I think there are several instances where it's implied Bill's character is moses-like, or even Christ-like.
Cast out a child etc. There are a few moments between Bill's brother Joey and himself that stand out to me in particular... like Joey coming to visit Bill while he's working in his church (in classic bathed-in-light carpenter-pose) and Bill hands him water. The episode where Joey and Bill go to Mexico to rescue Ben - Joey says to Bill 'you're not Moses' or something to that effect. Then Bill is willing to sacrifice his life for his son's. Most of the people who knew Bill as a kid refer to him being 'special' and believe him to be the next prophet blah blah. Sorry, I'm just working from memory here. But I think there's a running theme that Bill 'sacrifices' himself regularly. The obvious one being the finale where he's sacrificed with his three women around him.
I think there are plenty of hints Bill's a real, modern-day prophet or the like.
But I think the writers did a pretty good job of balancing this with the fact that actually, Bill is still extremely human and frankly, rather hard to like frequently in the series. He is powered by the conviction of his beliefs, which is admirable in many ways - but lends to him a certain amount of inflexibility, an inability to challenge his own beliefs. I guess it's that tricky balance between blind faith as a positive thing, and as an obstacle to growth and personal improvement.
For example, Bill always gets his own way. Although the household in theory is four people cooperating and discussing major decisions, the veto always comes down to Bill. He drags the people he loves into his own causes and regularly makes choices for his own purposes, this is challenged more by his wives in the 4th and 5th seasons. He is sexist (it simply cannot be argued that Bill embraces sexual equality), which is a product of his particular faith. This is displayed when Ana challenges Bill by questioning what would be different about sharing Margie with another man. His only answer is that it's just not done, it's only the women who share one man, never the other way around, he is offended and afraid of the suggestion. He loses his cool in the backyard later with Ana's partner playing the rough ball game. Who in some ways is the modern-day reflection of Bill - he is strong enough (as Ana puts it) to love a woman pregnant with another man's child, and in fact, wishes to raise that child. He's also comfortable enough to share a woman with another man.
In fact, the writers frequently show us examples of Bill's outdated sexism, by having examples of more modern men in the peripherals. Another obvious example of this is Sarah's husband Scott, refusing to 'lay down the law' to her when she has momentarily adopted the Indian baby. He asks her what's going on but offers up his support immediately, as an equal.
Sorry... this has become an essay. Basically, I think it's a really interesting observation about the parallels between Bill and Moses/Jesus. I imagine the writers were trying to explore how one of the prophet-characters from the Bible (especially old testament) would fare in a modern day setting. I think they blended these old-testament cues (Bill's Moses-like demeanour) with the values of equality.
Unlike the Bible, the writers pay greater attention to the females in this story - in the Bible most wives are extremely one-dimensional and vapid, in this story the writers ask us to take into account the women associated with a Biblical prophet-figure.
Again, I have gone off-topic. Sorry, I think I could talk about this show all day!
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