Almost all modern religions are based on some kind of scripture often rooted in ancient oral traditions. Religion deals mostly with the supernatural or spiritual way of understanding the world.
Some form of science has also been practiced for thousands of years, but most major breakthroughs have occurred in the last 500 years or so. Science deals mostly with an understanding of the world that can be observed or measured.
Anyone with a social media account will know how difficult it is to separate fact from fiction, truth from lies. Extraordinary imaginative abilities are not reserved for modern day science fiction writers. The ancients possessed them in rich measure as well. The lines between fact and fiction were as blurred back then as they are today. Making lies masquerade as truth or mistaking fiction for reality is timeless. Deliberately or accidentally confusing one for the other is easy and happens all the time.
If we want to know something about events in historic times, we go to the archives. We look at multiple sources to get as close to the truth as we can. Sometimes new evidence appears and the stories have to change.
If we want to know something about prehistoric times, we go to archeologists with expertise in extracting the stories behind artifacts. Sometimes these stories also have to change when new technologies and techniques become available.
The bottom line is that people are storytelling creatures. We have an ability to think in abstract terms far outperforming any other species and we are not afraid to use it - for good or for bad. Thinking critically is essential. Indiscriminately accepting everything you hear or see is hazardous.
The Bible is an impressive collection of stories collected over centuries. There is history, fiction, fact, drama, poetry and possibly many other genres causing great debate, even wars, about what is what. Interpretations are seemingly endless.
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