Hi Diane,
I have little doubt that had I not been a JW I would have nothing more than a passing interest in the Bible. So when I finally could accept that for myself I was an atheist, I had to decide what to do with all the Bible reading and studying I had done. My first worry was directed towards my daughters. I felt that by keeping up a Bible reading program and study I would stand a better chance of countering any charismatic charlatan who my daughter my encounter. So I figured that if they should encounter such, they would at least know I had put in an effort to understand the material and could respond.
After awhile I found myself describing the Bible as and old friend, with flaws for sure, but an old friend nonetheless. I take issues with JWs and many other modern religions, but the Bible authors I am much more generous with. They wrote during a time of very little knowledge. I don't mean to suggest that excuses moral issues like suggesting it is okay to drown babies, kittens and puppies because of the "badness of man." But even in the Noah story I see an attempt to understand why floods, some of them probably devastating, happened and seemed to kill at random.
Finally I concluded a thing about ownership. So many, JWs included, presume that they "own" the Bible. I reject that. The Bible is a gift to all humanity. An odd collection of religious documents that have survived until our day. Just because I don't "believe" doesn't mean I am under some obligation to avoid the material.
Cheers,
-Randy
