The Bible is eye witness accounts in many cases, backed up traditionally as such by one of the most stubborn of all nations, the Jews. It is sound psychology in other areas. It is common social relationship styles in other areas. It is workable law and order in other areas, law and order that are implemented in society all around us, because it works.
Wake up.
Eye witness accounts are the worst type of evidence. People willingly and not distort what they see. If they even understand what they are seeing.
The difference regarding the Old Testament is that the miracles of Moses were so great that, even if there was some discrepancy among the witnesses (which there was not), the record of Moses has come down to us today untarnished. How can it be untarnished? Because of the greatness of the Moses miracles, the stubborn nation of Israel has essentially incorporated the Torah - and really, the whole Tanakh - into their family line forever. The O.T. is the truth.
There is great common sense in the writings of the bible. They make tremendous sense.
And part of the bible was written long after it happened. Like the new testament. Not by the people who lived through it.
Not true. The New Testament writers are who they say they are. Even Paul the Apostle, a great N.T. writer, was living throughout the life of Jesus on earth.
Then the books that would constitute the bible were chosen by the church.
Wrong. The O.T. is the same Tanakh that the people of Israel believed. The reason that the Church selected the N.T. writings that they did was, many false or tarnished writings were being added to the N.T. The Church selected the writings based on how they matched the O.T. of Israel. If things were found in a N.T. book that didn't fit with the O.T., that book was left out of the Bible. This is the way that the Bible remains the truth.
Hardly a trustworthy source. By the way we no longer believe we should have slaves. Not that those social rules didn't exist before the bible too.
Slavery is a benefit to a destitute person who turns his life over to another who can save him. Slave and indentured servant are often used interchangeably.
The Old Testament speaks against stealing a person. But to keep peace among corrupt lawbreakers, God regulates slavery to the best benefit of both slave and master.
Saint Paul tells the slaves that if they can gain their freedom, to do so.
The O.T. says that if a slave loves his master, and wants to remain a slave, he can enslave himself to his master for life. Doesn't sound like a bad form of slavery. A lot of homeless people would like a position like that.
Wake up.