David Lose, who preaches and writes about the Bible for a living, doesn't think the book is a very good moral guide:
Shall we just pick and choose the laws and commandments that appeal to us and disregard the others? Curiously, I'm tempted to answer a qualified “yes.” I do so largely because I suspect the Bible was never intended to serve primarily as a moral reference. Rather, I think that the Bible comes to us as a collection of confessions of faith of the ancient Israelites and Christians about the nature and character of God and was intended to invite readers into relationship with that God. From that relationship flows a commitment to leading a certain kind of life.
Jason Rosenhouse doesn't understand what the Bible contributes to moral development:
If you must begin your reading of the Bible with an already finely-honed moral sense, then, forgive my bluntness, but what good is it? … If certain verses bluntly condemn homosexuality, while others provide circuitous reasons for being tolerant, and if it's purely a matter of personal preference which we consider to be more important, then what is the Bible contributing to the discussion?
The Dish 