Ethics

For me, the bible is the most popular and controversial text available in history.  Many of the stories in the bible have been transformed into various media including lego versions, cartoons and even movies.  Some people find the newer versions as forms of hypocrisy but I believe that this is a good way to introduce the bible to the younger generation.  Just a few years ago, I heard that a new book for children was published and it has the theme of the bible  the protagonistsversion The Simpsons.  I havent read that book but I heard that sequels were published a few years after and it seems to be geared to a much mature audience.

Popularity however, does not connote proper knowledge on it.  I will not admit expertise in the Bible because that may take up a Theology course or even a lifetime, but I will try my best to congest my opinion on the book in the collective sense (or at least in terms of the Old and New Testament).  I do believe that the Bible (and each of its book) does require an in-depth review that cannot fit a 2-page paper.

The Bible, as a sacred text, contains the recurring theme of faith, hope and love.  It contains many lessons that can be applied in life.  It teaches a person to be socially responsible and with social, it includes everyone in the community, from the smallest unit (family) to the largest (society).  We can even say, to the extended community as the church in one country belongs in the same church of the entire globe.  Now, if I look at the bible in that perspective, that this book has the ability to bind the entire world, I cant help but take great awe of its power.

I was born and raised in the Protestant faith and although the Bible is very important in our faith, it is fairly common for any individual to have lived a lifetime but not completed reading the entire bible from cover to cover.  Even hearing mass within a lifetime will not cover all of the books in the bible.  Ive read somewhere that it is decent to make reading the Bible before you die as a goal.  Apparently, some people find it impossible and hard to achieve.  

Far worse is that many people seem to summarize the Old Testament into a few popular stories about Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah Ark, Moses, David and Solomon.  Thats a bit of an understatement, considering that these seem to be contained in only a few books including Genesis, Exodus, Kings, Samuel, Songs, Psalms and Proverbs.  Fact is the other books that are not focused on talks about battle stories, raids and even politics, done in the name of faith.  This is the part that I dont like about the Bible.  The Old Testament is a book of faith and power but its not really a peaceful book.  It makes me think of the wars in the Middle East where the Muslims claim to do exactly that and media sometimes make it sound like there is something wrong and twisted with their reason for war.
I think this is why the Bible has the New Testament.  Christ is the King of Peace and His teachings, as well as what the apostles and what Paul wrote in his epistles are summarized into one message love.  Some people even refer to the Bible as the greatest love story of all time.  In a way, it is true because the Bible is not about a man-woman relationship that most books talk about today.  It is about brotherhood and family, bound in love.

If given the opportunity, Id like to explore three specific books in the bible Daniel, John and Revelation.  This is because these books made references of the Second Coming and my initial understanding of this is scary.  I believe in Life after Death but I am human and I cant help but be visual with this.  The books I least liked were Psalms and Proverbs, although they are very poetic.  It doesnt say much about the story although it says a lot about Gods greatness.

I think there is more about the Bible but I have yet to discover it.