The Bible is the most important book of all time

Well ,thanks for having the guts to take up the debate, and Merry Christmas to you and your family- I hope it was nice, and you got some good presents , evn if you dont beleive in Santa Claus : ) Now, just to start with the actual debate topic, that being the Bible is the single most important book of all time in the history of man (you will have to come up with another to win the debate in the end) The Bible is actually a library of 66 books, written by 44 authors over a period of about 1500 years. The 39 books of the Old Testament were composed between 1400 and 400 B.C., the 27 books of the New Testament between A.D. 50 and 100. The Bible was divided into chapters by Stephen Langton about A.D. 1228. The Old Testament was divided into verses by R. Nathan in A.D. 1448 and the New Testament by Robert Stephanus in A.D. 1551. The entire Bible divided into chapters and verses first appeared in the Geneva Bible of 1560. the Bible is the best selling book of all time ,and over 100 million are sold every single year It has been placed by the Gideons in every hotel room in the United States The Bible is unique. Why? It was written over a period of 1600 years. Written by more than 40 authors of every sort - kings, poor people, fishermen, poets, government officials, teachers, prophets. Written in three languages. Written on three continents - Asia, Africa, and Europe. Is there any other book in daily use by millions of people, around the world, parts of which were written over 3000 years ago, yet which still speaks to us today? There are other writings as old as this, but they are all in museums, and have no relevance to the world today! There are about 6,800 distinct languages in the world, the Bible has been translated (at least in part) into around 3000 of those languages? So clearly, it is the most widely distributed and read book on the planet , by orders of magnitude over and other publication. And its importance to people over time and today ? unbeleivable. It is BANNED by the Chinese ? Hardly any other pubications are- why ? It is what OUR PUBLIC SERVANTS TAKE THEIR OATH OF OFFICE ON (except for the first time keith Ellison (D- Mn) who swore in on a Qu-ran- a horrid work of Satan , in my opinion- and he should be thrown out of office for that! ) So that pretty much ends the debate, but I will go on and address your arguments. YOUR ARGUMENTS (1) I said that there simply isn't much in the way of wisdom in the Bible. A few bits here and there, but for the most part if you open the book to a random page you'll more likely find somebody being killed than some wisdom staring back at you. Well heres some basic wisdom Proverbs of Solomon 1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother. 2 Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death. 3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. 4 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. 5 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son. 6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. [a] 7 The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. 8 The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. 9 The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. 10 He who winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin. 11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. 12 Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs. 13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment. 14 Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin. 15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor. 16 The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment. 17 He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray. 18 He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. 19 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. 20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. 21 The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment. 22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it. 23 A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom. 24 What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted. 25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever. 26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him. 27 The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. 28 The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. 29 The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. 30 The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land. 31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out. 32 The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. Now your next argument As for the things you say are "INCREDIBLY important" I will accept that morality is important. However, I don't believe that has anything to do with religion. Religion and morality have about as much to do with each other as eye color and eye sight. This is preposterous on the face of it The world became civilized becuase of the teachings of the bible, the ten commandments, the teachings of the buddha, Hinduism, and the other great world religions. If you dont beleive in religion, why not kill? rape? steal? Lie? cheat? who is to then say what is black and white, good and evil, right and wrong. On what basis was our civil society and laws formed? DUH! next point I said that the Poor Richard's Almanack had more wisdom. You can have that opinion- it certainly isnt true, and certainly you're not going to argue that Poor Richards Almanac is even 1/10000 as important a book next argument by you You pull a bizarre theory out of your hind-end about Jesus running away to India and learning about the Buddha. First off, no. Secondly, hell no. So where was Jesus for those 18 years? please explain your sources on his whereabouts Have you read the Essenes works and studies of Jesus during this period? he was SOMEWHERE DOING SOMETHING WASNT HE? AND GEE! The Buddha was alive 500 years earlier, wasnt he? Ok now analyze the fact that BOTH JESUS AND THE BUDDHA say they sat under a tree for some period of time, found enlightenment after 40 days and nights of fasting, the devil/Mara appears and tempts Jesus/Buddha with (1) all the worlds riches and (2) imminent painful death and (3) temptation they summarily reject that, then enlightenment peace love understanding, etc