Why are YOU an Atheist?

[thesummerqueen]

I'd say that 1000 years from now people might be saying the same of Harry Potter, but then I remember that we have more than just an oral tradition.

Back when the Bible was compiled, there was a bare minimum of ability to confirm or deny the stories being written down. We have several respected Greek and Roman authors who also wrote about things that were "intended" as truth for the time but were later discovered to be fiction.

Having "real" elements in a book does not make it any more "a history" once it's found out to be inaccurate. Having "real" elements is often used to add legitimacy to any ol' claim someone feels like espousing. That includes oral traditions that people would love to pass on to continue social and religious control.

Dan Brown might have "intended" his book to be fiction, but many people like yourself would say "Well, gee, there's a lot of truth included in it - I better take this book with some seriousness!"

I'd love for my people's martyr complex to be further enhanced by the Exodus being true. There were some "real" elements in the story. Too bad there's no reason to believe the story itself and the narrative it proposes is real, thanks to the findings and diligent work of people who give a fuck about history and science.