Interpretation

Every day I hear someone quote the bible. People go to a worship place to hear GOD's "word" from the bible or other sacred books (ie. Q'uran) and are quick to refer to it when advice is needed or when something "bad" is going on in the world (usually found in the bible in the book of revelations).The bible is a book of many religions;
It is defined as "comes from the Greek word biblia, meaning books. When the early sacred Judeo-Christian writings were bound together, they were called "bibles." and Religion is defined as "a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs." Based on the definition of the bible, all it means is that it is a sacred book; of course Christians define it as something a lot more important than that, but that is exactly what I have a problem with. How can ONE book be made up of the word of God, written by man and be interpreted in so many different ways....this is very evident in how many different religions use the bible as their sacred book. How can ONE book fuel so much anger and egocentric feelings toward other religions (Islam, Buddhism, etc.) and this still be GOD's "word"? How can ONE book, written over 2000 years ago by men who lived in desert like condition be the center of a large mass of people's beliefs today? Do we really need to look into a book to know how to live a selfless life? Or to understand that the world is alive, evolving and will change? Or that there are those that know the light of life and those that are lost in the darkness?
Imagine if your neighbor told you that they had a vision of an angel who told them GOD's "word" and they wrote it down. Would you believe them or would you make sure your children never played in their yard again? What is so different about your crazy neighbor and the men that sat and wrote the stories for the bible 2000 years ago?
I would not say those stories are not true, however, I would say it is a great way to keep order in the world. Ironically, it is also a great way to cause unnecessary suffering as well....look back into history and realize how many wars, genocides and death have been cause of religious wars.
I do not believe reading the bible or attending regular church makes anyone a good person. Anyone can go to a worship place, read a book, interpret it the way they choose and live their lives accordingly. God is not in books, God is in everything that is alive....realize this, admire this, respect this and you will be a good person....no need for interpretation.