» posted on Sunday, January 6th, 2008 at 10:25 pm by Andy D
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible
Writers Warning: The following post will be very “pro-Bible” and “pro-Christian”. Being the understanding author I am, I recognize this will cause some in today’s society to launch into hysterics. As such, I ask those hysteric prone individuals to skip this post. I will have a new one in a few days, and will be happy to debate less hysterical issues with you then.
There is an old argument that rears its head between Christians and Atheist from time to time. It goes along this line: If the Atheist is right, when the Christian dies, he (or she) will have had a good life, but will simply cease to exist. If the Christian is right, the Atheist will be totally unprepared for what they find. Think about that as you read this post.
I just finished the The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible (Politically Incorrect Guides)
It wouldn’t be so bad if these attacks on the Bible represented something genuinely new…but instead they are merely repetitions of allegations made for about 1,800 years. They are as original as dirt – and about as interesting. The problem is, many of these new champions of enlightened reason, standing on high from the pinnacles of academia, don’t appear to be aware that their ideas are literally millennia old.
This thought is something Mr. Hutchinson comes back to time and time again through the course of the book. Some of the topics are likely to really inflame those who equate Christianity and Judaism with fanatical evil. There is a chapter devoted to Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the freedoms that have been inspired by the Bible. And while many of the arguments found in this book could be ripped from today’s headlines, yet they are often cited from sources that are 100’s of years old or more.
Back to the argument from the beginning: if the Atheist is wrong, what happens? If you fall into this boat, are you really willing to gamble without putting a little homework in? If many of today’s arguments have been around for hundreds of years, shouldn’t you look at a few of the answers?
filed under Bible · Book Review · Faith | one Comment
Gerrit said:
Aug 10, 11 at 1:43 pmI read this, being Atheist, with interest and I don’t feel any hysteria, rage or whatever negative sentiment coming up
It is all about mutual respect. I grew up in a Christian country, with the father’s side of the family very religious, the mother’s side more secular. I have been non-religious from as early as I showed interest in the subject, but have nonetheless got a copy of both Bible and Quran at home, simply because of interest. After all, a lot of things we achieved and shaped our history, are inspired by religion throughout history (in the case of Europe, being mainly the three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism).
I had the luck to grow up in a quite multicultural environment though as the city I studied in had a very large Muslim minority. I also have lived (and adored) in Turkey. One big lesson I learnt is to keep an open mind and respect whatever someone wishes to believe in. In case of some of my friends, I don’t even know their religious believes. I won’t ask ; it’s not an issue to me. I will respect them no matter what the answer is.
Mutual respect would bring the world a lot further, that is one thing I may wish to preach, and hence I also wish to disassociate myself from those atheists that ridiculise religion and their believers. I have come across other atheists who call religion “nonsense” and “fairytales”. I very much disassociate myself from that attitude. Please realise that not all atheists are like that and that there’s plenty of us who do show respect for the believers.