Joseph Campbell, author of The Power of Myth, states that
“Half the people in the world think that the metaphors of their religious traditions, for example, are facts. And the other half contends that they are not facts at all. As a result we have people who consider themselves believers because they accept metaphors as facts, and we have others who classify themselves as atheists because they think religious metaphors are lies.”
Many analyses of religion and mythology seem to omit acknowledgement of factors such as the alteration of recorded religious beliefs and traditions over the course of history; loss of true meaning through translation; as well as lack of adequate social and cultural context. That is to say, they examine superficially without regard towards the true origins and intent.
I am not saying the entire bible is metaphor. The bible was (as far as I am aware) selectively compiled and printed by a self-proclaimed authority.
But we know that Christianity has taken influences from pagan mythology and tradition. In fact comparative analysis reveals significant similarities between many religions, mythologies and pagan traditions.
I believe this a complex and emotionally-charged topic and that we should be cautious of arriving at judgement without any significant desire to truly understand the nature and origins of religion and mythology.