Robin Lane Fox, a historian, in his book _Unauthorized Version: Truth and Fiction in the Bible_, wrote that as he finished this book, "a friend reminded me that I had once remarked to him that I believed in the Bible but not in God. . . . Twenty-five years later, this book has turned out to be an explanation of what I meant."

The history of the Jewish and Christian scriptures and the subsequent history of the many faith communities who read them, shows how much time and effort people have spent trying to understand themselves and the world.

It is a nice thought; that religion is the communication of useful (not literal) truths. However religion is also about control. As Jesus said: "You are my friends - if you obey me."