-i-Aqdas ("The Most Holy Book"). These laws are followed as a matter of personal choice. Some of the laws- recite an obligatory prayer every day, pray and meditate every day, don't backbite or gossip, do the fast in March, don't drink or take drugs (unless for medical reasons), don't gamble, and don't be gay. (That last one is changing, though, or has, I'm not sure yet. It's one of those that reflect 1800's Iranian culture...)

As happy and peaceful as we may seem, some people don't like us, namely the Iranian government. According to Wikipedia, over 200 believers have been executed between 1978 and 1998. Many Iranian Bahá'ís aren't allowed to hold government jobs, go to university, have had their homes ransacked, and sent to prison for engaging in study circles.

Woo, that was a bit long. But there you go.

I read the bible fairl often, mainly the new testament. I like the 4 gospels, and Acts. I think most the important stuff is in these 5 books...

I used to go to church fairly often, but not any more. I feel that alot of "christains" twist the words of the bible to fit their own agenda. I also seems to me like alot of people think they are good chirstians just because they attend church on a regular basis. I however feel that being a good christain means taking Jesus's teachings to heart. It seems to me that Jesus was all about being forgiving, non-judgmental, and loving people.

Wow, I'm getting pretty tired (it's 2AM here), so that last paragraph probably didn't make much sense. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't like the attitude that most christains take toward the religon, and I think I'm better off interpreting the bible myself... therefore I don't go to church anymore because it was making me uncomfortable.

I'm not religious so I don't go to church or anything, but I do read the Bible from time to time, if only so that I can have a clue what I'm talking about when discussing religion.

Those references are good to have because whether you're religious or not, Christianity is a part of our history and culture that cannot be obliterated. You have to know about these things if you're studying music or art history, for example (which I am).

I read the bible (and finished it), but don't go to church. No idea why, really - it's not a requirement, I guess.

How about Revelation?

"Sounds pretty neat" - Konane


Gotta love Wikipedia.

I actively go to church and take part in a lot of the youth programs.

I read the Bible, only very occassionally though, very. I mainly read my Daily Bread book that was given to me.

I've never read the bible and i don't intend to. I've only ever been read extracts from the bible by force in R.E. I've also never been to Church besides for weddings and funerals. I never ever intend to go to mass in my life.

Yeah, i'm kinda anti-religion...

I go (more like forced by my family) to church to get supposed browny points with God, but I haven't cracked open the Bible for about a good 1 1/2 years. I used to be quite fervant with reading it devotionally almost every night during university, but now I just don't have time nor do I bother with it. *Boring* Yawn. I personally find the 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and the Revelation probably the most interesting. The first few chapters of Genesis and Exodus are interesting reads too, but I find the rest very dry.

I've read the Bible and I'm working on The Koran and a few others. I also try to go to church every week, but sometimes I don't. I don't see it as a serious requirement, though.

I never thought I'd meet a Baha'i practitioner, though. Interesting.

This actually sounds like a really interesting religion. Is it very popular in the United States? Are there any associations here in the US? I'd love to read more on this one. I've never really bumped into a religion which embraced these values.

Have you read through some of the historical Old Testament books, like the Chronicles? There is actually quite a bit of interesting stuff in there which is not usually mentioned elsewhere.

I've read the New Testament all the way through twice, and bits and pieces more times than that (like the Gospels...those are pretty good reading). I took a class on the Gospels last semester, as well as an English class that examined the Bible as literature and not solely on religious merit. That was fun. I've read most of the Old Testament, but I find Leviticus and Chronicles far too boring to make it all the way through.

And I go to church every week. I feel like I have an added dimension of caring about life because of religion, and going to church helps me to be in a constant state of examining my beliefs rather than blindly following them or just forgetting why I follow them.

I am not religious at all. I've read parts of the Bible , and many other religious scriptures and I honestly think that if things continue the way they are going now that these views of faith and especially Christian, Judiac, and Muslim faiths will be the downfall of all of us. It's ridiculous.

I went to a Catholic elementary school, from kindgergarten up through 6th grade. I haven't been to church since, and I'm eighteen now. In my elementary school we had "religion" class every day and went to church once or twice a week during a school day. I never had a problem with it or anything, but I never felt an especially strong connection to any of it, either. No one in my family is especially religious, so it's never been pushed on me.

