It is a collection of essays by over 60 different Semitic shamans. Some parts like Genesis are just mythic folklore of a specific clan of Amorites or whatever. Other parts like Deuteronomy, I-I Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Joshua, and Daniel are semi-accurate histories of the Jews and their neighbours with understandable errors, favourable elaborative spins, and theistic justification for the crimes of their warlords.

There are many parts scattered among the collection that are doctrinal. That is they outline the rules and the penalties. Interestingly they devote few if any verses to “rights.”

The New Testament is the plagiarisation of several older Pagan myth stories (God impregnated virgin, virgin born man-god, visit to the birth scene by shepherds and magi, a special star.) Then they added the second part of Mithraic, Egyptian, and possible 8 other cults of the god-man being killed, entering the underworld or Hell, and resurrecting in three days. That none of this is factual is not important. It allowed the syncretism of a new composite Judeo-Pagan religion that we now call Christianity.

The historical accounts of the Old Testament after the purely mythical Genesis and Exodus, are relatively accurate in the context of the times. The obvious bias that winners apply to the extermination of their neighbours is a common historical spin.

The overall problems are obtuse passages, errors, contradictions, arcane superstitions, primitive myths, and other parts (Revelation) that make little sense except in great metaphorical leaps of cognition. Unfortunately the superstition, mythology, and pagan biographies of Jesus, serve only to distract people. They ignore the good moral teachings and sayings attributed to Jesus in the Gospel. The emphasis is sadly on deifying Jesus instead of listening to him. Christians need to focus more on Jesus and forget about the birth and resurrection myths.

Amergin

Yup, written by fallible humans to try to relate the spiritual experiences of others. Accurate? no. Miraculous? yup.

agreed.

check this out for a history lesson on chritianity and the bible:
http://www.bidstrup.com/bible.htm

i guess i will be in the minority and believe that the Torah is a divinely given document,
that is my belief.

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I don't believe you're in the minority, (but then, what do I know ?)......... don't the majority of religions believe their scared texts have some sort of divine intervention ?

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Snowman1 Men are the same as women, just inside out !Snowman1

and these are mine, mine mine mine ...oh...and wifeys too !

I doubt that you are in a minority. Since Islam and Christianity claime Judaic roots, they must accept the Torah. Christians, Muslims, and Jews together make up close to 4 billion people. That is a majority.

Amergin

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Militant Agnostic: I don't know, and neither do you. There is no evidence of God so belief is optional.

though they claim Abrahamic roots i do not believe they accept the Torah

reading Paul is evident of that for christianity
and if muslims accepted the Torah...well i do not believe Israel would have needed to fight to exist

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Personally I think it's the best selling work of fiction ever..in my opinion of course !...I just wish I was there at the launch to get it signed

Guiness Book Of Record comes 2nd.

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Snowman1 Men are the same as women, just inside out !Snowman1

and these are mine, mine mine mine ...oh...and wifeys too !

Jewscout, I agree that those are divinely inspired writings, nothing short of it! They were just recorded and edited, and now interpretted by (hu)man.

But traditional judaism holds that the whole Torah (the five books of Moses) was divinely revealed and are the same as they were 3000 years ago when they were given.

and if christians accepted it in the way that i'm talking about, then they would do away with anything that is attributed to Paul, who basically, IMPO, throws the Torah in the trash.

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