God has quite the obsession with fruit, it's true.Irreverence when it come to religion is always a tricky balance. These are beliefs that are dear to many people's hearts. But some of them are, yes, a little ridiculous when viewed objectively by a non-believer.Wenke walks us through the more famous stories of the Old and New Testament, pointing out the inconsistencies, the violence, the capriciousness and changing character of God, the mysogyny and homophobia.I did have quite a few giggles as many of my childhood questions were presented: "What happened to the fishes during the flood?" and "If God hardened pharaoh's heart, doesn't that make the plagues God's fault?" In some ways, however, I wish the book was longer. There were so many more good bits that Wenke was not able to include. Such as Adam's other wife Lillith and where Mrs. Cain came from. Oh and that whole snacking on body-and-blood of Jesus thing.Of course, the Bible is not meant to be read literally. As with all sources of religious beliefs and mythology, it's been copied and miscopied and edited and corrected and biased so much that even if it was once the Word of God, it isn't anymore. That doesn't make it invaluable as a piece of history and culture, just as a guide for behaviour in present society. Wenke's book amuses because he purposefully judges the events of the Bible with the morals of today, which is anathema to good historical research, but a goldmine for humour.This review also appears at Boxes of Paper
