Help me understand this? RELIGION?

I'm only fourteen, come from a Jewish and Atheist family, so bare with me. While I've been bored lately I decided to read a few different holy books and I don't understand what most of them were trying to say. For instance in the Holy Bible/Torah or Qur’an why would God use metaphors or other figurative languages to reference to other things? Wouldn't God be direct and allow all people (uneducated, disabled, etc) to understand his divine word? Also, wouldn't we see statistical evidence in the right religion? For example, China seems to be becoming one of the most powerful nations, but aren't they mostly Taoists (?) and Buddhists? Anyways, felt the need to rant. =)