I agree with your central thesis, but I doubt one of your other points: > not to mention of course stories about the creation of the universe or biblical flood

I agree with your central thesis, but I doubt one of your other points: > not to mention of course stories about the creation of the universe or biblical floods which have conveniently become "metaphorical" after it became plain enough that they were nothing but fabrication. People hold (and have held) various beliefs about Christian theology and proper interpretation of scripture. E.g., you rightly point out problems with a literal 6-day interpretation of creation, but St. Augustine and others [0] were skeptical of that interpretation well before modern archaeological methods and/or carbon dating. So I think it's helpful to look closely at just a handful of testable claims, that cut across many different theologies, denominations, and interpretations. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegorical_interpretations_of_Genesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegorical_interpretations_of...