should anything in the bible be taken literally?

Question

if so, how do we as humans know what to take literally or not, and who in the human race decides what how the bible should be percieved? since it seems we shouldn't take the bible literal..and how do we know what to take literal or not??? in 100 yrs from now, will the same stuff be taught in the christian church, how do why does religion change? and if a certain religion was true....shouldn't it be concrete, and not change as time passes on??? sounds like a cop out to me....I religion can never stay the same for hundreds...it seems religion has to adapt....why does it adapt????

Answer 1

Wow..This is the type of questions I really like, so let me try to answer from Islamic Point of view, and if you like it it could be applied else where as it is more of a methodology.

Firstly, you are raising a very important question as there is a middle tier between what is written and how we understand it because there is something in the middle which is Mind set.

Secondly, We need to understand what the religion address in the first place, so we can realize its boundaries.

Religion is a contract between you and your creator. It shows your duites and responsibilities (Job Description), your relationship with other creatures (Job Environment), rewarding system( Job compansation plan), How to (How to accomplish the duties toward God, others), Resources available to you (Within you and from other creatures), and exmaples (Stories from old time) and a mentor (Prophet act as a role model).

If we include the first point which is a mind set, we ought to work our mind after
- Learning the HolyBook in its original language as translation might influence the meaning and that requires learning the language as for example when God addresses Mankind by saying (To Those who believe in God), the Arabic language uses notions of men when address Mankind (women and men), so an English speaker would interpret it as only for men, and Arab could interpret it as for Mankind or only men depending on the structure of the sentence.
- Through Education about everything in a general way. Illetrate could not be advised for judging on that.

In Islam, interpretation is only restricted to highly educated, with proven track record of education as well as proven track record in doing.

Yet, we all know that religious people with linguistics talents only caused the seperation between state and religion because of lack of deep knowledge where else. For Example, in Quran, God said that "I flattened the land for you" so they used to say that Earth is flat and it is now interpretted as that God made it easy as flat for us so we can walk through it". This is where science people should be involved also and now in the world there is an organization that brings scientists from every discipline and get them to match what in Quran to want proven as a fact in Science and this resulted in double confirming many facts as the how the universe firstly created.

-Also, Quran is more than 1500 years now and still I can see it answers the current questions such as (Does God Exists, Who created God, etc) as it seems that these are all time questions by disbelievers.

- Also, Muhammed defind the Sin to us as "What you feel aching you and that you hate others to know about it" so this is really general rule can good persons use all the time to recognize the sin.

- Also, Islam demanded us to ask a mentor with clearly stated conditions for selection as a mentor and if this mentor say something wrong he will bare all his followers sins, so we are not to be blamed and so we have 4 groups with difference in details, yet as a Muslim I can get what I like from any and I should feel comfortable about it as at the end I am not to be blamed(How illetrate would manage also).

- Finally, In Islam we can legalize by example if what I use as a reference share the same with the one I want to legalize for example Muhammed advised us to educate our children Swimming, Shooting and Horse Backriding so any sport can bring benefits as these sports are fine.
This what made Islam applicable for 1500 years and it can last as how to judge is implemented.

It got me quite time to write, but I wish I had more chance to further elaborate on this interesting question

Answer 2

Wow! What a query! A couple preliminaries: one million. The Bible is a selection of books, a library, that has been certain in combination below the covers of 1 booklet. two. The Bible includes many exclusive types of writings. (Think of a newspaper: information, recipes, climate, comics.) Knowing the form of writing, is helping receive the that means. Consider you do not learn the sporting activities the best way you do a recipe or you do not learn the comics the best way you learn the entrance web page. The identical is correct concerning the Bible. three. Some of the ones books had been written to be taken actually; others had been intended to be taken metaphorically. Why? The authors at the moment attached in combination parties that had been equivalent in a single admire and located them part through part. (Almost like stringing pearls on a necklace.) four. The truly trick is understanding which books to take actually and which to take metaphorically. One clue is to invite the query: Does this incident strike a cord in me of another incident within the Bible? Example: As Jesus is baptized the voice of the Father is heard and the Holy Spirit comes down within the style of a dove. Does this remind us of another water incident? You could name to brain the Genesis tale whilst the Spirit of God hovered over the water. Could it's the gospel author desires us to make that connection? It's viable. If he does desire us to make that connection, what's he pronouncing? He would be pronouncing that Jesus' Baptism come what may suggests a New Creation, considering the Spirit of God hovered over the waters on the establishing of Creation and now now we have that identical Spirit soaring over Jesus. Note: We have the literal tale of Jesus' Baptism, even as as we learn it we see or listen echoes of different Biblical experiences which makes us keep in mind that the gospel author perhaps impling greater than what looks at the floor. Does the literal that means invalidate the metaphorical? No! Does the metaphorical invalidate the literal? No, once more. The 2 ways supplement every different. To get the whole that means it's first crucial to appear on the literal that means; then it's crucial to appear for connections with different experiences. What do Christians suppose approximately this? It's viable to view the Bible absolutely from a literal point of view, however it is unattainable to view the Bible handiest from a metaphorical standpoint. The metaphorical builds at the literal. What do I suppose? Let humans feel what they desire to feel.

