The Bible for People Who Hate the Bible, Book 1: Moses and Aaron: The Foundations of Judaism

A.J. Pell is rector of Christ Church in Hope, B.C., editor of the
Canadian Evangelical Review, and an instructor of Liturgy, Anglican
Studies Programme at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C.

The Bible has been referred to by many as the foundation of Western
society. Its images pervade Western literature, and its ideals have
formed Western social thinking. That makes the Bible a target for all
who have an axe to grind with the state of the Western world. The author
of these books (the first two of a proposed seven-volume series) is the
latest to take aim. In fact, a more accurate title for this series would
be The Bible for People Who Hate the Bible by People Who Hate the Bible.


Book 1 is designed to attack the roots of Judaism, while Book 2 attacks
the roots of Christianity. Using a bit of humour to present a very
idiosyncratic view of these two faiths, the author makes a similar claim
about each. Both are based on the misrepresentations of decent chaps
(Moses and Jesus, respectively) by contemporaries (Aaron and Paul,
respectively), who used the teachings and legends about Moses and Jesus
to create religious systems that would benefit particular groups at the
expense of other groups. It’s all a little too pat to be believable
unless backed by other credible writers, and that backing Malone can’t
produce. So all that can be said is that Malone has written an
entertaining fantasy.