by Magius

Created on: February 20, 2008

The Bible is certainly not "irrelevant" to any human on this earth, religious or atheist, Christian or Hindu.

The main misconception in this issue is that the Bible's relevance depends on its "truth"; in other words, if the Bible is as true as its followers say it is, then it is relevant today, but if not, it should be ignored. This creates an unnecessary dichotomy between the religious and atheist people in the world. I strongly believe that the Bible is a literary work in our world, a message to humanity that should be explored even if one doesn't agree that it is divinely inspired or that its commands are binding to all.

Take, for example, the famous passage "Love thy neighbor like thyself" (an unsatisfactory translation, since it could just as well be translated "Love thy neighbor who is like thyself", i.e. love other humans by virtue of your common humanity). This message is not "Jewish" or "Christian", it is human, and as such is relevant to all mankind. There is no doubt in my mind that all people today could identify with that simple and direct concept, that we must love one another merely because we are all human. This is as true in the 21st century AD as it was in the second millennium BC.

Another example is the poetry of the Bible. Though people who do not know Hebrew will have trouble appreciating the sublime poetry of the Old Testament, some of the beauty survives the translation. The dark, sombre tone of Ecclesiastes is balanced by the generally uplifting Psalms, while Jobe adds a philosophical aspect to the doctrine-filled Proverbs. Lamentations is a difficult and rending book, while Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel have many lessons for all humanity, containing some of the finest and richest allegories in all literature. The stories of the Bible are fascinating even today, and they generally have a very human nature.

Of course, the Bible is also an important tool to understanding religion, which has played a vital role in the development of humanity int he past few millennia. Monotheism is the leading form of belief today, and it is impossible to truly understand monotheism without the Bible.

Lastly, I do not think that the commands or claims of the Bible are "outdated". Though one may disbelieve in the Bible, I do not think it can be said that it is irrelevant.

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