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History is written by men. And men tell lies.

Now this might seem like the least surprising announcement since the chairman of a fast food chain came out and said we're starting to think that cheeseburgers make you fat', but it is nonetheless a point to remember when tackling an issue such as this.

To understand the Bible, is to understand its place in the context of history. This weighty tome was not written in a time such as ours, where millions of people have the right to education and at the very least, grasp a basic understanding of the fundamentals of science, language and the world around them. This was a savage time, where the peoples of each developing nation feared all that was around them in the absence of any true knowledge; the glowing eyes in the sky at night and the great orange sphere with its tortuous heat throughout the day. These people were looking for an explanation, and for those with intellect enough to offer one, there was an opportunity for great power.

Two thousand years ago, the learned few wielded a power the empires of Greece, Rome and later Britain knew how to exploit only too well the power of the pen. With no one to challenge them on any level, the authors behind the scriptures, which eventually combined to become the book we know today, set about explaining the universe's every mystery, from creation to death and back again. Finally the primitive masses could understand their existence; what to fear and what to respect. Those with parchment in hand would stand atop the hills and boom messages across the valleys, a broad smile widening still further as groups of people swelled before them, anxious to heed the word of God. But these messengers were not spreading peace and harmony. They were creating armies.

In the hundreds of years that followed, each new generation spawned a new religious ideal, and one that would be upheld at all costs. However mild and meek the original intentions were, the Bible was reinterpreted to suit the demands of the hierarchy and maintain control of the people who would die fighting to appease their' God. From the Crusades through to modern-day Israel, the conflict continues to establish one belief as the superior doctrine.

Time and again, history highlights the damage religion has caused as each new figurehead looks to abuse its authority. At a time some 150 years before the musings of Marco Polo in the thirteenth century, the world witnessed the birth of one particular stand-out example. In the Middle

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