Is it generally acceptable to attend a bible study as a non Christian?

score:21

Accepted answer

The best bet is probably to talk with the leader of the group you are considering going to. Many Bible studies welcome non-Christians. You don't have to be Christian to study the Bible and people are unlikely to get offended in most cases.

Some Bible studies may be more uncomfortable for you than others depending on how they are run and what kind of spiritual things you are comfortable with though. They may include prayer, worship music and confessing sins among other things in addition to time studying the Bible.

Bible Studies do tend to form tight knit communities studying together and often result in really interesting religious and philosophical discussions. If you want a safe context where you can get questions answered about the Bible, it is probably worth trying one out.

As for your scientific background, as long as you don't treat people like they are stupid, you are unlikely to run in to any serious issues. There are, in fact, many Christians who are very scientifically minded (myself included among them). It may make some people a bit uneasy at first, but if you are polite and honestly try to understand where people are coming from and express yourself clearly and respectfully, the vast majority of people will be fine with you.

I've been to many Bible studies where there were non-Christians, young Christians and long term Christians alike. Each have something different they can add and the best groups have generally been those that have a mix of all three.

Upvote:3

I would add that the Alpha series of Bible studies is very open, and non-christian friendly. It lays out the basics of the Christian belief quite well.

These courses are offered by varying denominations (its not denomination specific on purpose) in most cities.

You can see if there is one here:

Find an Alpha near you

P.S. I have nothing to do with Alpha. I used to help out with one locally and I was impressed with it.

Upvote:11

While A J Henderson's answer is excellent and I agree with it, I would like to add something. Many churches specifically run Bible Studies aimed at 'seekers' (which means those who are not Christians ... yet). Some of them are little more than a leader telling you what to think, while asking you trivial questions that can be answered by reading the passage for five second. But the good ones will be everything you are looking for. In general if you can find an Alpha course they tend to be the better ones.

However if you have a connection with a church or other group, or have found people that you like and trust, then I would recommend studying with them over going for something tailered to the outsider but by people you know nothing about.

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