I'm probably the only person reading this thread, but in case there's somebody out there who does read it, and who doesn't believe me on Christianity, there is one quite critical nugget of information on the Bible. One of Christianities most important saints is S:t Augustine and he held the most important Christian scholarly position in the time when the Christian big wigs where deciding which Biblical books would make it into the final edit of the Versio Vulgata, (the modern Bible) and who undoubtedly had a very large say in it's editing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo

It gets interesting when we read about his life. According to the legend he converted to Christianity after hearing the voice of God, (in the voice of a young child) saying "Tolle Lege", (take up and read) and he interpreted it as the Bible and found "the truth". Remember that this was in a time when the Bible was just a bunch of lose articles. Nothing of what we would refer to as a book.

The point with the compilation of the New Testament by Jerome, was, (beside Roman political unity) was as far as S:t Augustine was concerned to make it easier to get into it for a Christian. So they didn't have to wade through so much irrelevant texts to find the good stuff.

Now this is where it gets interesting. S:t Augustine is quoted with saying, (this is from memory) "a finite collection of marks and symbols, (ie the letters in the Bible) cannot capture the infinite nature of God". What he means is that the Bible is just the key to Christianity. It's purpose is to help people find God. Once they've found God they don't need the Bible any more. If they keep clinging to it once they've found God, it will only hold them back, because it will obfuscate them from finding the real truth of God which can only be found beyond the Bible.

It's pretty deep stuff. I'd compare it to the enlightenment for Buddhism. Where the Bible is like one of the 8 paths to enlightenment. Once you've reached enlightenment, you don't need the Bible any more. Then you can speak to God directly.

With this interpretation, early Christianity and the early Christian church makes so much more sense. With this interpretation the Christian message is "Think for yourself!" and "Follow your own heart".

It does put a boot in it as far as fundamentalists are concerned, but S:t Augustine should know. He is after all partly responsible for the Bibles modern compilation.

I'm not saying Obama and Clinton are this well read in Biblical studies, (probably not) but Christianity has a very fascinating philosophical background making it hard to count as a brainwashing sect.