Reply #16: Indeed. Concern over the contradictions...

[Nothing Without Hope]

...is said to have made Martin Luther regret making the Bible available to common people by translating it into the vernacular language. He worried about it a lot.

We all know how selectively quoting Biblical verses to support what one already wishes to do is not exactly an uncommon practice. That is why the classic "Open Letter to Dr. Laura" is so valuable as a rebuttal to people who do this. When they push their Bible in your face, pull out the equally "authentic" Biblical quotations in this wonderful piece and ask your own questions in return. My personal favorite from the list:

(d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

Here is the whole thing -- read it and keep a copy handy if you don't already have one.
http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~susan/joke/laura.htm

One other site recommended on this board recently and new to me is a real find:
http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com