is it most common for people to regard it as an accurate history book or for people to think it was a collection of allegories and myths passed down the ages verbally and finally written down?
2006-08-23 01:00:10 · 9 answers · asked by gwbruce_2000 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It's seen as a good book of morals, kind of like Grimm's Fairy Tales or Aesop's Fables. There are still a couple of nut-jobs here who read it literally (talking donkey's and burning bushes.. ...please).
Give it time. We seem to evolve a little slower in the realm of self-intellectual when it is not quite reality based.
2006-08-23 01:06:50 · answer #1 · answered by Dr. Brian 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, I guess a little of both. (I am a Christian lay pastor.)
First and foremost, the bible is a story telling God's love for His people through time. The bible has every form of literature within it:
myth
history
poetry
love letters
laws
parables
letters
prophecy
and so on.
Each of these genres has to be understood as part of that genre if you want to understand it correctly.
For instance you can not read the history in the chronicles, the same way you read the love letters in Song of Songs, or even the same way you would St. Paul's letters to his churches. Each of those had very different purposes, and shed light on spirituality in a different way.
Remember there are 3 parts to spirituality:
who God is
who Humanity is
what is the relationship between the two
The bible also answers the question of what is God's plan for His people.
Sorry, btw to answer the other part of your question. While it is true that some of the bible was passed down through oral tradition, modern archeologists have verified a great deal of history within the bible.
Hope that helps,
vic
2006-08-23 08:10:25 · answer #2 · answered by Vic 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is too broad a spectrum of beliefs to make a sweeping generalization..I'd say more and more though...even with people who believe the Bible is the Word of God, its left by the wayside in lue of other books written by men, other venues of worship, teachings, doctrines...I think people pay the Word of God lip service (even I have been guilty) but rarely read it for themselves too much beyond the standard prattling off of familiar scripture. I think there will be a coming back to it though by those not too blinded by the distractions of their lives to see whats going on in the world. To me it is the Bread of Life...better be partaking of it daily or one could be found hungary with no bread line down the way. Love in Christ, ~J~ <><
2006-08-23 08:08:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's most common for people to think it's allegory and myth.
The fundamentals, who think it's literal truth, make the most noise, which is why people get confused.
2006-08-23 08:03:25 · answer #4 · answered by 006 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think it's the proper way to live life. I think the Bible is a guide to doing that. Back a long time ago, the Bible and it's beliefs were an everyday part of life. You didn't even need locks on your door, children grew up properly and respected their parents. Today, its chaos and hell. We need to re-asses our values.
2006-08-23 08:07:05 · answer #5 · answered by Stacy R 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
That's a good question. I'd say the majority still believes it, but I don't know for sure.
2006-08-23 08:02:48 · answer #6 · answered by Southpaw 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think those that are churched think of it as the Word of God. The unchurched don't pay much attention to it.
2006-08-23 08:03:49 · answer #7 · answered by RB 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i view it as a collection of stories while deeply religious people view it as facts.
2006-08-23 08:04:10 · answer #8 · answered by gwad_is_a_myth 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I do not know where you could get a unbiased answer for that question. You might check "statistics" and do research from there.
2006-08-23 08:05:41 · answer #9 · answered by williamzo 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