THE Good Book? There Can Be More Than One

There’s a lot being said about the Bible recently. Most of it being said about Ye Orange One forcing his way across the street to pose with one at a church, while holding it upside-down and backwards. An act, I would like to point out, that would have gotten Obama crucified. Not the forcing his way across the street, mind you. Holding the Bible funny – that’s a hanging offense in some states… apparently. But that’s not what I want to talk about. I have a complaint about the Bible.

Now, if you’ve read this blog before, you know that I’m not religious. If you want to be, go right ahead. I’m not going to stop you. Not even sure I can stop you. And the complaint I have is not about any “scripture.” I think most of the stories in it are a bit nonsensical but with a good moral, even if those that continually thump the book continue to not act on those morals. That, of course, is one of the reasons I’m not religious. The people who claim to be “like Christ” are the ones who are most often farthest away from actually being Christ-like. (For a recent example, see Floyd, George – I’m referring to the cops, of course..)

My complaint is the insistence that the Bible be called “The Good Book.” Not “A” good book. “The” good book. That implies that there aren’t any other good books. I can disprove that with a quick glance at the bookshelf to my left. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein – there’s three good books right there. Douglas Adams Hitchhiker’s Guide trilogy – all five and half books of it (if you don’t know, don’t ask… or look it up), I think those are some pretty good books. Let’s hit last week’s subject and go with Imzadi by Peter David, a Star Trek: The Next Generation book. That’s a good one. Clockwork Angels and Clockwork Lives, both by Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart are excellent books, which, on my scale of goodness, makes them better than just good.

Actually, all the ones I mentioned are better than “good.” George Carlin’s books – better than good. Isaac Asimov’s books – better than good. Off Base – Confessions of a Thief by Rickey Henderson – better than good. What else do I have here? Michael Moorcock’s Elric series. George Orwell’s 1984 – although I’m not really sure why it’s on this particular shelf. Chris Clairmont’s First Flight series. The Art of War by Sun-Tzu. All of these are better than just “good.”

Actually, I think I’ve figured it out. I’ll rescind my complaint about the Bible being “THE Good Book.” It can be “The” good book if it wants to. My shelves, however, are filled with considerably better books. Ones that use complete sentences. Doesn’t insist on having a following. Just ones that are good to read. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Whoops! But there is another issue. How many VERSIONS of the Bible are there? King James (how Lebron got one of these…), Living English (as opposed to…?), Christian Community… and the list goes on. All of them are the “good book,” yet all different. How did that happen?

Anyway, I will end on this. Is anyone else that the Bible didn’t burst into flames when Ye Orange One even touched it? If that’s not a reason to lose your faith…