Ken's Guide to the Bible

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Book for anyone who is interested in Bible studies
Review: Sure, Ken Smith has a decidedly Christian bias, sure he likes the 'New Testament' better than the old when by his own admission all the fun stuff is in the "old" but he's reading from Christian translations that purposely make the "old" dull and boring. Sure he doesn't know that the Philistines are making statues of Hemmerhoids in 1 Samual 6 but that's fine too. This is the most hilarious companion to the Bible ever written. Perfect whether you are an atheist, Jewish, agnostic or a Christian with a sense of humor. The only people who will hate this book are the people who read those moron Christian confessionals and don't see anything weird about Jack T. Chick comics

Rating:
Summary: Great idea, well done-- love it!
Review: Eye-opening, fascinating, and fun to read, especially with a real bible nearby to check up on the references. Not only does Mr. Smith do a great job pointing out the bible's wackier bits, he also gives good overviews of the bible's possible origins and most popular English versions. Throughout, Smith shows genuine interest and even respect along with the skepticism and iconoclastic humor. Unique, hilarious, and a fine addition to any reference library!

Rating:
Summary: A Holy Mockery of the Holy Writ
Review: Smith's Guide shows that the bible can be fun to read- in abstract, with all of the "violence, sex, absurdity, and weirdness" arrayed before your eyes. Rather than stumbling through "begats" Smith provides the juicy tidbits which make a mockery of the moral "guidance" provided by the Holy Writ, especially important in Smith's view when political action groups claim a divine mandate for their social views. At the same time, he provides a good overview of the progression (or jumbled mix as the case may be) of the bible, and the thematic content of each book (a Cliff Notes with Spunk of Sorts). For instance, he mentions an incident where the Prophet Elijah has a bear maul forty-two children who laughed at him, and then the irony of pro-fetus advocates utilizing the bible as any basis for rejecting abortion as sinful (especially in the light of other incidents in which heathen are dispatched with little ado by the Sky God- children and all). For each incident worthy of comedy, Smith has created several categories, so that when he cites chapter and verse, he has an icon to show whether he lists it because it is an example of weirdness, divine wrath, holy distortion, blood 'n' guts, arrogant pretensions, "family values," gender bashing, sex, etc. Another aspect that was entertaining was the use of classical paintings and prints with biblical themes- one of my favorites being a picture of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse, with the comment "Hi-ho Pestilence! Awaaay!"

Rating:
Summary: Ken Smith is a demented genius!
Review: The funniest Bible book I've ever read, and I've read a few. Ken's Guide focuses solely on the strange, weird, SICK parts of the Good Book, the parts that never get mentioned by your pastor or neighborhood born-again. Powerful stuff, if only because Ken keeps his prattle to a minimum and lets the Bible hang itself with its own words. Ken's research and acid wit are brutal, and the Guide is compact and easy-to-read (unlike the Bible itself). Every page has something twisted and fun; I never knew the Bible could be so entertaining. My only question: Who the hell is Ken Smith

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Book for anyone who is interested in Bible studies
Review: Sure, Ken Smith has a decidedly Christian bias, sure he likes the 'New Testament' better than the old when by his own admission all the fun stuff is in the "old" but he's reading from Christian translations that purposely make the "old" dull and boring. Sure he doesn't know that the Philistines are making statues of Hemmerhoids in 1 Samual 6 but that's fine too. This is the most hilarious companion to the Bible ever written. Perfect whether you are an atheist, Jewish, agnostic or a Christian with a sense of humor. The only people who will hate this book are the people who read those moron Christian confessionals and don't see anything weird about Jack T. Chick comics

Rating:
Summary: Funny and quick
Review: The book is very amusing, and reminds me of a list of Biblical contradictions I found on the Internet a while back. Contrary to what some of the negative reviews indicate, the author does make some respectful comments about Jesus' teachings. That being said, if you're not up for reading criticism of the Bible, then you should pass on this book.

Rating:
Summary: Ken's Guide to the Bible
Review: Religious fanatics have been selectively quoting the Bible for two thousand years. It is about time this ambiguous book, written and promoted by zealots for so long is exposed for what it really is - an implausible, unverifiable explanation for what men couldn't and didn't understand about the workings of the universe. People who fantasized about a Supreme Being and later His "Son," deities who were somehow supposed to be in charge of all things - but for some reason had to permit mortal men to kill the Son to save mankind?
Ken exposes the Bible as a collection of stories, many of which have nothing to do with one another, none of which can be verified independently and all of which have been translated and changed to suit the translator's version of events, many times over the centuries.
Ken?s Guide to the Bible is excellent, accurate and easy to read.