<<< Instead, the Bible contains conflicting statements, allegorical descriptions of creation, and predictions of the future that can be related to events only after the fact. >>>
When I was a kid, a remark from a priest went further than most to heal the rift between observed reality and religion: "Jesus taught spiritual truths through story telling. God and Jesus are of one nature. So why wouldn't God inspire the prophets and scribes with instructive stories?" It makes sense. Jesus, as recounted in the Bible, was obviously not one for brickheaded (oh, he was a carpenter -- logheaded) literalism. He was *constantly* telling stories and speaking through analogy and metaphor. Erik Baard
