God

What People Believe

Alexander Waugh's excellent little book delves into some of the stranger stories associated with Judeo-Christian-Muslim belief. What Waugh makes clear is that much of the Old Testament is a collection of just-so stories that strain ones faculty of belief. Can one believe in a God who does silly and capricious things like asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, and then when he does do it, God says, 'Just kidding'? There's nothing wrong with belief in goodness, kindness and concern for one's fellow man, but this book clarifies the fact that the Judeo-Christian-Muslim belief system is so hopelessly out of date, so tied to a culture not our own (that of a small goat herding middle-eastern tribe that lived about 3 to 4 thousand years ago)that believers have to jump over backwards to make sense of some of its ideas, rules and tenets. What Waugh shows through this very entertaining book is that much of the Bible is pure drivel fit only for the minds of people with no imagination and little intelligence. That guarantees it will continue to survive for another 2000 years at least! I recommend it to all persons who need their unbelief refurbished.