In the process of preparing to speak at the weekend on the question – Why bother with the Bible? – I came across the following quote from British comedian, Lee Mack:
I think it’s quite odd that people like myself, in their forties, [are] quite happy to dismiss the Bible, but have never read it. I always think that if an alien came down and you were the only person they met, and they said, ‘What’s life about? What’s earth about? Tell us everything,’ and you said, ‘Well, there’s a book here that purports to tell you everything. Some people believe it to be true; some people [do] not believe it [to be] true.’ ‘Wow, what’s it like?’ and you go, ‘I don’t know, I’ve never read it.’ It would be an odd thing wouldn’t it? So, [at] the very least, read it.
(HT Tony Watkins)