WHY DID YOU WRITE THIS BOOK?

WHY IS THE WORD "HATE" IN YOUR TITLE?

I began studying the Bible to satisfy my own curiosity. I wanted to KNOW The Book so I could understand why people all over the world are so devoted to it. As I studied, I found streams of bizarre stories, concepts and weird editing decisions that caused me endless hours of pondering and theorizing. As I told my friends what I was discovering, the general reaction was fascination. "THAT'S in the Bible? Are you sure?" People who had never even glanced at the Bible were suddenly very intrigued. But then there were people who didn't want to hear anything about it. Their reactions were all similar. "I'm sorry, Tony, I know these stories are interesting to you and everything, but I just HATE the Bible. I can?t stand those stupid evangelists on TV, I'm sick of hearing what the 'moral majority' has to say, I'm disgusted by anything that has anything to do with the Bible, or any religion for that matter. So...sorry, but I just don't want to know."

And THAT is the audience I set out to capture. The ones who are most offended by the Bible will never take time to study it, and no one will make the effort to show it to them in a way that is acceptable to them.

When Jewish and Christian organizations teach their followers The Book, they use teaching materials that have been assembled over two thousand years. Christians in particular have thousands of paintings, sculptures and other renderings of Bible events and characters that they use to imprint ideas into the minds of followers. And both Jews and Christians use modern archaeology, writings by non-religious historians, and scientific discoveries, whenever it supports their positions. But the non-religious person won't read religiously-based writing, and they won't be influenced by magical statues and paintings. And no priest or rabbi will hold their attention, either. The non-religious person is always free to read the books of non-religious Bible scholars if they want to study the Bible academically, but why would they? The Bible has already offended them. Why put that kind of work into something you've rejected?

My answer to the question "Why did you write this?":

I wanted to present the Bible to people who don't want to read the Bible. My assignment was to keep

the reader entertained and shocked enough that for the first time in their lives they will discover that the Bible is more interesting than they ever dreamed. At the end of my book(s) I hope the reader will feel liberated. The Bible will no longer loom like a storm on the horizon. It will become small and manageable like a box of trinkets and curios.

The Bible For People Who Hate The Bible is illustrated and laid out using techniques employed by religious teachers (including the use of pictures of Bible characters and events, maps, diagrams, and easy-to-follow text layouts that are nearly as decorative as a children's book). Methods learned from scholars were used here as well, such as the dissection and reconstruction of Bible stories in their proper historical context, and finding ways of compressing information so that brief but accurate summaries can be given.

This is an attempt to give the non-religious reader all the delights that a religious reader can find when they go to study The Book:

- Amazing stories and beautiful pictures (like a religious book that wants its readers to BELIEVE)

- Scholarly research and perspective (like a textbook that gives you tools to continue studying)

- A new way to look at all of it. Every rabbi, priest, scholar (religious or non-) has to find a way to tell these stories to their audiences. The Bible For People Who Hate The Bible is written for those who do NOT want to be convinced that the Bible is "God's Word". And unlike in other anti-Bible books, here you will get an overview of the entire Bible's contents.

Events that have never been illustrated before are presented here, and stories that have always been seen in one particular way are here shown from a whole new (and often totally opposite) perspective. No one who finishes reading these volumes will have any fears that I am trying to turn them religious.

DO YOU HATE THE BIBLE?

I have a love-hate relationship with The Book. My studies forced me to learn ancient histories and geographies, religious and philosophical concepts, and thousands of pieces of information that I never imagined I would ever need or want to know. I understand now why the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) is so integral to every Jew's life and learning. It forces you to become educated in order to understand it. For this education that I received I have to say that I love the Bible.

But, from the outset, I had determined that I do not trust organized religion of any kind. And though studying the Bible was (and remains) an incredible adventure for me, I am more convinced than ever that the whole thing is a crock invented to build a control system. I am less convinced than ever that there is a "God", especially the one written about in the Bible, or that there is any human being who knows anything about such matters. The Bible is strangely viewed by most people as some sort of spiritual gift to the human race, but after a solid decade of study I can only see it as a fake, a cover for the dirty and despicable agendas of men who want to be important.

And these human agendas, integral to the Bible's very existence, are the things that I hate. As I said, it is a love-hate relationship.

ARE YOU TRYING TO INCITE HATRED TOWARDS RELIGIOUS PEOPLE? OR TOWARD JEWS AND/OR CHRISTIANS IN PARTICULAR?

Absolutely not. First of all, I was raised a Roman Catholic. Most of my large and extended family are Christians, and among my friends I count Anglicans, Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists, Protestants, Pentecostals and members of other Christian sects. They all know that I think they're a bit crazy but I suspect the feelings are mutual, and we remain friends. I also carry some of my own Jewish blood, and I have Jewish relatives. An inordinate number of my friends have always been Jewish (if I used affirmative action in my friend-choosing practices I would actually have to get rid of some of my Jewish friends to clear room for other races). I personally have no hatred for anyone except Big Brother.

My book is for people who want to be liberated from the depressing religious fanaticism that surrounds them. It does not tell them to go and hurt the fanatics. It shows them the crystal ball that has hypnotized the fanatics, and it dissects that crystal ball and explains what it is and how it works.

DO YOU THINK THE BIBLE IS THE "WORD OF GOD"?

Obviously not.