The Bible has many authors, some whose writing resonates with a soothing captivation, others whose words are confusing esoteric ramblings, and some whose passages are miserably detailed and redundant. 77% of the Bible is the Old Testament, which is where most of the famous miracle stories reside (Adam & Eve, Noah, Moses, David & Goliath, etc.) Despite often being cited, those stories are relatively few and far between, separated by incessant genocide and pillaging sanctioned by God for the most trivial offences. In the last 23% of the book, the New Testament, Jesus is introduced four times before his teachings are elaborated upon. Prepare for whiplash when Jesus retcons the Old Testament to fit his message of tolerance, service, sacrifice, and compassion.

Reading the Bible straight through from cover to cover is seldom advised for good reason; readers can never understand the esoteric complexity of this book without spending years in a scholarly, non-linear approach to deciphering its teachings. I read the King James edition (KJV) which is generally respected and less controversial than many other editions, but reading any bible in English entails some passages that are confusing because they do no translate well from Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

Overall, this book is a journey that reassured and strengthened my personal beliefs, but it is not for the feint of heart, it will be a greuling struggle to get through this book.