The Bible is not one work written by one man. It is a collection of many books, written over centuries by many different people. It was only centuries after the works had been written, that religious leaders began to gather together the various writings, decide which were "good" and which were "bad", and define what the final Bible was all about.

There were even meetings held to decide which version of a given book was the correct one. In a day where people hand copied books to keep them fresh and new, there were always the odd typo and transcription error that was made. Also as books were translated from language to language, the meanings of words and phrases were often altered - etiher on purpose or by accident.

Given the long, rich history of religious leaders using parables and stories to help educate their flock, it seems extremely likely that many of the stories in the Bible were the same way. Jesus's story is not a day by day factual diary. It is a calling out of specific events meant to give guidance to us humans on how to live. We aren't told how Jesus ate his breakfast every morning. But we are told how he handled himself at the Temple. The Bible is used to help us look at important events and then use that knowledge in making our own decisions in life.

So that is critical to understand in reading the Bible. If the Bible talks about Adam and Eve being chosen ones - then being driven out of Eden and having to deal with the harsh life of reality, that is teaching us a valuable lesson. But few Christians believe that an actual Eve and Adam existed, then had sons and daughters that had sex with each other. The stories of Cain and Able are important lessons about life - but they are not meant to teach us that incest is normal or healthy.

Learning about Noah and the Flood teaches us about obedience, but real world records prove that there was no gigantic earth-covering flood that destroyed all life except that which Noah put into one boat. Just think - if this was a giant seawater flood, how did all the trillions of fresh water fish and creatures survive? Did Noah's ark have a ton of fishtanks in it?

In reading the Bible, it's important to learn the important lessons it holds, without getting caught up in trying to make those stories "real life". That would be as meaningless as trying to prove that the story of Snow White was true and figuring out what poison was put onto the apple. The story is a lesson in itself - it is not a real story that *needs* to be accurate in every respect to have meaning.

From a Visitor -
One of your quotes: "Reading a book critically is about questioning its merit and researching its background"

For example, you could apply this to the Bible as well, as I should hope. Maybe I am repeating only what you feel, but I'm amazed that people will get so up in arms over this book, but take the Bible (or what they are told by a minister or priest) as absolute truth. Insanity.

I wasn't yet 12 before I read the Bible and thought "preposterous!" on several hundred occasions.

My Response -
I agree, the Bible is meant to teach us important lessons. But if we get caught up in proving these things actually happened exactly as stated, the message can be lost.