Why is taking the bible literally so bad?

Question

I hear so many Christians say "Im a Christian but I dont take the bible literally". Is this a good thing? If the word of God is supposed to provide a light to a dark path and lead people into correct living, and Satan's only desire is to have men to fall and not do as God would have them to, dont you think that the source of the advice to not take the bible too literally is Satan and not God? If we are engaged in spiritual warfare, shouldnt we want to arm ourselves with the word of God.


Didnt Christ use verses from the old testiment writers frequently in his sermons to the people? If we pick and choose what to follow and what not to follow , what to believe and what not to believe, arent we really deciding what is right and wrong? Doenst the bible when describe people who are very far away from God describe them as everyone doing what is right in their own heart.

Isnt that why homosexuality is an issue in the church? Would the disciple have spent time debating if it was right?

Answer 1

It's not.

However in today's non-Christian society the Bible's message against sin and immorality hits people too hard. So, the wimpy Christians who just want to be worldly and have fire insurance find a way to make everything better.

And no, I don't think the disciples would've spent time debating homosexuality. It's stated as wrong in both the Old and New Testaments, and they followed the Old Testament.

Answer 2

I'm a Christian.

I would say that you want to take the Bible in the context that the author wrote it -- note this is different for every Book of the Bible. Psalms and Song of Solomon (moreso than Psalms) have a more poetic view of things, emphasising imagery and a poetic feel more than a literal feel. For this reason, we should interpret the figurative parts of these books in a figurative way.

Some books, (namely Luke and Acts) are ment to be taken very literally. These books were written by a Physician who wrote things down using a very good historical method. This book was not to be taken figuratively at all. I would also argue for a figurative interpretation of Revelation, but that's beyond the scope of the discussion.

So it's not a matter of "interpret the Bible literally" versus "Interpret the Bible figuratively".. .it's a matter of interpreting the specific book in accordance to how it was written. It is a fallacy to interpret Song of Solomon literally, just as it is a fallacy to interpret Luke or Acts literally.

Answer 3

Obviously you need to read the book more closely. Do a word study in the Gospel of John for the words belief. believe, believer, and nonbeliever. Don't waste time trying to understand people beliefs or lack of belief.

The Christian bible is a tool for believers. It is God's word as spoken by the prophets. It is not a conversion manual or the basis of logical discourse. It is a religious text that interprets itself.

God reveals and man observes. What does God say about his bible? Start there and don't worry about the rest.

One more point: 1 Cor 10:23-24. Unless you are a Jew, same sex relationships prohibitions are not relevant.

It is obvious that you need to spend more time searching the scriptures.

Answer 4

You post a good question. You can't take the Bible literally because it is totally inconsistent. Readings from Leviticus and Deuteronomy are totally absurd by today's cultural standards. Christians pick and choose what they want to believe, even though the book is "God's word." That fact should be proof enough that the account is fictionalized -- it's a modern day Zeus and Hera. Except that God apparently isn't a very prolific speaker, because the prose is the Bible is quite poor.

Answer 5

Let the Bible explain itself. If you read the context of any passage, 98% of the time it can be figured out if it is literal of figurative. If you read the chapter, it will be 100% explained. If not, read the book.

You cannot take ONE passage and make a doctrine. And the bible must agree with itself.

Try this one on for size. Read the following verses and tell me your conclusion.
Read it without any known doctrines or preconceived ideas you may have heard from a man.
You be the judge.

If Acts 2:38,39 is the result of Matthew 28:19, What does it mean?
Read them both VERY CAREFULLY at least 3 times.

Remember what I said, one scripture does not make a doctrine but I also said that the bible must be in agreement with itself.

What do you think?

Try crossreferencing what you have found with the rest of scripture.

Yes it is true.

There is only ONE God.

And he has ONE name.

Answer 6

FAQ: What books are in the Word and what are apocrypha?


"The books of the Word are all those which have the internal sense; but those books which have not the internal sense, are not the Word. The books of the Word, in the Old Testament, are the five Books of Moses, the Book of Joshua, the Book of Judges, the two Books of Samuel, the two Books of Kings, the Psalms of David, the Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi: and in the New Testament, the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; and the Apocalypse. The rest have not the internal sense" (Arcana Coelestia n. 10325 or Heavenly Doctrine n. 266).


http://www.mechanicsburgnewchurch.org

Answer 7

everyone that reads the bible don't believe the same thing. You can go to a Christian Book Store, do you think they have a section for Catholic Bibles, Babtist Bibles, Prodestant Bibles and so on? No. You and I can both read the same chapter and get different meanings from it. Because we have different minds.

However, I don't care what religion, the BIBLE says plainly in Genesis 9:1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the Earth.
Now he said this AFTER the great flood that killed everylivingthing on the Earth, EXCEPT; Noah & his wife, their sons & their wives. And the being fruitful and multiplying to fill the Earth was talking about repopulating. Back then It's said they lived Hundreds of years. Now, I don't know about the rest of you people out there, ( and please, forgive me for preaching, you did ask, I mean I do have gay friends,) but, I know to people of the same sex CANNOT multiply, that is have babies, naturally.
So yes , in the Bible, it does say homosexuality, is a sin.

Answer 8

I don't think taking the bible literally is bad at all. When trying to understand Scripture, the literal, symbolic, and even what God is saying inbetween the lines is important.

As I do appreciate the opinions of others, there were many significant spiritual experiences that are not explained in detail in the Old Testament as to why people were eradicated. Most of this was because of an unseen spiritual battle wiith demons and humans that God could not allow to infect His people. But that's another story...

Romans 1 is very clear about the sin of homosexuality. When Paul was writing about this topic, he was aware of it in his day. The only reason it is referred to is because God loves people and wants to keep them from harming themselves and others. He is a God of love and everything He does is motivated out of love even if it seems tough or hard to understand. We agree with God but He does not change His mind for us. He is not as wishy washy as our society hopes He is. But one thing is true, he is always about love.

Answer 9

Because rape, murder, and genocide are bad things. These are all things condoned in the OT. And yes, Jesus and Paul love to quote the OT. But even more, they love to misquote it. A lot of the messianic prophecies rely on some very liberal translation and sometimes outright editting.

Plus, to regard the bible literally is to abandon science and reason. Do you really believe that the sun revolves around the earth? For thousands of years literalist have asserted this on scriptural authority. Some still do. Do you really believe that pi=3? There are still people arguing this from the bible.

This isn't even getting into all the contradictions. Don't even get me started on that.

Answer 10

deciding what is right and what is wrong is called free will, which, if i remember correctly, is a big doctrine of the christians. taking the bible literally is a dangerous thing. it has been translated so many times and so much has been misquoted through the years that taking it literally means literally following someone else's interpretation. christ taught very good and useful things in everyday life, but truly believing that the world was created in 6 days is absolutely ludicrous.