NO DEGRADATION OF THE BIBLE

Following is a message that I sent to a dear friend who mistakingly thought that one (or more) of my research papers degraded the bible. I have posted this message so that no one else will get such a false impression about either my intentions or any of my presentations:


Because you have at times been an inspiration to me, I have admired you. I have also sincerely cared for you. And, because I profoundly appreciate many things written in the bible, I have been deeply saddened by your assertion that one (or more) of my research presentations degraded the bible.

My first response to those words was surprise because I was unaware that I had sent you any message that graded or evaluated the bible.

And, since you did not say specifically what you read that you thought degraded the bible, I couldn’t even re-read it in order to ascertain whether it did in fact do that.

But, after two days of deliberation, I have overturned your conviction because it was based upon your subjective experience and not upon the facts.

However, just be sure that I didn’t accidentally do what you said I did, I reread the e-mail to which you responded: The Bible and Magic from Mangasarian’s book, The Bible Unveiled. But this email only focused on one aspect of the bible—the magic in it. Of course it did say that magic is dishonest science, but who can disagree with that?

Mangasarian used Voltaire’s definition of magic. He wrote, “A magician is … a man who pretends to possess the secret of doing what nature can not do.” I think that’s a fair definition of a magician.

And, given his definition of magic, who can deny that the bible has much magic in it?


According to this definition, anyone who claims to walk on water, calm the sea, raise someone from the dead, or turn water to wine is a magician. It has been written in the bible that Jesus did such things.

However, that excerpt from Mangasarian’s book was more a criticism of magic and the dishonest use of it in the bible than an evaluation of the entire bible.

I must admit, nonetheless, that he did assert that there are better books for science than the false science in the bible. But anyone who would disagree with that assertion is either ignorant of the bible, ignorant of science, or ignorant of both science and the bible.

Please don’t misunderstand; I am not saying that anyone who believes in the magic in the bible is ignorant. I am aware that one can be intelligent about some things and ignorant about other things. I also believe what Socrates allegedly said, “We are all ignorant, only about different things.”

And, I am aware that some of us choose to ignore (or be ignorant about) some things.

I am also aware of self-hypnosis and self-deception.

Nonetheless, because some people “can’t handle the truth” about some things, I am aware of the benefits of selective ignorance, self-hypnosis, and self-deception.

Finally, it is also true that some people don’t aspire to achieve or learn much more than they already know, and may be quite satisfied (and even happy) with what they think they know that just isn’t so.

Nevertheless, it is neither my intent nor my right to judge anyone in regards to these means coping with reality and of being happy. But, I think it only fair of me to express my intent in regards to the research that I have shared wtith you in regards to the bible—especially since you perceived at least one of them as to have degraded the bible. In the following paragraph I will attempt to explain my intentions in the fewest of words.

I believe that through understanding the origins of religion people can be freed from its bonds to think for themselves and take responsibility for their own judgments.

Finally, I admit that religion has virtually saved the lives of many people; on the other hand, religion has also destroyed the lives of many other people. In any event, however, irrational beliefs in religions have impeded the scientific growth and technological development of the people mentally enslaved by them—regardless of whether such people have been enslaved voluntarily or have just been fooled into uncritically believing such nonsense.

If you dare to listen to an objective view of religion presented in a comedic fashion on video, click on the following link, but let me warn you, if you want to be ignorant about religion, then don't watch it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o

If clicking on it doesn't work, then copy and paste it in your address bar.