Claim CH183:
The Bible is unique in the amount of persecution it has faced. No
other book has been the target of such opposition and hatred, and
survived because of the devotion it inspired.
Source:
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1989. The Bible - God's Word or
Man's? Brooklyn, NY, pp. 8-9.
Response:
- Persecution is not a good sign. When people persecute something, they
usually have a reason. When lots of people persecute something, they
usually have a damn good reason. (And note that this claim contradicts
the claim that the Bible is special because it is
popular.)
- Surviving persecution is of no great significance, either, unless you
are trying to signify force of arms. (Devotion in the face of
persecution is common to all religions.) A greater indication that an
idea is favored by God would be if that idea arose again spontaneously
whenever it has been suppressed. By this standard, humanism is
superior to any other religion.
- The Bible has inspired probably more persecution than it has received.
Christianity has a bloody history of trying to spread its Word
forcibly. Much of the persecution it has received is due to the
conflict that it itself has engendered.
- The Qur'an has faced a great deal of persecution, too. Given time,
it may well overtake the Bible in this regard.
created 2003-5-2
