Atheist creates Atheist Bible using the Holy Bible

The question arose early in British academic A.C. Grayling’s career: What if those ancient compilers who’d made Bibles, the collected religious texts that were translated, edited, arranged and published en masse, had focused instead on assembling the non-religious teachings of civilization’s greatest thinkers?

What if the book that billions have turned to for ethical guidance wasn’t tied to commandments from God or any one particular tradition but instead included the writings of Aristotle, the reflections of Confucius, the poetry of Baudelaire? What would that book look like, and what would it mean?

Decades after he started asking such questions, what Grayling calls “a lifetime’s work” has hit bookshelves. “The Good Book: A Humanist Bible,” subtitled “A Secular Bible” in the United Kingdom, was published this month. Grayling crafted it by using more than a thousand texts representing several hundred authors, collections and traditions.

“Humanist ethics didn’t claim to be derived from a deity," he says. "(They) tended to start from a sympathetic understanding of human nature and accept that there’s a responsibility that each individual has to work out the values they live by and especially to recognize that the best of our good lives revolve around having good relationships with people.”

Humanists rely on human reason as an alternative to religion or belief in God in attempting to find meaning and purpose in life.

Like the Bible, "The Good Book," opens with a garden scene. But instead of Adam and Eve, Grayling's Genesis invokes Isaac Newton, the British scientist who pioneered the study of gravity.

The book's final chapter features a secular humanist version of the Ten Commandments: "Love well, seek the good in all things, harm no others, think for yourself, take responsibility, respect nature, do your utmost, be informed, be kind, be courageous: at least, sincerely try."

What an interesting idea, a non religious bible based on a religious bible!
I wonder how the masses will take to this?

Source:
CNN

reply to post by AnteBellum


Jefferson already did it. It's called the Jefferson Bible. Well, that's more of a deist Bible than anything else. Frankly, I wouldn't touch the book with a 10-foot pole, it needs to many rewrites to become morally acceptable.

The only thing the author screams is antichrist.

i guess any bible other than the one that we have had would be a good idea...to me i cant stand knowing the fact of how many people have died in sensless wars because of that book...this kinda change would good in my opinion

Given that the collection of writings commonly known as the bible has been responsible for more deaths than all nuclear weaponry unleashed on this world it is refreshing to see it answered in this manner with philosophy rather than dogma.Those who wish to see this as positive will do so those who wish to deride it will do so, such is human nature. For those with open minds this may well be what was expected 90 years ago but did not come to pass. I suggest it is read before comment is past.

Just a Thought

reply to post by steven704

Originally posted by steven704
The only thing the author screams is antichrist.

If these are anti-christ teachings:

"Love well, seek the good in all things, harm no others, think for yourself, take responsibility, respect nature, do your utmost, be informed, be kind, be courageous: at least, sincerely try."

then Jesus really is evil...