"Leo, I agree with what you have written. Furthermore, the issues to be considered go far beyond Original sin, atonement theory and the literal interprations of allegories and a range of forms of literature found in the Bible."
Ditto. I would add to your list of considerations the literal AND allegorical interpretations of metaphors which were a favourite Hebraic style and hints at Truth in the way that Jesus's parables do. We really do need to read the 'pre-history stories' as stories seeking to shine light upon mysteries and designed for open interpretation even in their own time.