snowbird:
No, there is nothing as of now that would convince me that the Bible is NOT the word of God. Who is to say what may happen in the future?
Then is there anything that would convince you that not all parts of the Bible are literally true? Please note that that's quite a different thing.
Whenever some new idea is presented to me, I always question the person's motive for presenting such, for instance, why it is of such importance to that person that I accept his/her idea. I think that is a good rule for anyone to follow.
It's certainly a question worth asking. People often have ulterior motives. But ultimately it doesn't matter as long as you follow another, dare I say superior, rule: comparing what you're told against the evidence. Evidence doesn't have motives.
For what it's worth, my motive in pointing out flaws in other people's beliefs is primarily to help them correct their view of the world so they don't waste their time - or worse, endanger themselves or others - by believing falsehoods. Also, debating these contentious issues requires constant reevaluation of my own beliefs so that in the event that I am wrong (it has happened!) I can adjust my beliefs. Of course even if I'm just an arrogant S.O.B. who likes to annoy Christians, it doesn't affect the veracity of my statements.
Your second question: Yes, I firmly believe there are other books that contain truths about God. I've read the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jasher. Some of the things recorded in them are quite fanciful and make you go hmmm .... but , on the whole, those two especially round our some of the narratives found in the Bible.
Is it possible that some of the things recorded in "canonical" books of the Bible are also fanciful, even if others are definitely true? Is there any way of knowing?
I don't give much credence to the Gilgamesh Epic because it's obvious that it was written to counter the Bible's account of creation, the first humans, the Flood, etc.
The problem with that is that the Gilgamesh Epic predates the Noachian story by close to a millennium. The similarities they share do suggest that one was based on the other, but the most reasonable explanation is that it is the later story that is the copy.
You mentioned the ridiculous things some ancient people believed; I submit that reading this work will give you a new understanding of ridiculous.
I wonder if they were ever truly believed, or if people even then understood that they were fables written for entertainment and education. It would certainly be ridiculous for an educated person in the 21st century to believe that the Gilgamesh epic is literally true. Of course, the Noachian tale also stretches plausibility (to say the least). It is the story of a 500 year old man who spent 100 years building a 400-foot long wooden boat (far larger than any seaworthy wooden vessel built in modern times) into which he put two (or seven) members of every species or animal (or "kind" if you accept the ultra-rapid evolution necessary to reduce the numbers towards feasibility), and in which he, his family and all those animals spent a year floating around while everything and everybody outside was destroyed. Even if this account wasn't contradicted by a vast amount of geological, genetic, archaeological and historical evidence (e.g. according to biblical chronology it happened during the height of the Sumerian and Egyptian civilisations), it's so absurd - and so obviously a myth - that I'm embarrassed that I ever believed it.
In my opinion the Bible differs from those books in that it is written with all mankind in mind.
A lot of it is quite clearly and explicitly written with only the Jews in mind.
We can see from reading the Bible that the purpose of man's being put on earth was to populate it and control it. We were to live as brothers and sisters in peace and harmony. I don't see anything difficult about that concept.
No, it's not a bad concept at all. In fact, it's the sort of concept that somebody creating a myth explaining the way the world is might come up with.
However, this earth is anything but a peaceful and harmonious place. The Bible tells why and also tells how WE are going to have to change. No other book I've read comes close to addressing these issues or pinpointing those who are directly responsible for our degeneracy.
Unfortunately, the answer the bible gives (that all human problems are caused by a talking snake and a bit of scrumping) bears no relation to reality at all. And the parts that tell us to be nice to other people are countered by the parts that require the violent death of dissenters and all sorts of absurd rituals and sacrifices to placate an angry deity.
I believe that the problems faced by humanity have real, natural causes and require intelligent, innovative solutions. There are no invisible enemies sabotaging our efforts, nor are there any invisible friends to help us on our way.
There is so much more to my story - and to everyone else's - but each of us has to choose our own path. I've chosen the path of faith in the Bible and the God of the Bible. There is a lot I don't know or understand, yet, I still believe.
I've never been able to understand how someone can choose what to believe, nor indeed to believe what they don't understand. Doesn't the constant cognitive dissonance make your head hurt?