quote:
Ahhhh...I see the problem, then. You don't understand HOW to read it. (This is not a slam) A LOT of people don't understand that the Bible is NOT "A" book, but it is made up of a lot of different books, written towards different groups of people at different times. You have to understand who it was written to and why it was written to them. (Sorry. My English Lit background is showing)

There's no continuity, though. As a story, even spread out over many books, it doesn't make sense half the time if read as a whole. Even taken as an anthology it is lacking in direction and the "message" changes so much from book to book that there isn't really a coherent plot.

If you take other works of literature that were presented in grouping of books (Dune, LOTR, Tarzan or Sherlock Holmes stories for instance) the story stays relatively consistent throughout. The Bible on the other hand varies from new to old testament so much as to draw two completely different pictures.

Don't get me wrong, there are some really great passages in there that shine through, but as a whole it is not even remotely the greatest book ever written, or the best story ever told. It's an amalgamation of fables thrown together in the hopes of shaping the way people lived their lives hundreds to thousands of years ago. But as such, it is still lacking (IMO...).

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Posted by DawgsLife

Member since Jun 2013

59009 posts

Posted on 8/12/13 at 2:34 pm to Loathor

Nononono...I apologize. You are misunderstanding what I meant. It is unique in that each book is stand alone...yet connected. The best way I can explain it, would be that the books are a continuation (Sequel, maybe...for understanding), yet they also stand alone. ALSO, what makes the difficult is that they are not in chronological order. There are some reasons for that, but it DOES make it difficult. But, hey...I found the Canterbury Tales and impossible read, too! However, there is a certain poetry to the Bible. (I should admit, that I am a believer, so I put more effort into understanding and following what it says.) Depending on how you read it, it can be absolutely fascinating...although, it CAN be very confusing depending on the translation you use. "The Message" is a VERY easy translation to understand, yet it has it's own set of problems, too. But hey. This si a sports board, not a religion board. The whole purpose of the thread and board has been hi-jacked, and I apologize for my part in it.

Football is what we are here to discuss. Hope you were not offended by me. (However, I hope you are a bit more offended by me after the Georgia/SouCar game!)