I've been reading more of the bible than I tend to do recently. Mostly because we're covering New Testament. The Bible is not my strong suit, beginning with the fact that I don't see the point of trying to prove our doctrine using the Bible when other other sources explain it better (and are "purer" in a sense). In fact, I don't see the point of proving doctrine at all.
That being said, I do have an interest in reading apologetics and people who do try to study this stuff. Recently, I've definitely become a Deuteronomy truther. Mostly because it aligns with my priors as a monolatrist and someone who's suspicious of the Bible. The alleged parallels of Israelite practice with Lehite teachings in the Books of Nephi are interesting though (even if possibly overstated). I definitely like trying to understand the humanity of the prophets and the contexts they live in.
I'll get to my beliefs in another post, but things like this strengthen my beliefs really because recognizing things like the Bible are very much products of people helps move past issues with the text. Not to mention I find the whole insistence of claiming monotheism (rather than embracing the monolatrism of Abraham and his people) to be lowering our religion to fit with the ideals of the world. So seeing an example of this anciently is fun.
So yeah, there's a lot wrong with the Bible but the Gospels are decent at least (though still too politically motivated and greek)
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