I'll offer one statement and then disengage. In my firmly held position, many of the statements that project what Jesus would have done in a specific situation are incorrect and, in fact, are usually in directly contradiction of what is written in/indicated by Scripture - when it s properly interpreted within the overall context within the New Testament. It is easy, but grossly misleading, to extract sentences and interpret them outside of the larger (and intended context), and come up with a position. I am not accusing anyone of doing this intentionally. Although I am certainly no theologian, I have studied rather extensively and have fairly strong positions on this. That is probably a surprise (or shock) to some, because most of what I usually write is sarcastic (and sometimes scathing) - and is almost always intended to make me smirk.
A separate observation: While I have no published statistics to support this, "I believe" that many of the people who object to (or reject) the Bible have never read it (yes, there may be exceptions). In my own personal experience, when people say things such as "the Bible is full of inconsistencies and has many conflicts between different sections" - and I ask them if they can give me examples so I can look into it - I have yet to meet ANYONE who could support their allegations. Exactly no one has been able to provide anything definitive at all. Sometimes they will "quote things" that are not even in the Bible. I believe most simply follow the mantra of the unbelievers, that it is full of inconsistencies, etc. Many others may say that Christians (or Jews) are simply following their mantra of the Christians/Jews (and I am sure many do); but as someone with a faith life - I see it as my responsibility to actually study and understand, rather than simply accept bumper sticker-esque summaries.
I intend to offend no one on this issue - but merely to provide a perspective (one that is usually scoffed at).
