Like many Jews and Christians, David Plotz long assumed he knew what was in the Bible. He read parts of it as a child in Hebrew school, but it wasn't until he picked up a Bible at a cousin's bat mitzvah — and became engrossed and horrified by a lesser-known story in Genesis — that he couldn't put it down.

While reading the Bible, I often felt as if I had finally lifted a veil from my eyes. I learned that I hadn't known the true nature of God's conflict with Job, which is the urtext of all subsequent discussions of obedience and faith. I realized I was ignorant of the story of Ruth. I was unaware of the radical theology of Ecclesiastes, the source of so many of our ideas about the good life. I didn't know who Jezebel was, or why we loathe her, or why she is the painted lady, or even that she was married to Ahab. — David Plotz

He read parts of it as a child in Hebrew school, then attended a Christian high school where he studied the Old and New Testaments. Many of the highlights stuck with him — Adam and Eve, Cain versus Abel, Jacob versus Esau, Jonah versus whale, forty days and nights, ten plagues and commandments, twelve tribes and apostles, Red Sea walked under, Galilee walked on, bush into fire, rock into water, water into wine. And, of course, he absorbed from all around him other bits of the Bible — from stories he heard in churches and synagogues, in movies and on television, from his parents and teachers. At a time when wars are fought over scriptural interpretation, when the influence of religion on American politics has never been greater, when many Americans still believe in the Bible's literal truth, it has never been more important to get to know the Bible. Good Book is what happens when a regular guy — an average Job — actually reads the book on which his religion, his culture, and his world are based. Along the way, he grapples with the most profound theological questions: How many commandments do we actually need? Does God prefer obedience or good deeds? And the most unexpected ones: Why are so many women in the Bible prostitutes? Why does God love bald men so much? Is Samson really that stupid?

Like the Bible itself, Good Book contains multitudes — it is by turns thought-provoking, funny, enlightening and moving. In short, David Plotz’s book easily lives up to its name. Trust me, Thou shalt enjoy. — AJ Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically

Good Book: David Plotz A couple of years ago, Slate columnist Plotz blogged the Bible - reading it front-to-back and writing about his findings. Plotz is a genius writer. He can mine Genesis for new insights—and play the book of Job for laughs. He’s the perfect companion for a romp through the Bible: charmingly confessional, a deeply penetrating reader, and at complete ease relating ancient (often obscure) narratives to our modern condition. Good Book is an irreverent, enthralling journey through the world's most important work of literature. USA UK

Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told Myths and misconceptions about the Bible's content abound, and churchgoing Christians are often as confused as everyone else. Fed up with this lack of public knowledge, author Joe Kovacs has compiled some of the most crucial information for correcting people's faulty education on what the Bible really says. If readers have ever wondered about God, the Bible, or the meaning of life, and are just not satisfied with the answers they've received — or if they want to learn what the Bible really says on troubling questions — Shocked by the Bible is an essential resource for both Christians and non-Christians alike. Shocked by the Bible is not one of those dull, who-gives-a-flying-leap books about religion that act as a cure for insomnia. From start to finish, this eye-popping page turner will be tough to put down as you discover things you may never have known were actually in the Bible. USA UK

In his new book Guy Harrison details such reasons for god-belief as the obviousness of God, "playing it safe," the fear of hell, that belief in gods brings genuine happiness and comforts, and the fact that so many people are religious. 50 Reasons People Give For Believing In A God

Albert Einstein is best known for his theories of relativity and for his famous equation that describes the equivalence of mass and energy, but his thoughts on religion have long attracted conjecture. His position on God has been widely misrepresented by people on both sides of the atheism/religion divide. Einstein and God

Christianity is based on the stories and claims of the Bible. If the Bible is not largely accurate history, then Christianity has no foundation. Thus, either the Bible is dependable, historical truth or Christianity is just superstitious mumbo-jumbo. The Bible: Primitive Nonsense?

Myths and misconceptions about the Bible's content abound, and churchgoing Christians are often as confused as everyone else. Shocked by the Bible sets the record straight with well-researched, controversial, myth-breaking assertions about what the Bible really does — and doesn't — say. Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told

Buses with the slogan "There's probably no God" will soon be running on the streets of London. The posters are the idea of the British Humanist Association and have been supported by prominent atheist Richard Dawkins, bestselling author of The God Delusion. Atheist Bus Campaign