What are some passages from the bible that you still like even after having become an athiest?

I really like the story of Jesus. I can't really think of anything that I disagree with him on. The things he (supposedly) said and did are all something you can look up to. I'm reminded of the Ghandi quote:

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." -- Mahatma Gandhi

I like almost everything Jesus said. Some Psalms are good too :)

The entire Book of Job is really, really funny.

Yeah, here's a similar quote that I find moving, Matthew 35-40:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

The bible tards stole some good shit from The Byrds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWg3b15ITS8

Anything with figs. I can't get enough of the figs. Note for sequel: 230% MORE FIGS!!!

Many of the parts relating to giants in their various forms and under various names are interesting. The Nephilim are described as giants which result from crossbreeding the sons of god and daughters of men - but not vice versa. This is similar to a liger which is the result of breeding a male lion and female tiger and is much larger than either of its parents - it doesn't work the other way around either. Some sort of hybrid vigor between divergent human populations which separately evolved differing adaptations for size could be an explanation.

Stuff like this: "...and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim (giants)..." would seem to indicate that they knew the difference between simply being tall and large and being gigantic.

Proverbs 27:14—"If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse."

and

The anti-Christmas-tree Jeremiah 10:1-4—"Hear what the LORD says to you, O house of Israel. This is what the LORD says: 'Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.' "

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Acts Chapter 4

I still tell people this one all the time. It's somewhere in Matthew (probably other gospels as well):

Which of you, by worrying, can add one hour to his life?

Though it's not in the bible, I can't seem to get away from the Serenity Prayer;

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

This prayer, in essence, describes my philosophy towards stress/worry. Though I'd rewrite it;

I will try with a calm mind;

To not worry about what I can't change;

to have Courage to do my hardest to change what I can;

And the sense to know the difference between the two.

And with that, I will leave you with the words of the great Prophet, Eddie Izzard;

"Religions aren't religions; they are philosophies with some good ideas and some fucking weird ones."

Edited for formatting.

Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

Matthew 20:1–15

I like the message about an agreement and fairness.

From "Pulp Fiction"

Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you!

'Do unto others' mentioned several times by Jesus. I feel that concept is the base of all ethics, but it's much older than the Bible.

33Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

34"Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"

35"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

36Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

37"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

38"What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.

Pilate gave the best rebuttal to Jesus of anyone recorded in the Bible. "What is truth?"

He shut him down IMO.

Ecclesiastes 9:11:

...the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

King James FTW

Jesus wept.