>>However, they haven't said that the bible might have some nice stories in it, but it really has no more moral authority than - say - the Canterbury Tales, the legend of King Arthur or the latest Star Trek film.

You're saying that they're hypocrites unless they make demeaning statements against themselves? Why should they?

Meanwhile there's a US state where it's illegal to take a lion to the movies. We can scoff at something so absurd, or we can accept that there was a time and a reason when it made sense to document such a law. Most likely to preserve the dignity and enjoyment of others, a consideration that persists no matter how or when it was expressed. Certainly few would assert that this law proves that having to be considerate of others in the movie theater is a crock, which is how people try to use quaint bible stories.