I've just finished Victor Stenger's 'God The Failed Hypothesis'.

It's a brilliant assault upon religious delusion marshaling, as it does, arguments from physics, biology, astronomy, and philosophy.

Highly recommended to those more interested in knowledge than mere belief.

I'm (re)reading my way through the entire  - Sookie Stackhouse series. For no very good reason, either, but I'm certainly enjoying myself thoroughly.

Nov 27, 2011 -- 10:53AM, DotNotInOz wrote:

Nov 13, 2011 -- 10:35PM, Namchuck wrote:

I've just finished Victor Stenger's 'God The Failed Hypothesis'.

It's a brilliant assault upon religious delusion marshaling, as it does, arguments from physics, biology, astronomy, and philosophy.

Highly recommended to those more interested in knowledge than mere belief.

You beat me to that one, Namchuck. I just finished it the day after Thanksgiving, a far better way to spend "Black Friday," IMO, than out fighting my way through the shopping hoardes. ;-)

A very interesting book indeed, I agree, which masterfully makes hash of literalist interpretations of the Bible (which was never intended to be taken literally, I think).

On a more frivolous note, the Sookie Stackhouse series is a favorite re-read of mine along with Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series which is quite different in both nature and style despite centering on the fantastic element of time travel.

Fair comments, DotInOz, although I'd likely disagree that the Bible was "never intended to be taken literally", which is a little like saying that it wasn't to be taken seriously.

I must check out Sookie Stackhouse, though. Sounds intriguing.

Nov 27, 2011 -- 5:11PM, DotNotInOz wrote:

Nov 27, 2011 -- 2:42PM, Namchuck wrote:

Fair comments, DotInOz, although I'd likely disagree that the Bible was "never intended to be taken literally", which is a little like saying that it wasn't to be taken seriously.

Oh, but I mean that quite seriously. ;-) My reference is to those who insist that everything in the Bible is factual in a scientific or historical sense--literally true, in short.

Okay.

Now, on the other hand, I think the Bible quite valuable understood in a mythic sense.

Valuable in what sense? Like a museum piece, perhaps?

The miracle stories, for instance, viewed as being intended to show the power of Jesus rather than to be believed as things he actually did.

But that "power" would be mythic, too?

I mean, really, how trivial is changing water into wine anyway? Why did anyone need to know about this quite insignificant "miracle" other than its placing Jesus in a context that ordinary people could readily appreciate and relate to?

Actually, it wouldn't be trivial at all if it happened. And I think the turning of water into wine was meant to be taken literally.

I must check out Sookie Stackhouse, though. Sounds intriguing.

It's a really enjoyable series, IMO. Well-written although the plot originality is beginning to show signs of wear as the total titles approach a dozen. Harris's premise that vampires actually exist and have recently been granted full status as American citizens is carried out believably and realistically without the cutesy elements of so many other vampire tales. Plus, Sookie is a down-to-earth heroine with both guts and common sense as well as illustrating believably how difficult it is to be psychic.

I think the TV series, of which I've only ever watched one episode, has probably influenced me away from reading the novels.

Nov 28, 2011 -- 3:23AM, DotNotInOz wrote:

The tv series True Blood is dreadful, a travesty that distorts the story all out of recognition. I watched about half of the first episode and turned it off in disgust, it was that bad.

Don't judge the books based upon that horrid misrepresentation of them!

As for discussing how the Bible can be regarded, I shouldn't have raised that issue here where it clearly doesn't belong. Sorry about having done so. 

I'm glad to hear that the books are nothing like the tv series. On that basis, I'll have a look at them. Thanks.