by Melody Jane

Created on: January 31, 2011

The Bible from an Atheist Perspective

To examine the Bible from a non-theist perspective is to examine it from an academic perspective without attempting to attribute its authorship to a supernatural being. This is not intended to offend; it is merely done for the purposes of scholarship. It unfortunately has the appearance of seeming cold or unfeeling to those who hold the documents of the Bible as a direct link to a loving creator. However, to study the Bible from a philological perspective can provide everyone who reads these documents insights that they will undoubtedly find useful, whether or not they share the same beliefs regarding their origin of inspiration.

It is impossible to deny that the Bible’s influence over a significant amount of the planet’s population and humanity’s history and it has continued to do so as it has evolved over the centuries. While people’s interpretations have differed significantly, the fact that they have found significance within the various books has influenced the course of human history since its inception has consequences that cannot be ignored even by those who do not see a supernatural influence in the composition. Because of this immensely widespread influence it has captured the attention of atheist academics as well as religious scholars who wish to study its origins, anthropologically, sociologically, linguistically, literarily, culturally and archeologically, in order to gain as much contextual understanding as possible.

While the initial inception of each document has boundless importance unto itself, perhaps the most fascinating and telling aspect of the Bible is its evolution unto modern times. This is perhaps the most complicated facet, the most overlooked, yet the most integral to understanding the history of the Bible documents themselves. It is the development of the Bible through the translations of it, the compilations and the derision that came about where the true influence on world events can be seen. The fact that the interpretations and arguments over what documents to include in this religious text could cause such a vast manipulative effect over world events is second only to the secular political conflicts that affect the course of human progress.

The church acted as a very powerful political entity and continues to do so, to this day. It is an odd dichotomy to observe from the outside, and yet the ancient counterpart is very well documented in the Bible, between those

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