Originally Posted By: Byrd_Huntr
On religion, I'll take the bait: I don't think you can compare non-fiction books like a cookbook or an auto repair manual with a bible.

True, but you can't compare historical works of antiquity like Tacticus or Herodotus to a cookbook or auto repair manual either; it's a category error.

However, these great works can be tested for historic fidelity; they are just tested differently than you would test a cookbook or an auto repair manual. The tools that one would use to test these other works of antiquity are the ones that need be used when testing the veracity of something like the writings in the Bible.

Originally Posted By: Byrd_Huntr
Human institutions like religion, politics, and education are fraught with frailty, and some of these (maybe all) have been corrupted from time to time by power and money.

A guy I used to listen to a bit has a good saying: "If you want to mess something up, all you need is two things: people and time." (Matt Slick)
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Victory awaits him who has everything in order — luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck. Roald Amundsen