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This is truly the Book of all Books. Whether you believe its contents (as I do) or not, one cannot escape the influence of this book which, along side Homer's two mighty Epics, has been the foundation of every other Great work ever produced.The themes in this book are many and varied, ranging from Love and Hate, to Sex and Politics, indeed every sphere of life is covered in this book! And, while the positions taken are often considered controversial in today's society, the fact that every subject is addressed, is something to be marveled at! It is common today to shovel issues under the rug of partisanship or to censor them altogether; but the Bible has the guts to actually GO THERE! And that is Noble. I personally prefer the New King James Version of the Bible, as it retains much of the beauty of the original King James, yet is more easily digestible for those unfamiliar with Jacobean English. Again, whether you agree with its teachings or not, this is definitely a book to be had on the shelf, absolutely one of the world's Greatest of Great Books. 10/10 |
But for a book that contradicts itself dozens of times and contains passages that have been used by others to justify wars, genocide, burning people at the stake, persecutions against non-believers, slavery, homophobia, and even human sacrifice - yeah, it is an important book that has controlled and manipulated many lives and generations, but calling it the 'The Book' or 'World's Greatest Book' is a bit of a stretch. It's just one particular religions' book - that's all.
Further, your unfounded argument of the contradictions in Scripture, have been met several times by theologians (both religious and secular) proving that, generally, these "contradictions" are merely the workings of minds ignorant of both the Bible's contents and its historical context. If one tries to place 21st Century mindsets into a work of antiquity, there will be things hard to comprehend. And, to attack a Book's Greatness, simply on merit of the actions of others, is very unwise and unwarranted.
There have been people who killed in the name of other books (Catcher in the Rye, the Iliad,etc), but that fact alone doesn't negate the value of the work itself. And be sure to get all your facts in order: Christians ended Slavery (and some founded it, to be sure); Christians have been persecuted long before they began doing so themselves (See Roman History), and it is Christian missionaries, more than anyone else, who is the voice of the voiceless in all matters of Genocide. So, before you raise your accusing finger, lift your hand in study first. You may make less of a fool of yourself if you do.