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Isaac Asimovlyddi8
Has anyone read his "Guide to the Bible?" If so, i would love to hear some objective reviews....
He was a very intelligent man-- however the book is 1,300 pages long-- is it worth it? DoctorBeaver
Anything by Asimov is worth reading. The man was a genius.
Indi
i have read literally tens of thousands of pages of Asimov, fiction and non-fiction - anything from essays on science fiction, robotics and more, and of course almost everything fiction he's ever written.
That being said, i have never read anything he's written on the bible, or any of the Judaistic religions (i'm going to guess that the bible he's talking about is the Christian one). So i really can't say for sure what he might have to say on the topic. i can guess though. i have some of his quotes up on my big wall o' quotes. Here are some relevant ones:
i think it's pretty safe to assume that he's going to come down on the negative side of things. That being said, Asimov is always a fun and lively read, with a nice sense of humour and a very thoughtful perspective. You can be pretty confident that it's not going to be heavy reading, or that he's going to talk down to you or go over your head. But honestly, i don't know whether i would bother. Asimov was cool and all, but this isn't his field. It's just something he apparently had a peripheral interest in - basically little better than a layperson's opinion. You can be assured that he did his research well, and that even though his opinion is a layperson's opinion, it is an informed layperson's opinion. But, nevertheless, it is a layperson's opinion. Unless you have a specific interest in finding out what Asimov himself had to say on the topic, what's the point? Why not get a book from someone who is actually in the field? Someone for whom bible study and/or criticism is a full time job? Moonspider
Asimov is my favorite science fiction writer of all time. I even collect early prints of his science fiction works. I actually read some of the book you mentioned while an undergrad. I accidentally came across it in the library while doing research on black holes for a quantum physics paper. Indi's assumption is correct. Asimov's take on biblical scripture is a negative one. But I must agree with Indi in that if you really want to read some works on biblical scripture, choose from the many scholars in the field. I have thought it would be interesting to compare Asimov's book on the bible to some of the writings of Isaac Newton. From what I've read Newton wrote more on the Bible than he did mathematics. Maybe someday when I don't have three careers, two kids, a mortgage... 
Respectfully, M Related topics
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