Although this was originally directed towards a specific person this gives a partial list of reasons why claiming not to believe in the god does not pass muster as a pretense of neutrality in the matter of the OT.

These attempts to treat the OT different from other ancient documents while avoiding naming the religious content as a reason for special considerations is like thinking one can get away with "intelligent design" if one simply avoids mentioning creation.

These advocates use it to explain every archaeological find in bibleland in terms of the OT. Everything is given a biblical connection when it has nothing specific to the OT.

Worse many things which contradicts the OT are found -- but nothing to confirm it. When it clearly contradicts the OT such as coins with pagan or images of things in nature are found it is "explained" the things are an exception to the biblical mandates for some imagined reason.

This is done with a straight face even though it is not permitted any place else in the world.

And this means finds are not interpreted in terms of their archaeological context but in the bible context regardless of the archaeology.

That it is something special whose obvious nonsense must be explained in some sophisticated manner rather than simply taken as evidence of an amateurish creation by babbling ayatollah type wackos.

That it represents the religion of Judea at some point in time while we know from archaeology and from surviving documents that it was not.

That is contains elements of the real history of the region when what has been found in the region precludes and directly contradicts that belief.

It also appears you believe it represents some sort of advanced religious thinking when it is the most primitive of all ancient religious ideas so far uncovered.

That there is something special about the people who were oppressed by the guardians of this extremist, backward sect who referred to themselves as priests.

You hold it is something that should be taken beyond its face value as an indicator of just one oddball sect.

You also believe by not openly ascribing to belief in the pseudo-religious content you can cover up the fact that you hold it as something special based solely upon its religious content as there is no reason other than religion to hold it as anything special.

If you think there are other reasons you have yet to express them.

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To this I can add a regular allegation, that I only debunk the OT because of antisemitism. This implies the OT in some manner special simply because Jews use it. The fact is its association with a recognized religion give it no more standing that ianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. In general Judaism has no ifferent standing from any other religion including Islam, the Later Day Saints and the Church of Scientology.

Treating the OT differently is a belief it is something worthy of special consideration.