Leading Bible Scholar, Philip Jenkins, Reveals the Bloody Truth About the Bible in New Book

[rug]

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) October 25, 2011

In the Bible, Jesus states, "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."

The holy book is full of such dark and violent verses. Yet the Western world clings to a dangerous perception: while the Qur'an teaches warfare, the Bible's message is one of love and charity. In his new book Laying Down the Sword: Why We Can't Ignore the Bible's Violent Verses (HarperOne; November 2011; $26.99; Hardcover), renowned scholar Philip Jenkins offers a fearless examination of the dark and violent verses of the Bible and a call to read them anew in pursuit of a richer, more honest faith.

Jenkins writes, "Many Westerners consider Islam to be a kind of dark shadow of their own faith, with the words of the Qur'an standing in vicious contrast to the scriptures they themselves cherish." The September 11th attack and the militant way in which some Muslims interpret the concept of jihad are cited as examples of the inherently violent nature of Islam.

However, fanaticism is no more hardwired in Islam than in Christianity. In fact, in many eras, Christianity has initiated more violence and bloodshed than any other religious tradition-and could again, under the right conditions, Jenkins warns.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/10/25/prweb8900789.DTL

Looks interesting.