Well, there are contradictions, to a point, but it's understandable, considering the number of different authors and competing philosophies that wrote it over a span of 1000 years or so, not to mention the oral tradition and source texts that likely preceded the texts we have today and the amount of butchering translations that have existed over the past 1900 years since (!).
But, for me, that doesn't mean that there isn't any value in the Bible. It really depends on how you were raised or exposed to Christianity. For those who grew up on a literal, fundamentalist view, then yes, the contradictions might be a bit difficult to bear (except that I've seen plenty of writings that try to dismiss the contradictions, and I agree to a point). For those who grew up on a more liberal view, then it isn't.
I'm really only bothered by the fact that the Bible has been abused over the centuries by many different and competing philosophical movements over the past two millennia. The vagueness of the Bible is a mixed blessing, at times.
Melon