Reply #2: as a practical matter, it's virtually impossible to separate the bible as idle text vs how it's used [View All]

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by religious leaders and politicians who use it to hide behind and manipulate others, picking and choosing which parts to pay attention to or even take 'literally' and which parts to ignore, to justify action of government as if caeser was the way god implemented his will, and so on.

morals and ethics are far more important and nuanced and complex than any text could possibly capture, and those who claim that the bible or any other text is the only conceivable "source" of morals and ethics fails to understand either, or worse, is trying to manipulate you for some unethical or immoral purpose.