Jeff Lindsay has some spot-on commentary at Mormanity:
Boy, am I ever grateful that Genesis was NOT part of the Book of Mormon. If Genesis were introduced to the world as restored scripture from the Mormons, the critics would have attacks ten times as powerful as anything they’ve levied against Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon so far.
And he doesn’t even mention Tamar . . .
Lindsay’s on to something, and it’s Christianity’s dirty little secret. The problems do not end with Genesis or even the Old Testament–the New Testament is fraught with both literary and historical problems.
I think it is hard to find any ancient text that is not “fraught with both literary and historical problems.”
Tamar, what about zippers? Get further into the Bible and it makes you wince.
It also helps one understand the current Church better.
Does it have flaws? Surely, but do we have President Hinkley’s sons lining up prostitutes on Temple Square in troops?
God continues to work with us.
It’s specifically the “problems” that make scriptures so interesting. Often the problems are ignored when in fact we should focus intensely on them and wrestle with these problems in an attempt to resolve or understand them. Some problems may never actually be resolved but the intellectual and spiritual effort involved are worthwhile. Scriptures are fraught with problems because they reflect societies (like ours) that were fraught with problems.