Claim CH181:
The Bible is unique in its popularity. It is an all-time best seller,
available to 98 percent of the world's population in over 1800 languages.
No other book comes close to its circulation figures.
Source:
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1989. The Bible - God's Word or
Man's? Brooklyn, NY, p. 7.
Response:
- Popularity does not indicate reliability. Indeed, the opposite is more
likely. Other best-sellers, such as Spock's Baby and Child Care,
Von
Daniken's Chariots of the Gods, The Atkins Diet, and Linda
Goodman's Sun Signs, range from seriously flawed to downright bogus.
Longevity is a better indicator of quality. The Bible rates well in
that category, but it is surpassed by several other works, such as the
Iliad and Odyssey and the Hindu Vedas and Epics. And even
then,
the quality that matters is mostly in how the ideas are expressed, not
in scientific accuracy.
- To a significant degree, the Bible achieved its large circulation by
conquest, not merit. Native cultures were subjugated or murdered by
Christian missionaries, and their works were destroyed.
Even today, many so-called Christians try to force the Bible on others
through political dominance; for example, by trying to get it taught in
science classes of public schools. They act as though the Bible cannot
succeed on its own. This is a reason to reject the Bible, not approve
of it.
created 2003-5-2