I suppose I just don't find the idea of God very appealing.

I've read parts of the Bible some time ago, mostly because I was curious. I was born a catholic and went to a catholic high school, but I'm hardly catholic. I'm not a big fan of organized religions, so the Bible doesn't mean much to me. To tell the truth, my views on religions and their holy texts are more like those of Rousseau or Paine. That also answers the question as to whether or not I go to church.

You know that you don't have to be a part of organized religion to be religious, right?

Well, i guess if you wana be technical, i read the Bible at church, and church School...and remeber. i dont know the verses or anything like that...remeber, i dont read the Bible too much, but when ever people gather in His name it is church so if you sit down to pray with some one else you are technicaly going to church too, so yeah, im sure we all go to church and we all read out Bibles some, if not in our spair time we read then at church...so yeah, just a thought

Well, any religion that has a holy text is probably an organized one, since the books are generally assembled by, you know, religious authorities of some kind.

I spend maybe 1/2 an hour a week poking through Bible passages for one reason or another. There was a time when it was a lot more important to me, but now I mostly value it for its tangible worth as a cultural history and a moral yardstick. Of course, when I was going through my little phase, I did read the whole damned thing, which puts me in the position of having read more of the Bible than Drex has. That's kind of uncomfortable for me.

I've only been inside a church thrice in my life, twice as part of the staff for a charity event and once to give blood. I don't have anything against them, but to me they seem like such sad places. Nearly empty 6 days of the week and obsessed with icons instead of truthseeking.

Assuming that by that you mean I don't have to believe in a set of defined traditions, customs, rules and scriptures, as well as a particular god recognized by a group of people, this essentially being my definition of "organized religion", in order to be religious, that is, believe in something called "god" or "gods", then this is essentially what I said my point of view was. I've given Thomas Paine as an example of a view somewhat similar to mine; he happened to dislike every "church" he knew of, while still being a firm believer in a form of deity. I do not necessarily believe in god, but his views of organized religion and holy scriptures are very similar to mine.

Technically, this is false.

The word "religious" literally means "of and from religion". Religion is defined by organized worship, so therefore one actually does need to be involved within organized religion to be "religious".

The counter to this term is "spiritual". You may share the same exact belief set as any organized religion you prefer, but remain functionally independent of that religion's worldly activities. It's not so much the beliefs which define modern religion, but the rituals and customs each has. Without these, there'd be no truly discernable lines drawn between most branches of Christianity.

Those who forsake the organized aspects of religion simply aren't "religious" by virtue of their own self-imposed exclusion. It is often the case some accept the spiritual beliefs of the faith,or aspects of numerous ideologies, but don't appreciate the organized environments they otherwise entail. I know I'm this way.

It's a lot like the rule that states rectangles are squares but squares aren't rectangles. Religious people are almost certainly spiritual but some spiritual folk aren't necessarily religious.

This is where I get to point and laugh at YOU for once. =D

Oh yes, there are plenty in the United States. The official website for the Bahá'í Faith in the United States is http://www.bahai.us/. The official website of the international Bahá'í community. in general is http://www.bahai.org/. There's one North American House of Worship, which is in Chicago. You can see a picture here: http://chicagosnapshot.com/cs/archiv...3_bahai001.jpg .

Always glad to tell more to one who is interested.

Is the the only church of Bahá'í in the United States?

Oh no. There are seven Houses of Worship in the world.

1. The first one, in 'Ishqábád, Turkmenistan. It was demolished after an earthquake rendered it unsafe.
2. The United States one, in Wilamette (suburb of Chicago) Illinois.
3. The African one, in Kampala, Uganda.
4. This'n's in Sydney, Australia.
5. Langenhein, Germany, close to Frankfurt am Main.
6. Panama City, Panama.
7. Tiapapata, Samoa
8. My personal favorite, in New Delhi, India. It is the most visited edifice in the world, getting a lot of visitors on Hindu holy days.

There are also planned constructions, in Tehran, Iran (if the local goverment doesn't try to destroy it...), Santiago, Chile, and Haifa, Israel, close to the Bahá'í World Center.

So there is only one in the United States? :/ I figured you'd be naming more places than less than a dozen...

