I agree with you that the fault does lie with the bible itself. It's a collection of writings, spanning a thousand years, that provide insight into ancient man's attempt to figure out his place in the cosmos. And while the doctrine it has spanned is nutso sometimes, yes, like other religions' texts there is certainly wisdom to be found in the Bible as well.

It's said that even the smallest child has a lesson for the wisest sage. And so, the wise will find wisdom in all of its hiding places.

Someone just got schooled!

Nice try!

It is a product of its time. It is not a science book, nor is it very reliable history book. It is a library of prose, poetry, law, and as you note, ancient people trying to make sense of what they experienced. There is much about it that is barbaric; the times were barbaric. There is much about it that is beautiful, too. The same can be said of nature - it is both cruel and lovely. It needs to be read, not as a guidebook for life, nor in scorn. It should be read as literature.

Just my opinion.

Of course there is alot of BS in the Bible, but there is good advice also. The book is deeply rooted in our culture and has given many comfort. Life can be cold and cruel, and if the Bible helps people deal with their pain it does deserve respect.

I respect your post and believe that there should be an alternative site called 'atheist.com' for people who want to diss anything questioning religion. I'm new on here but feel as though there are a lot of atheists on here who are not skeptical at all. And I believe that skepticism is what being an agnostic is all about.

I just realized who posted this. He's a trump troll.

...respect? The same book that endorses slavery, stoning to death children for bein unruly, being gay. SLAVERY... No, no respect here. I would recommend a book, 101 myths of the buy bull....umm, bible. It breaks down it's Egyptian origins, and how it's changed into Judea-xtianity. In fact, if you dig deep enough, you'll find the answer to why in genesis god is referred in plurality... it's NOT father, son, holy spirit trio one thinks. No thank you... a million nice quotes will never make up for a single biblical massacre...you know, like wiping the face of the earth clean.... it's the WHOLE book not the 'cherry picked verses that is so contemptible

The bible is nothing more than a particular tribe's ramblings about how important, special and privileged it is. IMHO

The Bible is folk lore writ down by scribes working for the authorities. Like all folk lore it does contain truths but many more myths . Heaven forbid folks should think for themselves. They are just asked to accept these stories. The Old Testament in particular contain stories of untold violence mainly to alien tribes and women. How can anyone respect such stories? Just think of the countless violence done to humans in the name of the Bible.

Everything has pros and cons. The Bible is the sheep herders guild to the Universe . That makes it more cons than pros. Just study the behavior of the Christian. I like Jesus as a myth , it's the Christians I don't like.

I can incorporate any good idea from anywhere into my life. Christian is soul sucking trap you prepare your whole life for this extreme happiness with the white man in the sky. What happens if God is really a frog?

Not everything in the Bible is bad but a hell of a lot of it is. And what blows my mind is the number of idiots who believe the crazy stuff in it.

I do appreciate the fact that many people have suffered terribly at the hands of religious fanatics and corrupt power, so I understand how they might make negative associations with all things "religion", and I think one of the stated aims of this site is to give that particular group a place to express their related feelings and experiences openly, but that hasn't been my personal experience, so I don't have any problem cherry-picking in the Bible, because I know it was all cherry-planted to start with, and I'm no more inclined to see an inanimate object as totally evil than totally good. Wisdom is wisdom, wherever you find it, and certainty about anything is not a skeptic's friend.

@Deetee

I know of very few people who are against "that."

What I have come to find disturbing is the demand for respect that the religious demand towards their holy books, the bible included. If the bible cannot withstand constructive criticism, then perhaps it isn't all it's cracked itself up to be.

This is just my opinion

Yes, the Bible does have some good sound bites, along with Shakespeare and John Dunne.

I understand that you want people to appreciate the value of a book that is as old as The Bible. I also agree that it has been read by countless people that have found it a source of knowledge and a guide to live by. But, while it is not as old, one could also say that about Mein Kampf.I think that you might receive a better response to your complaint from a group that isn't called Agnostic.com.

The Bible has some good bits and some bad bits. We can all pick and choose the bits we like. I love the King James translation because i was brought up with it and for me there is a lot of poetry in it. But we don't have to 'respect' it in any way. It is just a book, written by people.

Its a wonderful work of fiction. The issue is the millions that take it as fact and tell me that it is how I should live my life. Yeah, when you start that shit, I'm gonna tear up every so called "fact" in that book.