The Secular Bible: Why Nonbelievers Must Take Religion Seriously

In The Secular Bible: Why Nonbelievers Must Take Religion Seriously, Jacques Berlinerblau suggests that constructing oneself against something that one does not comprehend is intellectually irresponsible and politically dangerous. He then explores the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, through an explicitly secular perspective, reviewing how it has been interpreted from antiquity to today and how these interpretations impact current political debates. In separate chapters, he then looks at how the Bible continues to be invoked in disputes about Jewish intermarriage and identity, and about homosexuality - offering secular readers background and ideas for joining conversations about scripture. Finally, he examines ways in which the Qur'an might be subject to the types of secular interpretation advocated throughout this book, and suggests secularists in all countries need to raise such questions about all sacred texts and religious phenomena. Cumulatively, the book is a first attempt to re-invigorate a once-estimable secular, intellectual tradition.