Mr. Weiner’s assessment of the value of any religious book (Bible, Koran, Torah, etc.) is solely the wisdom one can gain that enables a person to make good decisions and live a better life. He specifically said that his was not concerned about theological questions or differences.

If the premise of his book accurately expresses man’s true needs, then he is right, one book is as good as another if helps you gain wisdom. The flaw in his reasoning is that man defines his need(s), not God.

Our ultimate need has nothing to do with being comfortable or in achieving a laudable level of secular success. Nor will we find ultimate joy and happiness in the arena of carnality. (Read Ecclesiates) Yet, many live every day of their lives with no higher aspirations than just feeling good about themselves. If some “religious” book can help you arrive at that goal, then all you have done is “flirted” with the divine; you have neither sought for nor have you found God.

God wants men to seek Him, but not merely to feel good about their personal experiences. God wants man to see himself as God sees him: i.e. as a destitue, lost soul in need of a Savior. Until we are humbled by our own sins, we can never receive the blessings God wants to give us in Jesus Christ (Mat. 5:3-4; Eph. 1:3). Jesus did not leave heaven, die on the cross, and defeat death so that we could feel good about our acquisition of a few “wise” words.

It is possible for people just looking for helpful hints to gain some useful information from the Bible. The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom that fits Mr. Weiner’s premise. I agree that the world would be a better place if people lived by some of those wise words. But nothing from any wisdom literature, not man’s or God’s, will tell us all we need to know about “seeking God”.

A benificial pursuit of God begins in the heart. Jesus said (Mat. 6:33) to seek God’s kingdom (i.e. His rule) FIRST . Seeking and finding God requires man to let God rule his life, not feel good wisdom. Be wise, make sure the Lord is your King. KD