Maybe us atheists don't give the bible enough dues?

Yes, I, as an atheist, acknowledge that the Bible is greater fodder to kindle the modern day imagination, and it can be credited for much of the literature and lore that is in western civilization. The Bible is indispensable to modern entertainment. I have no problem acknowledging this, and still affirming that the book is fictitious, impractical, and fundamentally destructive, if it is taken as literal truth.

The Bible is far more than that. It's a fascinating cultural artifact, a layered puzzle made of history, folklore, opinion and poetry. Some of its most incomprehensible stories are clarifying glimpses into the perspective of ancient cultures, allowing us to consider our differences and our enduring commonalities.

The problem with the Bible is people who treat it AS a comic book, making God and his human heroes into two dimensional characters acting out literally-rendered revenge fantasy plots. A graphic novel is graphic, simple and clear. But it is nothing like ragged, murky, complicated real life. And the Bible, believer or not, is good for exploring such issues, seeing exactly what people were trying to do and why, then deciding how it does or doesn't inform my own ethic.

Like it or not, the Bible, like Shakespeare, is part of our cultural heritage, and knowing and understanding it means not getting clobbered by it in the marketplace of ideas.

You have a point, but at the same time it seems to me that many other ancient legends or stories could have served the same purpose. For example, we're still making fiction and entertainment based on norse legends, on greek and roman legends, on hindu legends, on amerindian legends, etc. Although the Bible dominated in Europe, which is where most of the world's advanced culture traces itself back to, if it didn't exist other stories would likely have taken its place anyway.

To understand great literature you should have a good knowledge of the bible and its stories.

In ancient times it was Homer's poems that provided a common mythology for people to form a consensus about the world from which new stories were told and old stories retold.

The Bible is the most influential book in Western History, so reading it is probably a necessary component of understanding the historical development of the West through its different ages.

While I was a fan of Constantine and the better one Sand man,I think the Bible has more due owed to it than for a few comics and movies.

A hell of a lot more I could think off.

You make a good point. If it weren't for the bible some very talented people would have had to use another format to base their stories on.

I always say that it is merely a great book of historical facts. Proving the historical facts from fiction makes it a great mystery read.

The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

Nice to see an atheist having respect for the Bible for once