The accusation of cherry-picking is often charged among debating Christians. That is to say “you look at one piece of data, and ignore the others.” Not to ignore, but to judge and favor certain books is simply the development of a theology. This is how textual analysis works outside of biblical exegesis.
Theology is a meditation, not a decision. It is an art, not a science. To act this way is to be the source of your own belief. Most early Jews and Christians were illiterate. When they read their holy texts, it would be communal, and out loud. They would discuss the text line by line. You want to be a “peer of the prophet.”
This - of course - assumes that some texts are greater than others.
Here I will argue The bible is cherry-picked. you will cherry pick
either way. you cherry pick other pieces of literature.
66 books
Judgement and Interpretation != Cherry-picking
This judgement is necessary when dealing with an internally conflicted text.
The soul is an instrument of divinity. It is the source and the measure. We are born with a strong measure of divinity, and we can recognize it with ease. Great mural-laiden churches don’t metaphorically build closer to God, they are physically, really closer. This is why the tower of Babel fell. Now it is true that certain books of the bible are more divine than others, and we can tell based on the fruits of sufficient meditation. Because of this, you have the authority to disagree with scripture.
This may come across as worryingly protestant, so let me clarify. You do not have the authority to claim the message of the bible to your own purpose. This is applicable to non-religious texts as well. I cannot claim Anna Karenina is about Chinese history. This is subjectivist nonsense. Faith does not allow greater freedom in this interpretation, in fact, it constricts it to the most thoughtful version possible. This is because it is literally a matter of life and death.
You can only act this way as a mystic. A mystic with purity of heart.