An Atheist's Defense of the Bible
Written by John Rozewicki   
Friday, 24 February 2006
When I was younger I used to say that the Bible was a great work of fiction. I thought it was particularly clever and inflammatory at the time. It's kind of an interesting statement, but it doesn't say much. I was angry with religious people for foisting their nonsense on me, and this was my little way of striking back at their particular establishment. It was an insult, and nothing more. The problem with that statement is that there's no way to argue with it. The historical validity can be debated, but the supernatural component is where the argument really goes to pieces. Both parties leave very angry with the other side for being so stubborn and taking cheap shots. It's a stupid argument. Whether or not the Bible is accurate at all levels is not important. Religious people will agree with me on this, but they believe that the accuracy doesn't matter because the whole thing is a matter of faith anyway.

Teaching Fiction

The requirement of faith is not my argument. I don't care whether or not people believe the things written in the Bible. My argument is that the accuracy of the Bible is not important because it does not affect the overall message. Used properly, the Bible can lead to personal enlightenment. It's possible that it will make you a better person than you used to be by following the overall beats. There's a great deal of unworkable ideas in the Bible, but there's quite a few that get ignored because people believe that it's all or nothing. We educate our children primarily with stories that are fiction. Not only are they fiction, but they are usually not possible within the framework of our world; anthropomorphic wolves torturing the homes of anthropomorphic pigs. There are lessons that can we teach our children from these nursery stories. It doesn't matter that the they're not possible, or that they never happened. Faith is not a requirement in teaching our children these stories. Consumer culture makes us teach our kids early on about what is real and what is not. Children know these stories aren't possible. Yet every child heeds the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. There are universal truths buried in the myths and stories of every culture. The stories are fiction and ephemeral, but the lessons are timeless and unchanging. Greek and Roman mythology was a part of Greek and Roman religion. People believed that stuff back then. The Bible is just what people currently believe in. They are the same thing, but they're treated so differently.

The Baby and the Bathwater

The going trend is to discount the Bible based on its accuracy, and then never look at it again. This is foolish. Everyone has a rudimentary understanding of Greek and Roman mythology. It's very popular source material for middle school english classes. I don't think we should, but if we tried to teach the Bible in the exact same way at the exact same time there would be protests from both sides. The religious side would say we're treating them unfairly by grouping it with mythology. The other side would say that teachers are trying to indoctrinate children. There is no winning. Whether or not the bible is fiction or non-fiction doesn't matter. The message is what matters, and it can be taught no matter if you have faith or not. I'm an atheist, but I find the story of Jesus of Nazareth to be truly inspiring. He's the ultimate superhero. I was raised Catholic, but I never believed in any of the stuff that was talked about in church. I can remember, even back to first grade, feeling a huge nothing in the department of belief in Catholicism.

The Extremely Long Fortune Cookie

The Bible is source material. It can be used however you like. People have used it for evil. There were a great many religious people that used things written in the Bible to reason around slavery, and then later to combat the civil rights movement. This doesn't make the Bible bad or any less valid of a source. It makes the people who used it for such purposes bad people, but it says nothing about the Bible. Let's separate the Bible from the religions that use it. Let's appreciate the content and the wisdom contained within its pages. We can take back a piece of good literature from the fanatical people who abuse it. Spirituality is a personal decision. Jesus was all about giving power back to the individuals. Let's exercise that. Flip open the Bible sometime. It's a pretty compelling read. You may learn something and grow a little bit. You don't have to believe in heaven to want to become a better person. Becoming a better person is its own reward. Treat the Bible like a fortune cookie, and heed its advice if it seems reasonable to you. We can learn a lot from the people who came before us.
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