Boring Bible?

One of Billy Graham's readers read the Bible and didn't give it a five star review? This ought to be good...

Q: I don't mean to offend you, but I've tried to read the Bible and found it kind of dull. And yet some of my friends find it exciting. What's wrong? Why don't I get anything out of it?

The truth is that this person should be commended. The reason they found the Bible dull is that they read it without preconceived notions. They read it and took it for what it is. An unbiased reading of the Bible will have you finish it realizing just how terrible it is. It's poorly written, full of absurdities and contradictions, has some very dodgy morals, and a hero that comes across as more of a villain. There's a reason that it's said that the Bible is one of the best books to read for creating atheists.

A: In reality, the Bible should be the most exciting book you'll ever read! The reason is, this isn't just another book; it is God's Word, and through its pages God speaks to us. Think of it: The Creator of the universe wants to talk to you!

Citation needed. All other holy books are supposed to be their deity reaching out to speak to us as well. Odin speaks to us, Allah reaches out, Krishna is telling us the way. So try again Billy. There's nothing about the Bible that makes it any more special than any other holy book.

Tell me again which one is the
good guy...

What does He want to tell you? First, He wants to tell you about Himself - who He is, what He is like, and what He has done for you. We can understand some things about God by looking at the world He created, but we only fully understand Him by discovering what He's told us in the Bible.

And read what Thor has done for us. How he sacrificed himself to defeat the great demon serpent. Perhaps we should read about Prometheus and how he brought us the gift of fire and was sentenced to eternal torture for the gift he had given us. Again, tell me why anyone should lend any more
credence to the Bible over other holy books.

But God also wants to tell us He loves us, and the proof is that He came down from heaven in the person of His Son, Jesus, who gave His life for us. This is why the best place for you to begin reading the Bible is in one of the Gospels (I often suggest John), because there you'll discover who Jesus is and what He has done for us. Because of Jesus, "we know and rely on the love God has for us" (1 John 4:16).

 Yes, discover Jesus for who he was and what he did. A man that if he ever existed was so unspectacular that he left no trace of his existence in the whole of recorded history. His supposed miracles... not impressive enough to be recorded by his peers. Him as a person? So well known that none of his peers thought to even record and account his existence or teachings? Yeah... Sounds like he was real impressive... Any book can make great claims of a character, but if you want to argue that the claims are true, you're going to have to back them up with some proof.

Get a modern translation you can understand, and set aside time each day to read through one of the Gospels - perhaps only a few paragraphs at first. As you open it, humbly ask God to make its meaning clear. Most of all, ask God to help you apply its truth to your life, because "Your word is a lamp for my feet, and a light on my path" (Psalm 119:105).

 Ah, yes... The modern translation trick. The thing with modern translations is that they often not only use more modern language, but they change that language in a dishonest way. Sometimes one or two words are changed in a way that changes the very meaning of a verse. This is often used to try and make an ugly verse seem a little less ugly.

You can think of newer and newer translations as a game of telephone. The Bible was written in one language, then translated to another, then it was translated into English. Then it has been translated again and again. Each time things change and likely loose a little something from the original. Remember, when your Bible has the word 'version' right in the title, just how reliable can it be?


-Brain Hulk

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