I imagine one of these Houses of Worship is a big deal, not just a little meetinghouse for people to say hi and drink coffee together. Sort of like how there's only one Mecca. Or for Mormons, there's chapels all over the place but only 120ish temples in the world.

Well, the Bahá'í religion is still a young one, it is growing. More Houses of Worship will come with time. And a lot of cities have Bahá'í centers, which are smaller and less impressive, but serve as meeting places. And like I said, a lot of worship is done individually and in small groups. There are no clergy.

That is an interesting concept though, most religions have at least some sort of organized leadership usually in the form of priests.

So what is everyone of practices Bahá'í an expert on it?

I read the Bible, though rarely, and I go to church as much as possible. I guess there really needed to be more options...

Well, we do have a leadership. But they're not of the same level of clergy. There is an elected leadership, and an appointed. Some members include:
The Universal House of Justice, the highest elected officials. The seat is based in Haifa, Israel. There are nine members, elected every five years. It's responsibilities include (from Wikipedia):
* Promoting the spiritual qualities that characterize Bahá'í life individually and collectively
* Preserving the Bahá'í Sacred Texts
* Defending and protecting the global Bahá'í community
* Preserving and developing the world spiritual and administrative centre of the Bahá'í Faith
* Encourage the growth and maturation of the Bahá'í community.
There are also national spiritual assemblies, elected for various countries. And there are also local spiritual assemblies. The closest one to me is in Lexington, Kentucky, which serves the whole Lexington area.

For appointed leadership:
The International Teaching Centre, also seated
in the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa. Its duties are to stimulate and coordinate the Continental Board of Counselors and assist the Universal House of Justice in matters relating teaching and protection of the faith.
And that leads me to the Continental Counsellors, who protect and propagate of the Bahá'í Faith in all parts of the world.

For those who are interested in reading more about the Bahá'í Faith, I suggest you look at the Bahá'í Portal on Wikipedia, it's very well done and informative. Also check out www.bahai.org.

I can't say I've read the Bible the whole way through. I've read through the New Testament, but only various excerpts from the Old. I haven't as much as I should, regrettably. My church is studying through the Old Testament this year, so maybe now's my chance in that regard. I go to church each Sunday too.

Hrm.. I dont read the bible but i go to church every sunday

I only read the bible 4-5 years ago, in Sunday School. Now, so far, the only book I've read since then was the book of Revelations.

I almost never go to church.. I just don't like the people there. The people say one thing in the classroom. After class, you see most of them totally acting in a totally opposite way, contradicting everything they said they believed in. Argh, I hate it, but I am still religious most times.

Sorry God, but some of your "believers" are totally whack.

Pill I believe those are called sunday Christians. Why do you only read the book of Revelations?

I find the study of how the Bible came to be, rather than how the Bible can benefit my life, more interesting.

It's origin's or so ambiguous you can't help wonder what the detailed history is behind it and it's human authors (of course I'm not debunking God's influence with it, although I'm no beleiver).

Also I don't read the Bible for my own reason's and although I spent five years in Catholic school, I never and don't go to Church on sundays. I have on a few occasions for high-school performances (music stuff) gone to church, although I'm not sure that really counts.

To each there own Rasputin. Yes it is very interesting to see the history of the bible. Have you actively studied this or just a passing whim?

By history of the bible, do you mean history within the bible or the history of the book itself? Because the history of the book itself really isn't all that complicated. A bunch of church leaders got together in ~300 AD and decided which books to put in it. The book we have today is pretty much the same book.

I have read the entire Bible at least four times. I have studied the Bible through books and discussion for about three years in my native country. My mother is quite religious and I've been exposed to in-depth studies on Christian faith and doctrine - from the Catholic, Christian Orthodox and Adventist perspectives.

I am not Christian, and I do not attend church.

The actual text of the Bible is quite contradictory, stupid and oftentimes simply ridiculous. I've studied it enough to know.
The practice of Christianity today? I can speak on this because I have been in many churches - on the Balkans and in North America. It is often blatantly ignorant of the original text and deeply rooted in tradition and generational misconceptions.
I have very little patience for religious people even though they are generally a peaceful lot. Then again, I've heard that people on opium are quite mellow too. (Hrhr Marx.)

