[Cheese]

Originally Posted by driveway

Good point, but it's problematic because once you open the door to the concept that some parts of the Bible are allegorical and not meant to be taken literally, it begs the question 'which parts can we trust, and how can we tell the difference?'

The fundamental teaching of Christianity and the Bible is that humans are sinners and that only through Jesus can we be saved from eternal damnation. But then, if we acknowledge that some parts of the Bible are allegorical (Genesis for example, or Exodus) then it causes problems because it calls into question the facts of Jesus' himself - someone for whom there is, outside of the Bible, no archaeological evidence - if he is not, in fact, the route to our salvation from sin then he is purposeless as a religious figure.

All of the 'be nice to your neighbor' aspects of the Bible are admirable, but ultimately secondary to the message of the book.

There is a growing group of 'Christians' who are starting to espouse a doctrine of good behavior and respect for other people as fundamental. I am entirely in favour of this movement, but it can't really be viewed as a 'Christian' movement however the members see themselves. It's like how Martin Luther King, preacher that he may have been, promoted secular humanist values, not religious ones.

I couldnt have said it any better. You have it nailed.