Roy Williams, well known for writing the book God, Actually, has written a brilliant article on The Punch today in regards to the 400th Anniversary of the King James Bible. Here is an exerpt:

Atheists shouldn’t damn the Bible with faint praise
Roy Williams, 23rd May 2011

"Why, on the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, are its praises being sung by so many prominent atheists?

Richard Dawkins himself, best-selling author of The God Delusion, has led the charge.  In an article published in the Christmas issue of New Statesman, Dawkins hailed the KJV as an “astonishing piece of English literature”.  He hoped to “encourage our schools to bring this precious English heritage to all our children, whatever their background”.

Here in Australia there have been similar calls.  A few weeks ago, Prime Minister Julia Gillard got into the act.  “It’s impossible to understand Western literature,” she opined, “without having that key of understanding [of] the Bible stories and how Western literature builds on them and reflects them”.....

All this is true, yet I cannot shake this conviction: much of the praise for the KJV which we are now hearing from atheists and agnostics is, at best, jejune.  At worst, it is misplaced and insincere.

There is far too heavy a focus on the KJV’s status as a sort of elite cultural icon.

Dawkins is quite candid on this score.  He admits that he cannot abide translations of the Bible other than the KJV, whether they are closer to the meaning of the original ancient texts or not.  He wants the KJV taught in schools “not as history, not as science and not (oh please not) as morality.  But as literature.”....

Click here to go to the full article on The Punch's website.