Examining the Bible with Logic!

I'm reading the whole Bible. This project occurred to me for a couple of reasons. First, I never bothered to read it when I was a Christian. I had faith that its contents were all my pastors said it was. The Word of God, the Good Book, all that. All that started to change when I stumbled across 2 Ki 2:23-25. Now that I have lost my faith, I think it's high time I read the whole thing and found out what is really there. Second, I live in North Carolina, home of Billy Graham and more fundamentalists than you can shake a stick at. They sometimes swarm around me like gnats, all of them wanting to shove their religion in my face. I need to know their territory better than they do, so I study.

I have put together a selection of verses from each book of the Bible that I have found interesting, with comments after each verse. The Bible passages will be in red, and my comments in blue. I will use the New Revised Standard Version. My reason for this? It is a translation of impeccable scholarly work (one of the best currently available, though not perfect), the latest revision in a line stretching back to the King James Version. It encompases the latest work involving understanding of ancient Hebrew, and it uses the much older texts now available (including the Dead Sea Scrolls). For those who look down on any English Bible other than the 1611 Authorized Version - too bad! Feel free to look up the passages in your favorite version and read along, if you care to.

In my reading, I now approach this subject without the pre-conception that the Bible is any of the things religious people say it is. I do not say it can't be "The Living Word of God," or "The Perfect Revelation of God's Will to Humanity," or whatever titles you've heard. I simply don't make those assumptions when I crack open its pages. The reading I've done to this time (I'm starting Isaiah as of mid-April 1999) has raised questions. My impression is that these writings are on a par with other religions' sacred writings. It's as accurate historically as the Iliad, but not superior. Read my comments to see why I say this.

I doubt any devout believer will have the courage to read all of my comments, but even a few samples could be quite instructive, perhaps!

* - Books I have examined, but found no verses of interest - JEH

Now that I have finished my project, I have a few thoughts to share on what I believe the Bible to be. It is a work of great historical interest, and not a little value - but only as a work of ancient mythology. It is obvious to me that it is not a work that is beyond the capacity of humans to produce - in fact, I think there are several human writers who have easily outclassed it in quality and beauty.

If you're interested in some other opinions and references on the Christian Bible, you may find the book by Joseph Wheless: Is it God's Word? of great interest. It was written in 1926, before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, so some of its material is outdated. However, it has a wealth of material that should be considered and examined by any who think that the answer is "yes."

The other work I would ask you to look into is the Skeptic's Annotated Bible. It has a more thorough listing of the Bible's text and it marks out more verses than I have for examination, though it has less comments than I do. It's a great reference for any student of Christian myths.

For that is all that it appears to be, folks. Myths, plain and simple. There are no deep, saving truths in Christianity. It is, after all, only one of dozens of religious groupings. Its system of beliefs is imperfect and has as many drawbacks as any other. If you follow it, and it makes you happy and a better person, good for you. I only ask you to tolerate the fact that I don't share your views, just as I tolerate your devotion to your views.

Last updated: Aug 7.2004