For those who take comfort in believing the Bible as the holy word of God, it can do wonders in their lives. It gives them instructions and a moral code to live by and hope for an eternal life after death. It gives many examples on how good overcomes evil and all power comes from the hand of God. For those who turn to this book for comfort, there are many examples of those who have overcome heartache and pain to become strong in the power of God.
The Bible, however, is not what gives a moral code to mankind. People have that natural ability to determine what is right and wrong without that book. The Bible is still a book of mythology which should be treated as such, but if it gives hope and comfort to some people, why take it away?
Then there are those who throughout the history of the Bible who have used it for their distorted purposes and an excuse for bad behaviour. People have launched wars, promoted slavery, and wiped out populations of unbelievers. It is used as an excuse to treat others inhumanely as they and commit hate crimes on people who are different.
It has also been used as a rally cry for people to band together for good causes such as feeding the hungry and helping the sick.
The Bible brings out the best in some people and the worst in others. It all depends on how you look at it.
Personally, I do not believe this is the word of God. I can respect others who do and use it for good reasons, but I cannot deny that this book has caused great calamity for others. This is why some people feel such hatred for the Bible.
Pushing aside your beliefs about this book being from God or not, you would have to be stubborn to deny that this is not a powerful book. It has shaped our history to what we have today with the good and the bad. It is an important historical piece of fictional work.
Some of the people and places in these stories can be factually placed in history, but that does not mean the whole story is true. I could write a book about President Bush and my affair with him when he passed through Nashville. He was president and went in Nashville when I was there. It does not mean we had an affair even though physical facts could prove we were both in the same place at the same time. It is the same "proof" others have that these accounts are verbatim true.
The stories were designed to teach lessons and give hope. There are a few books of good merit like Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. There are also many horrible accounts in the Bible that would make good horror stories, at best.
The Bible is not without its merit and charm. I think everyone should read it as they should read any great works in literature. Like it or not, it has formed our history and who we are today as a society. If we don't learn from mistakes in the past we will repeat it. Isn't it better to know what is in the book and see how it has affected people for the good or bad and learn why then to just take someone's word for it that it is the book of evil?
