[graemep]

As the other comment said, it is not a body of rules to follow. The core message of Christianity is quite simple - the Nicene Creed sums up mainstream Christianity quite nicely.

Abundance is a book. The Bible is an anthology of various works - letters, poetry, biography, historical chronicles and all kinds of things. You can comment on the books you have read.

You also need to interpret it, which makes it a very hard read. You cannot really understand it without knowing the context (historical, cultural, personal) and about things like disputes about correct translations.

You also do not have to attach the same authority or relevance to all of it. As I said, the laws of Leviticus are irrelevant to Christians and we simply do not follow them (we eat pork, for example). They might be worth reading as historical background. In general the gospels and epistles are the most relevant for most people.

When you say all of it, what constitutes all? Different denominations accept different books - no Judith in protestant Bibles, no Ethiopic Clement except in Tewahedo (Ethiopian) ones, etc. Its not usual for individuals to disagree with their denominations, but it certainly happens. It is definitely reasonable to read the books you think are relevant.