Is the Bible One of “the Worst Books Ever”?

After looking into the situation with Brian Cox, some Proverbs came to mind, such as:

The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness (15:2)

A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims foolishness (12:23).

A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise men holds them back (29:11).

Brian Cox, an actor who has had roles in a number of movies, evidently thinks that his stage and screen experience qualify him to criticize God and His Book. He was interviewed for more than two hours near the first of May (2024), and portions of his diatribe against God have been publicized. Truly, during this time period, his mouth poured forth foolishness, which came from his heart. He freely shared all his feelings, though their value seems highly questionable.

The Bible

One of his outrageous comments alleged that “the Bible is one of the worst books ever, for me, from my point of view.” Okay, he’s entitled to his opinion, but it’s not a very good one. The top selling book last year worldwide sold 1.2 million copies. The Bible sells 20 million copies every year. Thus, Cox maligns a very large segment of society. He is basically arguing that all these men and women, plus those who already owned Bibles, cannot tell what a rotten book it is—not to mention that such sales have been ongoing for centuries. Cox belongs to a very slight minority.

The context of his criticism lies in his advocacy of a more matriarchal society than a patriarchal one, which the Bible establishes. He claims that

it’s Adam and Eve. I mean the propaganda goes way back. Because it starts with the idea that Adam's rib—you know that [from] Adam's rib, this woman was created, and they’ll believe it cause they’re stupid enough.

Here are some questions for Mr. Cox. “Were you there in the Garden of Eden? Can you prove the Garden of Eden did not exist? Can you prove that God did not create Adam out of the dust of the ground? Can you prove that God did not create woman from one of Adam’s ribs?”

“Let’s turn that around,” someone might object. “Were you there to witness any of those things?” No, but this testimony has been verified by reliable witnesses. First of all, the existence of God has been demonstrated in debates, such as the Warren-Flew Debate (1976).

The fact that the Bible is the Word of God has been established also—historically and otherwise. Whenever possible to check, place names have been found to be accurate. It is not a work of fiction. Real actions are recorded that were done by real people in real places.

Who verifies the literal account of Adam and Eve? Adam is listed in genealogies first—not surprisingly (1 Chron. 1:1; Luke 3:38). Luke is one of the four biographers of Jesus; he says Adam was the Son of God. Of course, Moses wrote Genesis, and he portrays Adam being created by God. Job believed Adam was an actual person (31:33). The Apostle Paul says that Adam was the first man (1 Cor. 15:45). He also agrees that Adam was formed first, then Eve (1 Tim. 2:13-14). Jude wrote that Enoch was the seventh from Adam (v. 14). Beyond these specific references, the New Testament writers also endorsed all that Moses wrote.

So, according to Brian Cox, Moses, Jesus, the apostles, and others who believed what Moses wrote about the patriarchy were stupid. We’ll see how that argument holds up on the Day of Judgment.

More Foolishness

The actor further denigrated the Bible by saying that spiritually-minded people needed something else. He said that people may need something, but referring to the Bible,

they don’t need to be told lies, they need some kind of truth, and that is not the truth. It is not the truth, it’s a mythology you know....

Where does the Bible present itself as mythology? Why does it not occur in a mythical place? Those listening to Cox are just supposed to take his word for it that the Bible is mythical. No evidence is offered.

What are the lies in the Bible? Surely Cox could list a few of them since he is so certain. Is it a lie that people are to love their neighbors as themselves? What in the Bible is specifically not true? Are all the New Testament writers liars? Are parts of it true? If so, which are true, and which are false? Does Cox get to decide which is which?

The prompt for all these denigrations is the patriarchy which God established in the Garden of Eden. Some do not like having men be the head of the wife or the leaders in the church. Many claim these designations minimize women, but in reality they do not. What if God had chosen women to be the leaders in the home and the church? Would Cox then complain that men were being mistreated and that the Bible is full of lies? “Well, everyone should be equal.” Who breaks the tie in the home? Cox is just plain dissatisfied with God. When he creates a universe, he can run it as he wishes.