Hey Miss Wordly,
if I was an atheist I would still believe that the bible is an important work of world literature. It tells after all about the world, dear Miss Wordly, how worldy things pull down and how holy things build up, wordly and holy things that happened with people in this world.
1. The bible was written to frighten or control men
Its a message of hope, freedom, mercy. The bible is the text that evolved, emerged and was collected along a long road in which the nomadic shepards and shepardess became permanent settled, urbanized and built a temple and got a state. Their picture of god changed from a mountain god or local god to a universal cosmic god that is in heaven. Thats for me a fascination story, and it is varnished with heroic tales and sayings about importance of values like friendship and mercy.
As athesist I would like to read the Psalms or to read the bible book "song of songs", in which a horny shepard falls in love with a girl, the texts about his longing and desire and I would understand that this text was written to give people hope and to teach a merciful tangible close god in contrast to a distant majestic "Zebaot"-god. Both different images of god existed in the world and Israel made a decision for the merciful god. Alone this story besides the many titles that were given to gods, how much people were interested in a religious life in those times and how they made their gods to look like they wanted.
The most important part of the Old Testament was the Thora, it was not seen as control instrument, but as guidance, thus say all old rabbis. Besides that there was a civil legislation.