[quote=bramzero;#391167;1396531197]Years ago I learned that many stories in bible esp. in the old testaments are based on the older scriptures from sumeria/mesopotamia civilization. It's based on oral tradition from thousands of years ago, passed through word of mouth, until it was recorded and reproduced. For instance you'll also find similar flood myth / noah ark's in epic of gilgamesh, which is one of the earliest works of literature.[/quote] No concrete evidence that the Epic of Gilgamesh came first. There are several possibilities such as the Old Testament has been preserved through oral tradition before written into manuscripts should be taken into account, making it older than the Epic of Gilgamesh. No concrete evidence can back up this one though. And yes, they have several similarities but it could have been the other way around. [quote=bramzero;#391167;1396531197]Actually I saw many contradictions between books, between the old and new. Not necessarily the prophecies but things in general. Like, I want to know what to do to my enemies and then I read bible. Somewhere in old testament says "kill and destroy them", new testament says "love and be kind to them". You can't even use bible as a solid moral guidance.[/quote] That's because Christ did not exist until the New Testament. He was the ultimate atonement for our sins. On the part where you said "kill and destroy", I believe you were referring to the enemies of the Israelites(chosen people of God). They were pagans and God detested their stubborn hearts and evil practices. The old testament was legalistic because it involves a lot of laws and rituals that needed to be followed. The punishment for sin is death. Like, if you sinned, you have to make a sacrificial offering, e.g, offer a bull to the altar so that you will be cleansed. That way, you who has sin will be blameless and the bull who was blameless will be the sacrifice. This is a bit complicated to explain. There is a transfer of sin from you to the bull so that after the sacrifice, you are once again, acceptable in the presence of God. However, in the New Testament, Christ was the ultimate sacrifice. He died ONCE and for ALL, so that we would never have to do what was required in the old testament. What was once exclusive for the Israelites, became available to us Gentiles. Salvation is a gift. If you don't accept it, it isn't yours. You don't have it. If you don't accept Christ, you don't have salvation. [quote=bramzero;#391167;1396531197]"love and be kind to them"[/quote] Matthew 22:39 Love your neighbor as you love yourself John 13:34 Love one another just as i have loved you. Everything in the bible talks about God's love. Some people just find it hard to believe that kind of unrequited love. Agape. [quote=bramzero;#391167;1396531197]The last time I checked bible there's no exact definition of what a christian is.[/quote] Google helps too. [quote=bramzero;#391167;1396531197]You can't even use bible as a solid moral guidance.[/quote] What? I don't even- most of our laws are based on the Ten Commandments. But CHrist gave two: Love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. But if we follow just the first commandment, there would be no conflict. If you love God, you will not do anything to displease Him, that includes doing something wrong to everyone around you like stealing, murdering, or lying. The book of proverbs talks about what you need to do to live in this world. It's a great start in reading the bible. They're just simple guidelines on everyday living.