The Godless Book
Ever wondered what a Bible without God would look like...?
This week saw the publication of The Good Book: A Secular Bible (Bloomsbury), by A.C. Grayling, professor of philosophy at Birkbeck College, London. In an interview with The Guardian, Grayling refers to it as 'a distillation of the best that has been thought and said by people who've experienced life, and thought about it', but with 'not one occurrence of the word God, or afterlife, or anything like that'. Philosophers from ancient Greece rub shoulders with Confucian sages and medieval poets, as Grayling takes 'secular' texts from western and eastern traditions and weaves together their insights about how 'the good life' should be lived.
This secular alternative to the Bible consciously mimics the design of Bibles with short chapters divided into verses. Organised in fourteen sections, it begins with Genesis and ends with The Good, taking in Wisdom, Parables, Lamentations, Songs, Histories, Proverbs, and Epistles along the way. Grayling's decalogue, the 'ten injunctions', can be found in the final chapter: 'Love well, seek the good in all things, harm no others, think for yourself, take responsibility, respect nature, do your utmost, be informed, be kind, be courageous: at least, sincerely try' (The Good 8:11).
It's unlikely that Christians will be thrown by this compilation. Indeed, believing in the 'common grace' of a God who sends rain and sun on all, there will be much to affirm about the virtue of friendship, wisdom for life, value of liberty, and more besides.
But perhaps most tellingly of all, Grayling's Bible lacks a connecting narrative from beginning to end - which is what you might expect if there is no God. So, a 'secular' Bible has laws, but no redemption; it has sagely wisdom, but no God who calls us to live wisely in his world; it has lamentation, but no hope of restoration from the one whose mercies are new every morning.
For Christians, the Bible tells not a story about a god, but the story of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who will make good on his promise to Abraham to bless all nations. As such, Scripture is not merely a collection of writings, so much as a covenant document. And it doesn't simply tell the story of God's covenant with his people, but is itself the covenant document, the ratification of his promise and of our relationship with him - a good book indeed.
Comments
I think for me this book (which I haven't read so I'm relying on Antony's review) appears to be saying "how" to live a "good" life without the "why". Ie there must be an underlying philosophy underpinning his how. Many of the 10 injunctions are similar to Christian values. The fact he mimics the bible structure too suggests he wants to have some aspects of Christian philosophy but without God or Christ. But without them there have no foundation (except perhaps pure pragmatism). You could make an equally "good" set of injunctions around Machievellian principles or around money or personal happiness as your god. Is there a chapter in the book which explains his "why"? If fundamentally we live in a random world with a meaningless existence it is all ultimately very depressing, and his book is at best sticking plaster to try and avoid admitting this issue
In response to your thought-provoking commentary, 3 thoughts immediately materialised in my mind: a) That the books title adopts the word 'Bible' ironically highlights the powerful marketing agent that associative perceptions of the Bible conjures up in the mind of potential purchasers. It is not for nothing that the Bible remains the worlds best selling book by a long distance, b) It's not overly onerous for someone remotely interested in spirituality to reach for an assimilation of human-orientated self-help guides. The genre contains a rich canon ranging from lifestyle managers to ancient mystics, self-appointed sage to well-meaning existential philosophers c) Most importantly, central to the Bible is its articulation of an enduring relationship fashioned by God, who, via myriad vivid examples, metaphors and examples, demonstrates a desire to have an intimate relationship with every sentient being (and beast) who has/does/will walk the face of His planet. To consume instruction from a wise guru, however well-intentioned his/er motives, is reductionist in the extreme. There is no relationship to nurture. Its originator remains, distant, dead or at best disinterested in the outcome of how I apply 'their' insights to my life. The God, I know, remarkably appears to me to be devoted to me, interested in my flourishing and the sole agent of my acting compassionately, purposefully, productively or compassionately in others' lives. Irrespective of the 400+ prophecies recorded in the Old Testament that were fulfilled prior to Jesus' arrival or during his ministry on earth. I guess it's all in the relationship. Somehow, in imagining embarking on a similar relationship with A.C. Grayling, however attractive his collection of quasi-philosophical musings and however saintlike his own personality, it's more than likely he'll be tempted to put the phone down on me, block his answer phone, tag my emails as spam, reduce me to hand-wringing exasperation as I trade increasingly ineffectual Aristotlean syllogistic logic with him. The God I've come to know has got all the time in the world for each one of us. Enough time indeed to come up with a better title than 'The Secular Bible', suggestive of an author not overly confident in entitling his creation simply, 'Secular Thinking, The Best of'.
There is indeed a lot to affirm about the ideals expressed in Grayling's 'ten injunctions': the world would be a wonderful place if everyone lived by them. But it seems to me (without having read the book) that this is just another utopian dream if the problem of evil/sin is not addressed. What happens when we 'sincerely try'… and fail, as we inevitably will do? The Bible faces this question head-on, and is realistic about the problem in a way that many alternative worldviews are not.
Date:
2011-04-14 13:58:31
Author:
Lisa Cherrett