About this site¶

What is the aim?¶

This site aims to introduce you to the Bible as an ancient work of literature, without assuming that you are coming to it for any religious reason. Of course, the Bible is a religious work, and we don't deny that. But you don't have to sign up to its view of the world in order to appreciate it or understand it. Any more than you would be expected to be a Poseidon-believer to read the Odyssey, or a Thor-believer to read Norse myths.

The Bible remains important to this day, in a way that the other epics just mentioned are not, precisely because there are still some people who claim it all really happened, and that the god of the Bible is really up there in heaven waiting to burn you for your sins.

More optimistically, you might be interested because of its enormous influence over many centuries on art and thought. Just what is in this book that has been so fascinating for so many people? If you look for some guidance, for it is a difficult work, you're likely to find introductions that assume it is the word of a god, wisdom which has come from beyond human understanding.

This guide is not unbiased either, it takes a point of view. That there truly are no gods, no demons, none of that supernatural stuff. It's all fiction. But it's the kind of fiction which meant something serious to the people who wrote it. We can read it, as we read other fantastical legends, to feel moved by the stories, to ponder the questions of morality and justice which they raise, and to connect with the authors and participants over the gap of centuries which separate us.

About the Atheist Guide¶

As far as I can tell, babies are all born atheists, and so was I. Some become converted by schooling or their parents to follow a religious belief. That didn't happen to me, although I was raised in a Roman Catholic environment. I went to church, and did the things expected of me, like going to confession and singing Latin chants in an incense-filled chapel.

I always had an interest in ancient literature, including the Bible, but I have never been a believer in the deities I found depicted there. My youthful interest in the myths and literature of the ancient world has persisted, and especially the ways that religious faiths emerge, and endure, and change through time.

I also have a special interest in the rather more hidden history of religious disbelief. I'm a strong advocate of religious freedom, which to be genuine must be accompanied by the freedom not to believe. We are lucky to live in an age where (in most countries) one can declare one's atheism and not be lynched by a mob or burned at the stake.

In my adult life I have studied the Bible itself and the way it has been used throughout its history and into the modern world. I've read as deeply as I am able in the academic literature, schooled myself in the original languages, and explored the wider world of para-biblical literature - the apocalyptic visions, 'lost' gospels, and other works which were composed in the same milieu as the books of the Bible but didn't make it into the official anthologies authorised by church or synagogue.

Why have you written this site?¶

In setting up this site, I have confronted one question above all: why write any more about the subject? Surely there are already lots of introductions out there for those who are interested in the Bible? Maybe so.

But here’s something a bit different – a guide to biblical sources written by a non-believer specifically for others who want to approach these strange and significant texts without feeling as if you are being preached at.

There are plenty of scholarly books at an academic level, and also some excellent ones by scholars aimed at the general reader. I myself will benefit from their expertise as I try to explain things to you. But I think there’s a need for a really basic, start from scratch approach, which assumes no prior knowledge on the part of the reader.

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Frequently Asked Questions¶

Why would an atheist want to read the Bible?¶

There are many reasons. Because it is a fascinating work of literature, one of the most important documents from the ancient world. It is challenging and moving, in places horrifying, and also entertaining. Much of the western artistic tradition assumes a knowledge of it, so an understanding of it is part of our general cultural education.

Also, as an important religious text, it has considerable social and political relevance. We can read it to see what it has to say about morals or philosophy, and why some people assign it a central place in their lives. Equally, we might wish to see why there are so many divergent opinions about it, among believers and scholars alike.

Why, you might want to know, is it still invoked today not only to inspire, but also to justify authority or to impose restrictions on others? Why do leaders of powerful countries, even those with nuclear weapons at their disposal, continue to turn to this two-millennium old relic to justify their actions?

In an increasingly secular culture, many people have had very little exposure to Bible stories, except perhaps for the best-known ones like Noah’s Flood, or the Nativity of Jesus. There is a hidden assumption that these things ‘belong’ to religion, even though they are an important and influential part of all our cultural heritage. That said, you don't have to read it. Ignore it, or just dip into it, or read the whole thing. It's up to you.

Why do we need a guide?¶

Maybe you don't, but the Bible is a big difficult book. Many people prefer to have a bit of guidance to find their way around, explanations of some of its odd features, and generally some help getting to grips with it. There are many guides and introductions already out there, but this one is different in being from a non-confessional standpoint, and not assuming that you are reading in order to pursue a spiritual journey or be converted.

Shouldn't you let Christians interpret their own scriptures?¶

You wouldn't expect that an introduction to the works of Homer must be written by a worshipper of Zeus.

There is no single tradition that owns the biblical text. Christians have their religious interpretations of it, but so do Jews and Muslims, who view it very differently. Even among Christians, you'll find no end of differences of opinion among just the mainstream denominations, let alone the more unusual interpretations put on the same books by Mormons, Christadelphians, and thousands of other sects. In fact, looking into the different religious viewpoints on it is part of the task of this guide.

The fact is, although the Bible is regarded as scripture by some, it is equally open to be read by those who regard it as mostly fiction. We can voice our opinions about it too. It doesn’t belong to any one religion, it belongs to all of us.

Is this site finished?¶

Far from it. I make regular updates, and there is lots more still to cover.

Why haven't you written an atheist guide to the Quran, or some other religious book?¶

Maybe I will. One thing at a time. In the case of the Quran, one major reason is that it is so boring. More interesting to me would be the wider world of biblical literature, including Jewish apocalyptic and so-called pseudepigrapha (works pretending to be by an ancient prophet), the alternative gospels which didn't make it into the Christian Bible, and Gnostic literature. These genres and others like them flourished in the biblical period, in the melting pot of Greek, Persian and Semitic cultures, roughly from 500 BCE to 300 CE. But first, we will need to take a look at the texts making up the canonical Bible.

Why do you write 'god' and not 'God'?¶

As you can see, I do sometimes capitalize God, but only when it is used implicitly as a proper noun. A proper noun is a name that applies to an individual of some kind of general class, as Paris is a city, Pogačar is a cyclist or the Mississippi is a river.

Gods are no different, they need names to distinguish them. So we may know that, to name a tiny fraction of those available, Athena, Indra, Inanna, Osiris and Heimdall are gods and goddesses, inhabiting their various heavens, rainbows, and other celestial abodes.

Back on Earth, dogs are among those creatures who often possess names. Occasionally, their human companion may call them Dog. In that usage, the word 'dog' becomes a proper noun, and is capitalized. As a non-dog-owner, while I cannot rule out doing this from time to time with dogs I encounter, I don't generally regard 'dog' as a proper noun.

The word 'god' is likewise not naturally a proper noun. It is descriptive of divine beings with whom humans have claimed (and continue to claim) to be engaged in dialogue. If you are the follower of one god, you may come to regard God as a name, because for you there is only one.

In the biblical context, the main god we are concerned with actually announces his name, and makes a big deal about it. It seems a pity not to use it, so I call him Yahweh, because that what his name is. Or as close as we can get, given the unusual difficulties in recovering how it should be pronounced. When written, of course, his name does get a capital letter.

Is your question not answered here?¶

Many more detailed questions are addressed by articles in the Topics section.