Life is too short. If I'm going to read religious works, I prefer ones that demonstrate some insight into human nature and the world, such as Buddhist or Taoist texts. I mean, why would a book that spends page after page telling me exactly what animals to sacrifice to Yahweh and how, or listing all of the tribes that Yahweh commanded the Israelites to slaughter, and how successfully they slaughtered them, be of interest to me?
- because it's central to the beliefs of the majority of people in North America and has informed and shaped the history of every society in the Western world, and therefore is an important part in understanding our culture, how we arrived at it and how it works now.
- because despite the objectionable parts, there are some pearls of wisdom in it.
- because you never know if you'll like it until you try it.
Because the Holy Bible is the all time best seller claiming to be God-breathed.
It actually seems to be a toss-up. Mao's
Little Red Book claims as many copies as the Bible and it's only been in existence for about 2% of the time.
Because the Holy Bible is the all time best seller claiming to be God-breathed. Did Buddah rise from the dead to confirm his teaching and wisdom? I think only one historical central figure claimed to rise from the death and have billions believe Him in the 21st Century.
Actually, some of the Epistles bear a striking resemblance to parts of the
Bhagavad Gita... in places, they're almost interchangeable (though in other parts, they're completely incompatible).
The claims of the historical Jesus Christ is so radical that he was either a raving lunatic, the greatest liar of all of history, or He was and is who He claims to be...the Lord (God in the flesh).
... or he's an expression of wishful thinking
... or he's an analogy by which we are meant to learn some greater truth
... or he's an amalgam of religions that came before
... or he's an outright fabrication
There are lots of other options.