I always took the bible as a collection of legends, handed down through the past, with some deeper wisdom and other sacred numbers built into the stories. Lots of secrets can be learned from the bible if viewed through the right lens. Ex. the 12 tribes of israel, as they were laid out in one of the books, is a direct representation of the 12 parts of the brain. Lots of sacred numbers having to do with the procession of the equinox and the cosmic cycles. Not merely a work of fiction, although people taking it literally kinda irks me sometimes…
That's what I'm saying. Also some pretty good life lessons, and I especially like the bit about the people making the laws and preaching the faith were hypocrites and liars. That's been my experience, too.