IMO the Bible is an outstanding piece of literature and story telling. It far surpasses all of the other ethnocentric religious fairy tales in the way its central theme is developed and presented. The problem is that casual readers tend to focus on the bits and pieces instead of seeing the big picture.
As I've said before, the Bible as we know it was written by a committee of story tellers, writers, and artists based in England in the 690s. They used various stories to illustrate each of the Ten Commandments in action. Some of the stories show what happens when the Commandments are ignored and others show what happens when they are obeyed. But all of the stories are interrelated and should be considered as a whole instead of as separate pieces.
Consider the well-known Adam & Eve story. Taken as a single piece it's obvious BS but when you tie it in with other stories you see the beauty of the writing and how it forms a complete picture. For instance, after reading Genesis chapters 1-9 flip over to the book of Ecclesiastes and read chapters 1 & 2. You will see that the Genesis chapters are sumed up in the Ecclesiastes chapters in human terms.
Remember, there is no celestial deity of any kind in this solar system. The God character of the Bible was simply the series of men who ruled the dominant Middle Eastern empire in ancient times. He bit the dust with the collapse of the Babylonian Empire around 530 B.C. He's not coming back.
As I've said before, the Bible as we know it was written by a committee of story tellers, writers, and artists based in England in the 690s. They used various stories to illustrate each of the Ten Commandments in action. Some of the stories show what happens when the Commandments are ignored and others show what happens when they are obeyed. But all of the stories are interrelated and should be considered as a whole instead of as separate pieces.
Consider the well-known Adam & Eve story. Taken as a single piece it's obvious BS but when you tie it in with other stories you see the beauty of the writing and how it forms a complete picture. For instance, after reading Genesis chapters 1-9 flip over to the book of Ecclesiastes and read chapters 1 & 2. You will see that the Genesis chapters are sumed up in the Ecclesiastes chapters in human terms.
Remember, there is no celestial deity of any kind in this solar system. The God character of the Bible was simply the series of men who ruled the dominant Middle Eastern empire in ancient times. He bit the dust with the collapse of the Babylonian Empire around 530 B.C. He's not coming back.
