I trust most of us here have studied the Bible more thoroughly than those who profess belief; if you’re like me, that’s how you got to your state of disbelief in the first place. We all know the Bible is full of ridiculous bullshit at best and horrendous bigotry sexism and genocide fueling narratives at the worst. My question is: what is the most beautiful, complex truth you’ve ever found in the Bible?

It could just be that the mainstream interpretation of some legends entirely missed the point and there’s a deeper metaphorical meaning that does have merit, or it could just be our wishful thinking finding meaning in something that was initially designed to control people. Whether it’s inherently valuable or you made it so with your own interpretation, what are some lessons you think might be worth preserving?

Examples:
To me, the story/message of Jesus’ life was very Buddhist. I think his point, if he had one, was to serve as an example of the death of ones ego. He explicitly told others not to pedestalize him as a god but that the only way to peace/heaven was as he had done, to suffer the death of your own ego and wake up to ones inner divinity. That the connection and compassion we have with/for each other is the only god we need serve, and the message flew way over most sheeples heads.

I also had a rather psychedelic experience through yoga where I realized that the myth of the garden of eden may have a very significant meaning. I always asked why a loving god would put us in a garden, set up a temptation and then punish us for something he knew we’d do. I came to the conclusion that he didn’t. If the story has a moral, it’s about how we do it to ourselves. Our suffering in life is a cycle of shame and entitlement. By our nature we will always want the one thing we can’t have, even in paradise. We foster a sense of entitlement for that thing that we feel denied, and eventually we snap and just take it. Then we’re shamed for wanting the thing, further repressed (by adults in our childhood usually) and the cycle of shame and entitlement continues amplifying itself in a feedback loop. The first “sin” wasn’t disobedience to an arbitrary rule: it was also a rather Buddhist ideal of missing the mark by focusing on what you can’t have. When I realized the cycle of shame and entitlement that had been laid on me by parents pastors and so many religious teachers, I felt an incredible literal weight lift off my shoulders. I felt a tension in major muscle groups release for the first time in decades. I felt the peace that passeth understanding for the first time as an atheist, and finally truly knew what it felt like to be “saved.”

Sadly I don’t think most Christians ever feel that. I hope most of you have. What other potentially valuable lessons do you feel were lost to the sheep who took things too literally?