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Friday, October 02, 2015

My Review of The Holy Bible

It took
seven and a half years,
a chapter a day,
five days a week,
but I finally finished
reading the Bible.

My review:

keep most of the
red letters
where Jesus spoke,

interpret those
red letters
with the same
breadth and imagination
as an avant garde
filmmaker,

red-line everything else,
except Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes,
and James.

Ignore the Book of Revelation.

33 comments:

  1. Got it Mosk, and I also ignore that part as it muddles up a lot of this-is-the-end-of-the-world scenario ~ Thanks for the review ~

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  2. There is a lot of wisdom to be found in the Bible; but I agree about Revelations.

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  3. The bible is so full of contradictions.. I guess we have the freedom to adopt it to what we might want.

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    Replies
    1. Why not? Everyone else does. Thanks.

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  4. There are just not enough objective reviews of the Bible! Studying James at the moment...

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, and good luck on your study.

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  5. Anonymous12:19 PM

    Hah, an accurate review! :) I can't believe you had the stamina to make it through the whole thing.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, yes I had a reading partner and we forced each other to finish!

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  6. Anonymous12:20 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  7. People often scoff..
    more often totally
    ignore me.. hehe..
    when i tale
    them i
    write 13.6
    bibles in
    the length
    of 57 months..
    but yes..
    online is
    forever in
    servers..
    and i for
    one can
    prove
    all
    11
    million
    words
    hehe..
    and sure i am
    inspired.. by
    100's of thousands
    of people.. who
    knows perhaps
    144K or so..
    but never
    the less
    IT is
    what
    IT
    is..
    wInks..
    perhaps
    i am A
    REAL BOOK
    OF Eli..
    hmm..
    just
    hmm..
    (:movie
    reference;)
    always great
    to ride a
    GREAtESt
    Meme..
    and besides
    the real man
    Jesus before
    Constantine promotes
    him into a Sun GOD to
    suit the Mithra religion
    in his area at the time
    already states
    as clearLY AS THIS..
    in new testament
    ink sTILL that FolkS
    will come to do much
    greater than he does..
    awe the green
    monster
    rises
    his ugly
    head when
    words
    of
    Jesus
    come true..
    somethings
    rarely change
    he HE..
    but
    yes..
    THEY
    ALWAYS
    DO..;)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks. What's your take on the Revelation?

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  8. I'm amazed that you actually read it all too. Thanks for the review. I guess that's the least you could do if you really wanted to write a comprehensive review of it.

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    1. Thanks. I really wanted to either give it a thumbs up or thumbs down, but even I couldn't do that.

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  9. What a spectacular review - i hear you ;) and if i could have figured out how to red line that i would have!

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  10. I am reading the Bible and studying it with my son. We are in Ezekiel and starting Matthew at the same time. I haven't read Revelation all the way through yet. But I enjoyed the prophets, as hard as they have been. There is a great deal of continuity

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    1. Amazing there is such continuity for a book that has a multitude of authors. Or is it that as believers, we are looking for this continuity? Either way, thanks and enjoy Matthew 25:40 as it is one of my favorite verses.

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  11. Right on as usual. Revelations is open to so much interpretation. I prefer to read the words that Jesus himself said.

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    1. Thanks KooKoo - and while Revelation (single, not plural) is open to interpretation, the Jesus Seminar (a body of biblical scholars) calls some of what we know as Jesus' words into question as well. Look it up! Love ya!

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  12. Great thoughts and delightful to read. Greetings!

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  13. The Bible is a great book of tales and poetry with a few good suggestions for living in a community, do's and don'ts, quests, battles, martyrdom. Well worth a read but don't take it as gospel.

    ;-)

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    Replies
    1. I agree with your review as well. I have the most difficult time with fundamentalists who want to read it literally.

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  14. An excellent review! (I tend to pick out the good bits as truth...)
    Anna :o]

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    1. We all cherry-pick the Bible... atheists do it the most. Thanks.

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  15. It certainly isn't meant to be read the same way for each "book". Different reasons for writing each one, different audiences, different messages. And IMO, to truly understand the bible, a vast background of "education" needs to be a foundation. BUT there are two ways to read the bible - one as a scholar - and one with an open heart for one's own personal seeking. I like that you "grabbed a partner" and encouraged each other. Well done and enjoyed the poem.

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    1. I completely agree - so I think it's problematic when we are told to "read our Bibles" for anything other than devotionals. Even then, I'm a postmodern reader reading something "written" (ahem) for a pre-scientific audience, hence my advice to freely interpret. Thanks for the thoughtful post.

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  16. ...and did you know Thomas Jefferson "cut and pasted" his own bible? http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-thomas-jefferson-created-his-own-bible-5659505/

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    1. ... well, don't we all make a bible mixtape of our favorite parts? Mines include The Prodigal Son, the Woman Caught in Adultery and Solomon's pithy couplets. Thx!

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  17. Ha! Definitely ignore that one, yes. In fact I think it is all excellent advice – only I would also keep Psalms and Song of Solomon. And I would specify the King James version, as the most poetic language.

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    1. It's poetic in that most of the times, I can't understand it. Thanks.Mosk

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