It’s been an on-off project of mine for the last year to read The Bible. Most people’s reaction on hearing that I’m reading it is a puzzled ‘Why?’. After all, I’m agnostic about the existence of a supreme being, and sceptical of the idea that we can know how it thinks humans should act. There’s no evidence for the existence of God, and faith alone seems a hollow delusion.

Anyhow, The Bible is a very important text. It has had a profound effect on humanity for over 2,000 years. Many metaphors and sayings which are commonly uttered seem to originate from it. It is a fascinating book (or set of books in truth), there’s no doubting that.

As a guide to living though, I feel that it’s wholly unsuitable. It contradicts itself, can be interpreted vaguely (one wonders if this is deliberate), and at times supports values which seem completely contemptuous. I should think that most people who call themselves ‘Christians’ by one denomination or another, have never actually read The Bible in full. My conversation with Christians so far supports this thought. I could probably count on two fingers, let alone two hands, the number of people I have encountered who have read it in its entirety. Yet, they claim to be ‘followers of Christ’ and have not read the main text about his life. They claim to believe in God, but can’t truly know about the way God seems to change its mind throughout the book which gives us his word.

So I’m reading The Bible so that I might know what God is supposedly saying, and what Jesus Christ supposedly did, more than those who emptily claim to follow them, and that I might enhance my knowledge of literary tradition on the way.

Much to my amusement though, whilst reading The Parable of the Sower in Matthew (13:1-13:23), Jesus seems to confirm a belief of mine about capitalism. I am often irked that in our society, it is easy to get more money if you already have lots to begin with, and impossible to get any if you have none. Jesus, talking about something else entirely (perhaps people’s strength of belief in his teachings), says

Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

Which seems to sum up very well the nature of our society. You were talking about something else, but nonetheless, well said JC. Just goes to show that The Bible is of constant use, even to non-believers such as me.