Well, *some* or even *many* Christians might believe that everything in the Bible is fact, but I can point out at least *one* counter-example of a Christian that *doesn't* think everything in the Bible is fact, let alone necessarily "inspired". Why?

Well, that's like saying I'm a vegan except those times when I really want to eat steak. The whole idea of picking and choosing what you believe in the Bible is ludicrous to me. You either believe in it or you don't.

a) Jesus taught in parables, right? I.e. stories. The stories weren't about fact, but were used as illustrative purposes to get a point across. If Jesus can do it, then why can't the people that wrote the Bible, inspired or not?

Cause the Bible clearly states that those are stories, and the rest is presented as fact.

No matter how inspired a writer might be, do you think many people would really, honestly, truly understand if he went off about the big bang and primordial soup and micro-organisms and carbon based life-forms and DNA and evolution, supposing that that's what really happened?

Well inspired means that God literally came down and wrote the books of the Bible through man. And if God can't explain it, who can?

c) The content of the Bible has been under the control of people who's aims have been less Godly than Worldly.

Ah, and there is the problem with the Bible (and religion) to begin with. I agree with you completely about this. The original manuscripts don't contain any of the misogynicist tone that you'd find in the King James Version. Or the blatant hatred of homosexuals either. My whole problem with religion is that it was established in a time where having a government was impossible. Religion came up to help control people without the presence of a government. Then, when governments came along, they found with what ease they could control people using religion as a tool, bending it to their will. The best example of this is the medievil times. They had it worked out perfectly. Keep the word of God in another language, so the common man can't read it for himself. He had to go to a priest to be told what he was supposed to do.