Answer 3

Christianity is one of the few religions that has changed over hundreds of years to fit into the evolving lifestyles of those belonging to the church. It is widely accepted that Christ (referring the person, not the "son of god"), did not mean to create another religion, just build upon Judaism. Also, Hebrew, the language the Bible was first written in was translated through several other languages, in the process altering the true meanings of some texts. In fact, the Hebrew word that in the bible is translated into meaning "virgin" (in reference to the virgin birth of Jesus) is more accurately translated to mean "maiden" or "young girl". This is a large part of the miraculous life of Jesus, but is not true at all. How many Christians actually knew this? The Church of Christianity is split into so many factions, all claiming to be the true religion. The Anglican Church only exists b/c Henry the 8th (or the 5th?) wanted the church to grant him a divorce. Does anyone see the hypocrisy of creating new customs and rules every time the old ones don't fit the lifestyles of the new generation?

Answer 4

No. Not everything in the bible is written in a literal fashion. There is history, poetry, parable, apocalyptic literature, myth, etc. The bible must be read in accord with the spirit in which it was written.

I do not know about other Christians and what they will be teaching in 100 years (for example look at the ECUSA's new primate and her disbelief in the resurrection or the PCUSA who said last week that it would be ok if its member churches referred to the Trinity as "Mother, Child, Womb".) but the Catholic Church has read the bible the same way and interpreted it the same way for 2000 years. We have a very detailed plan for how to read the bible and not make mistakes.

For an introduction to how we do things, read

DIVINO AFFLANTE SPIRITU
PROVIDENTISSIMUS DEUS
Dei Verbum
Mysterium Ecclesiae

Answer 5

Judaism and Christianity, like all other religions, are the creations of human beings and therefore are the products of the times and places in which they developed. This should always be remembered when one is reading the Bible (or any other religious text, for that matter). Not too long ago, I read something interesting. Apparently, the Bible has some historical inaccuracies. If I remember correctly, I think it's the Book of Daniel that makes mention of the Persian conquest of Babylon. The Bible says that the name of the Persian king during the conquest was Darius, but it was actually Cyrus. So much for the inerrancy of the Bible! This is not to say that I don't think that the Bible was divinely inspired. I think that the Bible (and all other religious texts) were inspired by their authors' concepts of deity, just as poetry, sculpture, and other works of art are inspired by things like sunsets and beautiful women. Religious texts are divinely inspired, but it should always be remembered that they are still written by people.

Answer 6

The Bible does use figures of speech and other things that are meant to prove a point but not necessarily taken literally. However the Bible is 100% truth and there are no contradictions. That is a myth that no one can prove!!! Religion changes but the Bible does not. Truth is not whatever you want it to be. Truth is truth whether you like it or not.

Answer 7

The Bible says, "I the Lord your God do not change, I am the same yesterday, today and forever."
Thus I believe that "religion" changes and not God.
I think you will just have to take your best shot like the rest of us.
You might want to start by finding out what the Bible says about things and then decide what it means.

Answer 8

Yes. Although the Bible is filled to the brim with metaphor and symbolism, there is plenty of literal truth in it as well. The Bible had many functions, one of which was that it was a tribal record of the Jews and their Nations. It chronicled many wars and dynasties that can be coroborated with other authorities. But, yeah, the bottom line is, YES there are things in the Bible that should be taken literally.

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Answer 9

WHen scriptures and religion are used to be submitted and followed rather than serve then usually things get off hand

When we use scriptures and religion to understand onself, then there is not need to worry about the litteray... But rather the Authenticity, the context in which it was written in order to understand what is said and actualize it with today's realities.

For me, any other way of seing this is just too submitted and lacks discrimination and self worth.

Answer 10

Well, yeah.. i want to know WHY CHRISTIANS ARE THOUGHT NOT TO TAKE BIBLE LITERALLY!!

But, i guessed.. it is such a conspiracy to avoid Christian to read the TRUTH ABOUT BIBLE.. to avoid Christians to THINK and to avoid Christians to see and to know the BLASPHEMY OF CHURCH and the COUNCIL!!

i SUPPORT U TO READ BIBLE LITERALLY!! But somehow... most of christians who read Bible literally will end up become an atheist.. but 1 thing for sure there is God.

this is some examples of Christians who read Bible literally:-
www.evilbible.com

Supposing we should read the Holy Books literally as thats what ur religion stands too!! thats what Christian Sources of teaching and of course sources of faith!!

In Islam, we must read our Quran literally, and we will get a very good deeds if we can memorized the whole of Al-Quran. Try learn about Islam, as Islam teaching are still the same as 1400 years ago.

http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/tawheed/
http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/index2.html
http://www.islam-guide.com/frm-ch1-1-a.htm
http://www.islam-guide.com/frm-more/
http://www.islam-guide.com/frm-more/

Answer 11

I believe all texts perceived as holy by their religions have truths, fallacies and tall tales given to teach morals. Myself, after reading many texts, I would say the common links that appear in all of them are likely historical truths in some form because more than one person took the time to record them. Of course the only problem with histories is that they are biased to the author and you have to weed through that.