is a genesis a metaphor?

Question

how many christians believe genesis word for word. WHY?

how many christians believe that genesis was a metaphor for god created everything put in the simplest terms... WHY?

say why if u want the 10 pts peoples

Answer 1

Even when I was a Christian I did not take everything in the bible literally. I remember wondering if God really created the world and men in 7 days. I remember discussing with other Christians a passage about time in which for God a day is like a thousand years. If you were super literal then you would say it took God 7 thousand years to create the world and man. But once again you are being a Pharisee and missing the point. The point is it took a really long time in relation to a human understanding to create the world. Also it seemed that if Adam and Eve were the only people on earth then they or their children would have to commit incest which the bible speaks out against. Also when Cain left the Garden of Eden he finds other people so it only seems logical that Adam and Eve were not the only people around at the time. I believe the bible is full of metaphors but for some ungodly reason people can't resist being so damn literal. Is it because we lack creativity? Or is it because we fear we will stray and be damned if we make a wrong conclusion? Could it possibly be that we are harsh in our theology like we are hard in our hearts? Could our rigidity give us a sense of identify that we in attachment cannot let go of? Have we been so indoctrinated that we cannot let go of certain traditions? Are the groves of this indoctrination so deeply etched into our brain that we cannot break out of its mold? The answer could be yes to any one of these. All I know is there is an example in the bible of metaphor being taken wrongly. Jesus said he'd destroy the temple and rebuild it in three day. The Pharisees thought he meant the literal temple, but actually Jesus meant his literal body. The Pharisees were stuck on the letter of the word, but Jesus preached the spirit was superior. Let this passage be a lesson and hopefully it will open us all to other interpretations as I know from experience there is a lot of pressure put on people in churches to hold certain doctrines. I know just how difficult it is to dissent & at what expense one has to pay to be spiritually independent. The price may be steep, but the reward is limitless.

Answer 2

I think of Genesis metaphorically. Not only is it not any less strange than any other religion's creation story, it is contradicting in places. But remember, Genesis is a long story (not just Adam and Eve). Noah's Ark is in Genesis chapters 6-9. I also believe that a worldwide flood to wipe out evil humans is a metaphor--mostly because it didn't actually happen. I'm going to write a book about the "worldwide flood" which explains why it is a metaphor.

Answer 3

Genesis is an ancient people's attempt to understand the origins of human life and creation. I don't believe it "word for word." I believe that it reflects an ancient worldview and understanding of God.

Answer 4

genesis is the meaning of the beginning of creat as alpha is. though ot was the writtings of moses, its used to describe the creation , but later in the bible it talks about alpha and omega. the beginning and the end. why is it called the genesis bok of moses instead of alpha. it may well be it mean't the same but sounded better in his wording. in the websters dictionary. genesis is the beginning and origin. alpha is the first letter in the greak alphabet. so why does it say aplha omega instead of genesis omega. omega is the last letter in the greek alphabet, the end.

Answer 5

i think it's a metaphor b/c we cannot know the infinite knowledge of God. especially back then, they knew so much less science. you don't need to know every exact detail to get a simple point across that God made everything

Answer 6

Parts of Genesis are Metaphorical, and parts are not.

I am an Old-Earth Creationist (Step-wise creation).

For more detail regarding Old Earth Creationism, see http://www.godsci.org/gs/crea/oec.html

Feel free to email me if you wish more details...

Cordially,
John

Answer 7

That's what they want to believe. In truth, it is an attempt by poorly educated middle eastern tribesmen to explain how they got there. Of course, with their very limited knowledge they got it wrong, but people still believe it.

Answer 8

it makes sense as reality if you lived 2500 years ago and didn't know anything else about the way the world works.

Answer 9

Why. Now give me the points.