First I'd like Angharad to read this whole thing as well.

Now onto some pieces of note. First, who said the current Bible is the Reader's Digest version is correct. Considering the Council Of Mycenae and all that was thrown out that is not considered cannon it's ridiculous. I remember hearing from a movie about the Gospel Of Solomon(so you can tell me if this is correct Ray) where it states something like "Nature is your church" or "the outside" thus potentially making the Church negligible.
Let's go next to translation(great point Puddintane). The King James version of the Bible has been translated HOW many times? Let us remember that a translation of a translation is very muddy. Beyond that it would be even more amazing if it should resemble anything of the original source's intent.
Next up a note to Angharad. Have you read Max Weber? He gets into Science's disenchantment of Religion by discovery. This does us favors while at the same time does us a great disservice. There's nothing wrong with having magic in the world so to speak. As for you thinking everything would be fixed I think other things would take their place. A lot of people use these verses to justify their hate, yes. However, for others, some honestly believe this. The people that really I find disgusting are the Chinese government and how they treated Gay people around the Olympics, rounding them up to hide by throwing them in prison. If I'm not mistaken their religious beliefs say nothing about Gay behavior so it's just a matter of them hating Gays.
A few other pieces to note on Christianity in general. One of the accusations of where this Homophobia came about was due to Iustinian and Theodora, who ruled in the latter half of the Roman empire when only the eastern half was left. While a lot of books praise them one in general accuses Theodora of being an actress(code for prostitute at the time), that of Prokopios' "Secret History". That being said, it's heavily salacious as well though it's nice to see another word instead of the universal praise they received. Also it's worth noting he worked for them, composing one book that you would obviously say is propaganda after reading this. It's all about their works but I can't remember it's name off the top of my head. One contrast is this: In "works" he talks about how great it is that Theodora created a nunnery or something like that for the Prostitutes at the time. In "Secret History" he basically speaks of how they were forced in it because of Theodora, like she regretted her past.
For Islam and it's sexism mentioned earlier, in Mali(in Africa) you had, essentially, the first woman Secretary of State at least a century before Hillary Clinton. I truly believe that Islam is not sexist even if it doesn't rely on MaliKi(moderate Islamic theory developed by the head of the Almarouid).
Jeez what's left? Well I believe it was Christians who did damage to the Temple Of Epheseus which leads me to extreme disgust. Why, even when great works like these are saved, do they have to be converted to Christian churches I'll never know(the Parthenon is one example I believe). The thing is, this acceptance of Christianity and the disregard or even persecution of the old religion was due in part, again, to Iustinian and Theodora.
Well I guess my last comment is two parted. I consider myself a Daoist because I believe in the Balance above all, to me it just is and makes the most sense from a Scientific standpoint to me. Also Christianity just turned me off so much, what with the obedience et al. I don't need to accept you or go to Hell. This is what angers me about Christianity. Let's see: "King of Kings", "Hosannah In the Highest". "Hell"=you being tortured by the King forever in the dungeon for questioning him? No thanks. Being that it was said "Man formed in the image of God." has almost forever soiled my being able to connect a God or Goddess to existing and forming an intimacy to them. It's not like the Bible comes to you and has God be a teacher or a friend and teaching you accordingly. No, God is a King, you will lay prostrate before Him(remind me how God is a higher being then me here, he sounds immature and insecure). Ugh. At least the Greeks would proceed to provide food and drink for them, treating them more as their everyday piers if only in that respect. Having no food or drink to supply to this God alienates people even more from being able to relate to them or even possibly to connect to them.
My last comment is that I know all Christians aren't assholes at all. Far from it, some are very nice people and don't deserve the grief Janine Garofalo gave them on Air America Radio when she was on. She seemed to speak as if all Christians were bigoted, Homophobic assholes.
I believe I've covered all of what I wanted to say here.