In A Library, Where Should The Bible Be Located?

At the library, what section should the Bible belong in?

Fiction, or non fiction?

Not sure where my local library keeps their Bibles, I have never bothered to seek one out, but it would be interesting to know everyone believes it should be located.

Obviously, I am going with fiction. I am curious as to whether any Christians would be happy with the Bible being put with the other fictitious novels.

 

It should be located in the religious reference/Philosophy section, where all religious books are located

 

I could have gone with that one...but I don't believe in any religion so non fiction sounded better.

I've seen the religious section at my library and I haven't seen a single Bible, or Koran, or anything.

 

Put it under religion or philosophy like somebody said and avoid any controversy. Problem solved.

 

What would you say to someone who wanted it under the non fiction section?

 

Well, the real problem here is basically you are asking someone to declare their faith.

An atheist is going to, as they regularly do, say that it is fiction.

A religious person is going to, as they do regularly do, say it is non-fiction.

Of course, all but the most fundamentalist of Christians acknowledge that there are aspects of the Bible that are not literally true, they are allegorical, quite literally, parables.

Of course, all but the most militant of atheists would also acknowledge that there are some things that absolutely ARE true. The early history of the Old Testament is the recorded history of the Israelites and was written as historical truth (it has the same evidential problems as any other volume of ancient history), that there was a man named Jesus and he taught things is also very literal truth.

Attempting to widget the Bible into an all or nothing category is only going to lead to its misinterpretation, and quite frankly there is quite enough of that without having it shoved into a definition widget.

Worse, the question itself is innocuous, but the players who respond to it can very easiy turn it into a circus or power play. Groups like American Atheists, (Fort Bragg concert, Independance Day banners, Billboards, Ground Zero Suit, etc.) could vrey easily make this into a rights issue and demand that it be made fiction!!! After all we classify Roman religion as mythology, rabble, rabble, rabble ...

Conversely, religious groups can just as easily be roused to demand its placement in the non-fiction category (There are Creationists out there after all), and all we would really get are a bunch of emotional people who have turned a book into a war - one blaming the book as the reason and the other defending the book as the reason.

In both cases, it the silly people doing silly things.

So, it'd probably be best to place it in the history, philiosophy, or religion section - and just not give the extremists an excuse to go extreme.

 

Naturally, I am gonna state my opinion also.. I think that the Bible should be handed to every person who walks in the Library, that way they won't have to worry about where to find one.

 

What he said.

 

Daggag's response sums up the reality of the topic, but this flamebait thread doesn't offer that in the poll and the OP has "never bothered to look" and calls the Bible "fiction" just to illicit hot responses.

Disgusting that a moderator would engage is such foolishness.

 

Words cannot express

 

I believe religious scripture belongs to the category of mythology, which again may be classified under philosophy and psychology. The Bible will therefore stand next to the Qu'ran, the Rig Vedas, Dianetics and the Icelandic Sagas, to name a few.

So regardless of (actually in context with) my post above, I voted non fiction.

 

Who goes to a library to get a bible???

 

Anyone with a reason to read in it but no reason to own it?

 

I agree completely. Wont humor the OP with 'my' vote...

 

I'm an atheist and I have no less than 3 bibles in my house.

 

I second this.

 

Section 200 in the Dewey Decimal system has religious texts.

Section 220 specifically has the Bible in it.

 

I have none. Ok, so I have the New Testament tucked away somewhere, I think. I also have the Qu'ran in the original language (though I don't know why; I don't have the first clue of how to read Arabic).

Of course, if I'm to read something in a religious scripture (including the Qu'ran in a readable language) I first look it up on the Internet, not in a library. So in a way you're right, I do have all those texts "in my house".

 

So then, you agree that these days there is really no excuse for not knowing or having access to the scriptures (presented in the prime languages), and therefore no one could not be considered ignorant and thus innocent in the rejection of the message in them.

I.e., No Excuses....

 

It doesn't belong there. Its inconsistencies alone would disqualify it from being acceptable as non-fiction.

 

I voted other but it should be in the religion section

 

The Best Place in my Library!

 

Yeah, but you still haven't read any of them

Sorry brother, you set yourself up for that one.

 

???

I have read the bible cover to cover multiple times. I would imagine the people that haven't read it are the ones that say they still believe it.

 

So, atheists have no sense of humor whatsoever.

I guess we have established that.

But then when you take yourself so seriously that you think everyone else is screwed up, I guess that is self evident.

Besides DP, if you HAVE read it, it certainly doesn't explain the lack of comprehension that drives you to repeatedly misrepresent what it says and failure to understand key aspects our traditions and teachings.