>>>You might want to go to www.christiananswers.net and do a little research. Be careful though, you might start to see the light!<g>
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>>Let me say first that you might want to drop Doug Dodge a line and find out exactly how much of and about the Bible I've read.
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>>That said, here is the first page I read, "Is the Bible True?" from the above website.
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>>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t003.html
>>"But, on the other hand, if the greatest and most influential book of the ages, containing the most beautiful literature and the most perfect moral code ever devised, was written by deceiving fanatics, then what hope is there for ever finding meaning and purpose in this world?"
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>>I don't want to advocate getting bogged down in silly disagreements, the idea here is to be relevant, but let's take the first claim "the most beautiful literature."
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>>First, I invite you to read the Book of Jonah. I'm in a hotel right now, so for the sake of accuracy I read it again just now.
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>>Now, open up a copy of Moby Dick and read Chapter IX: The Sermon. I have that book with me too.
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>>This chapter is remarkable. It is a sermon where the preacher relates the story of Jonah.
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>>Where the Bible says "But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD."
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>>The preacher, or rather Herman Mellive, relied this same sentence over the course of many paragraphs. He described the consveration bewteen Jonah and the ships captian, and the interaction between Jonah and the shipmates, romanticly described the emotions of the sailors as they faced Jonah, a man they could sense partly lost to Satan.
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>>I invite you to read both selections, and return with your literary analysis. Which is the greater example of literature?
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>I've read both and I find the Bible much more compelling.

The question was about literary value, as the cite you refered me to claimed.

Here's a passage from Moby Dick:

"So Jonah's captain prepares to test the length of Jonah's purse, ere he judge him openly. He charges him thrice the usual sum; and it's assented to. Then the Captian knows that Jonah is a fugitive; but at the same time resolves to help a flight that paves its rear with gold. Yet when Jonah opens his purse, prudent suspicions still molest the Captain. He rings every coin to find a counterfeit. Not a forger, any way, he mutters; and Jonah is put down for his passage."

Compare this to the Bible, which relates the same passage above in the following way:

"so he paid the fare, and went down into it."

Anyways, it no doubt that you find the Bible more compelling, after all you believe that it is the word of a supernatural creature who lives in the sky and watches you while you are in the shower. I just wanted to point out how laughable the "beautiful literature" line was.

I mean, seriouslly, if you believe what you believe than God also guided the author of Moby Dick. It would not, then, be blasphemous to appreciate the literary value of that book more than of the Bible.

If it were blashpemy, why would God have written Moby Dick, or Shakspeare? It doesn't seem to be of much value to create great works of Art if our ability to admire them comes with a limit.

>>Second, "the most perfect moral code ever devised." I think that the Bible says "You shall not murder."
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>>It is interesting that previous incarnations of the book did not use "murder", but instead "kill." Fortunately the Bible has changed (despite your previous claims) and a fairer commandment is the result. If it said "kill" there would obviouslly be some imperfections that need addressing.
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>I believe that was because the translations of the book weren't as accurate.

So you've read the original Biblical text?

>>The most perfect moral code ever devised now rests on whether or not an act is "lawful"? Am I to understand that God has made the law, and his law rests on the definitions of our man-made laws?
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>>Surely such a code cannot be considered perfect if it is entirely dependent on a different code!
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>>I find it rather ironic that in Christian efforts to make the commandments relevant, they must basically place ultimate faith in what is lawful by the mandate of man and not God!
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>>What is your take on that matter?
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>So you have a better system in mind?

Yes, instead of a moral code of our behavior we adopt a method by which we decide how to behave, the method of the critical rationalist.