On the cover, it says Holy Bible. Then somewhere, it usually identifies the version: King James Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised New Jerusalem Bible, etc. When you open the cover, you will find an index of the “books” contained in the Bible. If it is a Bible for Protestants, the index will list 66 “books” for the Old Testament and 27 “books” for the New Testament. A Catholic Bible will divide some of the “books” differently and include additional “books” called the Apocrypha. (I write” books” with quotation marks to denote that these are not books in the usual sense of the word but because these are selected writings that are identified for their unitary content. Even so, scholars believe some of these “books” have multiple authors.)The common way of identifying these Old Testament writings is as Torah (Law), History, Poetry &Writings, Minor Prophets, Major Prophets and Eschatology. The New Testament “books” are categorized as: Gospels, History, Epistles and Apocalypse. I prefer to classify the Old Testament “books” as Folklore, Law & Genealogy, Pre-Exilic History, Prophets, Exilic Literature, Post-‘exilic History, and Apocalypse. I do this because of the work done during the 50-180 year period of the Exile in Assyria (720 B.C.) and Babylon (587 B.C.) where much of the Biblical collection, editing and composition took place.
To apply the literary censorship standards of right-wing politicians to the Bible today, it should be a banned book, at least for younger minds. In fact, in considering the Biblical literature for its wholesome inspiration, at least parts of the Old Testament fall short. The Bible contains extensive genealogical lists that are irrelevant to today’s world. It contains extensive God-given laws that are no longer observed. It contains stories of murder, rape, incest, brutal war, genocide, betrayal, adultery and possibly even homosexuality (David & Jonathan). Many of these early books of the OT are of no consequence to modern life and attribute terrible acts to the command of God. Some have noted that, if the standards of those who would restrict books because of their violence, politics or sexual references and content, the Bible should be banned as well.
Two books of the Old Testament do not mention God at all. Song of Solomon is a love poem, a reflection on the sexual relationship between a man and a woman, The Book of Esther is written for the Jewish people to maintain their steadfastness while situated in foreign, hostile circumstances (in Babylon). Neither is religious in any sense of the word.
It should also be noted that some of the prophets, such as Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah were deeply involved in the politics of their day and spoke directly to the kings of Israel and Judah. Acting as agents of God, they were political activists, contending with socially irresponsible monarchs they accused of cruelty and injustice.
When it comes to the New Testament books, there are only a few instances where the holiness, goodness and righteousness of God can be questioned. In the fifth chapter of Acts, Annanias and his wife Sopphira are struck dead because they held back a small part of the money they received from the sale of land, a failure much less offensive than the kinds of egregious practices engaged in today by people, including Christian church members – and notably by evangelists. Incidentally, note that the early Christian community was communistic in form, for everyone’s possessions were held in common (Acts 4 & 5).
Finally, the “Book” of Revelation is replete with instances of punishment of non-believers and even those who add to or detract from the “Book” itself (Ch. 22). Its forecast of an immanent cataclysm has been referenced repeatedly curing the centuries since – but failed to materialize. Evangelists today continue to warn of an end of history that is just around the corner. This time they may be right – due to nuclear catastrophe or global melting - but not the end-of-time catastrophe announced by John .
Note that, indeed, there are inspiring, edifying, enlightening and encouraging parts of the Bible. But much is tedious as well as irrelevant to today’s world. It is misleading to regard the entirety of the Bible as a kind of fetish, as somehow holy and sacred in its entirety. There is nothing inspiring or enlightening that can be obtained from the innumerable verses in Leviticus about ancient Jewish law or from the census of tribal members in Numbers. Even, in the “Book” of Revelation, there is nothing to be gained in the modern day from the message of John that sought to keep Christians steadfast in the attending Roman threat of persecution.