I started typing a long post but I gave up, there's too many arguments for why all religion is nonsense. I think the genius thing that religion does is actually make believing something without asking for proof into a virtue. It's an amazing thing, because the very same people won't accept this mode of thought in any other area of their life. Some people will attribute anything they can't explain to god, rather than face the discomforting evidence that the universe is complicated, and we might never have all the answers.

Literally believing a collection of ancient folklore is misguided. It's really a misinterpretation of these texts, which contain some good basic ideas, which were probably more important to write down back then than an erotic novel or a Nazareth set John le Carre style thriller. I've said the same thing to the few friends and loved ones I have who are into religion.