I do volunteer in a nursing home chapel every Sunday. As you can imagine, I do not go there to bring people closer to God.

I've only read parts of the Bible, mostly because of church when I was young. But haven't touched it since and haven't been to church since I was a kid either.

Actually, I really don't know. I love fantasy, and the book of Revelations seems like a pretty neat dream filled with symbolism. I've read alot of the other stories in the other books during Sunday School way back, but they never seemed to be as fantastic as Revelations.

I definitely don't read as much as I should be. I'm guilty of putting everything else before reading. :(

I do attend church every Sunday and sometimes when there's prayer meetings outside of that, I'll go to those. I've been Bible study meetings as well.

Since I moved house, I haven't been attending church regularly. I haven't read the bible in a while, but I did quite a bit in the past.
I'm sick of the different traditions in churches, and the conflicts between them. All I need to know is that God created the earth, Jesus is my saviour and that I should follow his teachings. I don't know why so many people get hung up on the tiny details of things...

Because it seems as though certain churches are hung up more on tradition than actually following the Bible itself. I've been to a few of these churches before. It's the worst thing in the world to sit in a church and be in disagreement with what they're teaching because it doesn't line up with anything in the Bible.

And this is why I do not attend church.

Maybe, but all churches aren't like this. The one I currently belong to isn't anywhere like this. There's no dramatics and sugarcoating concerts going on there. I went to a church one time that was like that. After I left out, I told my fam that I could now say I've been to a concert. That's how wild it was.

I haven't read the Bible or gone to church since High School, 7 years ago. I'm not baptized, either. Am I going to hell?

Are you asking someone to judge you? I don't think that's what we should be doing.

Hell doesn't exist, so don't worry about it...

I read my bible (New Testament, as it's the only one I have) bi-nightly. Unfortunately, unless I'm feeling particularly inspired every 2/4 days, then most of the time, I think I feel like I read it out of necessity. Prayer is usually genuine though.

Sometimes there'll be weeks and weeks where we don't go to church, but we've gone for the last few weeks just recently. It's somewhat sporadic depending on my parent's work schedule.

Is there a reason why you don't read the old testament?

I don't read the big "B" & I dont go to church but my Gym trainer is a pastor & he talks abotu a few tings here & there & I must say there pretty amazing!

Then why don't you find out that stuff for yourself then?

Oh it's not because of personal preference or anything like that. I received a bible for free in fifth grade and it was the red-covered new testament + psalms and proverbs from the Gideon group or something. I just go by the suggested readings at the front for each day of the year, I don't know if my habit would still exist if I had the complete bible. I can't be bothered to buy a new one unfortunately, because I don't see a pressing need :S

Well all of the text of the bible in nearly ever translation and version is available online.

Some missionaries at downtown accosted me yesterday asking me if I went to church and bible study.

I lied and said I did.

Why even bother to lie?

I've not read it cover-to-cover, but I know the basics. I've tried reading it, but it's horrible grammar/sentence structure lost me pretty quick.

I've never taken the time to find one that's easier to read simply because I feel that I know the basics of it, and the other "filler" is pretty useless in comparison.

Obviously, I don't go to church. :p
Probably because she(?) didn't want to hear them preach.

I'd have told them to fuck off, personally.

Personally I think if you grew up in America or any other predominately Christian society, it's pretty impossible not to know the Bible on some level. Perhaps not as well as some of the more devout but I'm not Christian at all and I'm fairly well versed in the good book.

In my high school, honor and AP English classes had several weeks devoted to the Old and New Testament. Even though we weren't suppose to read it as a religious text but a collection of stories, we were still forced to read and write on it as opposed to say, the Koran.

Double Post:
Because I would have been harassed for much longer than I would have liked to. And while I would have been more than happy to stay and call them bigots, I was in a rush.

Now that I think of it, I should have hit them. They had literally cornered me against a wall but I could have taken them on.

I remember trying to read the Bible when I was a kid but got bored and played my Sega Megadrive instead. I was christened but my parents don't go to church and i'm not even sure how religious they are it's not a common discussion in this household. I'm an athiest now, I believed in God when I was a kid because you tend to go along with anything at a young age and when you get to a certain age where you have a bit more independant thinking that's where you decide if you believe in God or not.

Well you could have just ignored the pushy dickheads.