The Bible
Cover to cover it took me just over a year to plod through every page. Why? So I was as clued up as any church. That and I really liked Ecclesiastes (Short version: "why do I bother getting out of bed?") and wanted to see if there were any more gems hidden amongst all that mainstream stuff like Jonah.

Goodness me bits of it are really dull (like numbers). The rest though, is occasionally sincerely fascinating, whether or not you believe in some or all or none of it. It can be seen as a sincere effort to socialise sprituality, or to communicate Monotheism to illiterate nomads, or as a history of an entire culture, or as evidence of God's evolving relationship with Man, or lotsa other good shit. Mind you, you'd have to be a bit of a twat to take any of it as unquestionable literal fact.

It's never been out of print. In fact, it had to wait a fair old while to be in print in the first place.
(CADmonkey rollllllllled another one, just like the other one, Thu 5 Jan 2012, 19:16, 6 replies)

I've read most of it,
isn't it great to be able to slap bible punchers back, chapter and verse.
(the other guy not the one that gave you coochie warts, Thu 5 Jan 2012, 19:36, closed)

Wouldn't it be easier to throw the bible at them?

( Infidel , shit and wrong, Thu 5 Jan 2012, 19:43, closed)

No good, they'd punch it on the volley

(CADmonkey rollllllllled another one, just like the other one, Thu 5 Jan 2012, 19:48, closed)

I once heard somewhere that it was written 70 years after Jesus
Do you know if that's fact? It'd be a bit concerning that it's based on stories handed down through two generations...
( The Silent Channel is getting his recommended 5-a-day, Thu 5 Jan 2012, 20:37, closed)

More like three or four.
Folk didn't live as long back then.
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Thu 5 Jan 2012, 22:54, closed)

Some of it was...
...but it was during a time where there was a strong oral tradition. (heh.) To pass school (or whatever young Jewish boys did back then) they had to be able to recite the first four books of the old testament, word perfect.
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Thu 5 Jan 2012, 23:36, closed)