Could it be because the Bible is writings from ancient cultures whose views and beliefs are completely at odds with modern concepts such as human rights? Could it be because the Bible has *nothing* that applies to modern reality? Do you suppose it could have *anything* to do with the fact that the parables attributed to Jesus invariably have an all-powerful "master/king/ruler/boss" who abuses/beats/cuts to pieces/kills any of his "underlings" who do not please him? Should people ideally submit unquestioningly to authority - ANY authority? Should people completely subordinate their needs to others'? Is any of this appropriate to modern life?

No, it is not. Dump the Bible. It is full of destructive garbage, and it is the source of much of the abuse and destructiveness we find in modern society.

The notion that people who lived thousands of years ago somehow had "timeless insight and wisdom" into transcendental "divine truths" that apply equally to everyone, everywhere, regardless, is a pernicious and poisonous fiction that ruins people's lives. We should have advanced beyond that by now. Time to move on!

Wake up!!

What I found in the Bible were basic truths I could rely on. I could have faith in God, that He was listening to me and looking out for me. That even when a situation seemed impossible I could still walk forward in faith, in spite of my fear and rely on God, and He was there.
What I found in Jesus in the Bible was that I could die to all the bad things in me, and live in Him through my faith. That His Spirit would guide me, but only according to my will. That it was always my choice, my decision.

That all happened outside of any religious context, apart from just reading the Bible, and not trying to figure it out but just take what I could understand and not worry about what I didn't.
Also I very wary about churches and groups at that time. What I had found was practical, but what I kept seeing where institutions that watered down the truths I had found, making them more palatable, more acceptable. I didn't have a lot of positive experiences in churches during that time, though mostly they were just boring. Something people did between everything else in their life.

So when I met a group of people seeming to live the way I believed I was sure they were the real thing. I know God led me to them, of that I have no doubt. But I can look back now and see how my desire for them to be everything I wanted made me suspend my better judgement. I wasn't relying on God, but chasing something else instead.

After I got thoroughly chewed up and spit out (chasing my desire instead of just humbly accepting the reality of the situation) I didn't want to have anything to do with the Bible. I was pretty messed up mentally, having the one constant in my life thrown to the wind.
To me it was like 'you read the Bible and then go crazy'. In spite of the fact that deep down I knew better.

The reality I had before was the whole World was crazy and I had found the one sane thing in it, the Bible. Its truths were simple, and it required humility to understand them.

Seeing "The Book of Eli" at a theater really shook me up. Because I was like that. I had a Bible, and I knew it was true. I believed in God, not just that He existed but that He actually cared. And time and time again I faced things and put my faith in God and came out the other side amazed, even laughing at my own doubts when He had it under control the whole time.

So, that's why I turned from the Bible. Being stupid instead of having faith and being humble.

We respect the choices of everyone posting here.

Some believe in the bible and some do not.

We avoid preaching, which is against the rules agreed to by all members here at the message board.

I wasn't trying to preach or promote the Bible over any other book but just stating honestly why I turned away from something that was so integral to my life prior to joining the 'Twelve Tribes Community'.

I've always viewed the Bible after leaving the cult as a collection of books intentionally put together to support an artificial narrative. The fact that there is something of substance in there just makes it a more effective tool for manipulative people to use for their own objectives. But even with me acknowledging that fact, it doesn't invalidate what my personal experiences have been. Reading it didn't make me into a Christian, but actually made me wary of religion in general. I found things with practical value and adhered to those things without trying to fill in the backstory.

If I were going to debate its origins I'd point to the research of Ralph Ellis. He has some very good interviews I've listened to on Youtube. That whole topic might be a little to heavy for this thread though.