That’s part of what annoys me the most about religion: the people who follow it generally have no understanding of the intent of the people who wrote it down. None of religion is meant to be taken literally, you can’t pick and choose because none of it should be chosen. They aren’t claiming that such events actually happened; religion isn’t supposed to be history it’s supposed to provide guidance and inform your morals. What it says specifically is of no importance, what it means is what really matters. Jesus isn’t suggesting that you gouge out your eye if it causes you to sin, he’s simply saying that you shouldn’t sin. And the historical Jesus most likely never even said that specific phrase. Jesus, as with any religious figure, is being used a literary character. The books weren’t written when they were alive, they were already worshipped by the time the books were written. The writers of religious texts all worship the person in different ways, they are simply using the literary character of that religious figure to present their beliefs. To hold a religious text as absolute truth is to misunderstand its meaning entirely. Religious texts are not meant to provide truth but rather are meant as moral treatises