I have come back after nearly two years to apologize. When this debate began I was unfairly biased and afraid of the implications of what being wrong on this subject would mean.
I've spent countless hours researching over the months and found the vast majority of my sources to be unreliable.
I admit defeat. It is the only logical thing to do at this point. Sorry for wasting your time back then.
Don't worry, I will reply to all these comments soon, I am just taking my time with research more than I had before due to the larger amount of information we are now debating at once.
"Additionally, even though the OT is relatively consistent with itself (as rewritten compilations of oral traditions almost always are,) it is not consistent with history, even in events related about the more recent past."
"There is, however, the example of "eating from the tree of X," a known allegory frequently found in Biblical writing but only taken literally in the context of Genesis."
That is because Genesis is the only literal context in which it occurred.
"Also, many Christians I know have suggested that the stories found in the OT were greatly distorted through thousands of years of oral traditions by the mythical minds of ancient people, or the result of revelations from God that were so beyond the comprehension of their recipients, that highly symbolic allegories were the only way they could articulate what they had seen."
That is purely speculation on behalf of Christians who don't have full faith in GOD and prefer to find a compromise between CHRIST and evolution, which is altering the Bible, which has been stated multiple times to be a sin.
"Firstly, the OT is not devoid of contradictions; there are plenty of clear ones concerning genealogies,"
Their are two genealogies listed from Adam to JESUS, true, and that is because one is the genealogy of Mary and the other is of Joseph.
"names of places and people, specific numbers of people or money,"
I can't find examples of either of these contradictions. Could me give me some so I know what I'm working with?
"what God created in what order,"
That is not contradictory, it is explicitly stated what order HE created each thing in. Day 1: HE made light and separated it from darkness. At the time, it radiated directly from HIM, as other instances in the Bible note HIM as being very brightly lit. Day 2: HE created the light binding effect we know as the sky. Day 3: HE created the earth, and all the land, oceans, and plant life. Day 4: HE made the sun to produce light during the day and the moon to reflect it at night, as well as all the numerous stars and planets in the universe. Day 5: HE created aerial animals and aquatic life. Day 6: HE made the rest of the animals and finished HIS creation with the creation of Adam. Day 7: HE took a break, for whatever reason. What is contradictory about that?
"whether there was another woman before Eve,"
That's seriously a point of self contradictory? The possibility of a woman before Eve, despite this woman never bring mentioned in the Bible, which then labels Eve the first woman.
