It’s interesting that Rabbinic Judaism, the modern religion inspired by the ancient people who wrote the Old Testament, view the books as a starting point for discussion. Rabbinic Judaism, with its Talmudic tradition, is all about discourse and barely at all about treating the ancient writings of the Bible as being literal history or literally the inspired words of God.

Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity were born at almost the same moment in history, both of them profoundly influenced by the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem. It’s interesting (while being also a bit discouraging) that Christianity somehow evolved to idolize the ancient writings (despite an early impetus to declare freedom from Law) while rabbinic Judaism moved in a very different direction.

The conversation you’re starting here about moral intuition would be one taken for granted in Jewish religious circles, but it feels almost heretical in a traditionalist Christian context. That’s a shame, because idolizing ancient scriptures is really antithetical to the more core principles of Christianity.