Please read entire question before answering. Why do people take the Bible so literally?

Question

Let me prephase my question by saying that I am a very spiritial person. At one point of my life, I was going to go to theology school and become a Lutheran Priest. Circumstances have arose that caused me to lose faith in the Church but not my faith in my God. I have also read three versions of the bible, cover to cover. In so reading, have found different interperations in each versions. Now the question is, why do people take the word of the bible, will even quote phrases of it to me in circumstances, so literally? The Bible was ment to be a guide and a way to discover your own spiritallity. It is not ment to betaken at face value. Holly cow people, HOW MANY TIMES HAS THE BIBLE BEEN TRANSLATED THROUGHOUT HISTORY???? What was lost in translation (pardon the movie pun)? How do we know that what we read today is even what was intended for us to read?

Answer 1

I agree with you totally, plain and simple. I wonder sometimes, how do we know word for word that something might be misworded, left out or whatever. I am also Spiritual, but wonder why we should trust 100% of what we read in the different versions of bible(s). Why do we judge people who don't live 100% by what they read in the bible? Who are we to judge anyway?

Answer 2

I'll start by pointing out that the Bible is always translated from the oldest documents available at any given time. So the question of "how many times has the Bible been translated?" doesn't make any sense if by asking the question someone is trying to refute the Bible's accuracy. The more time that passes, the farther back we are finding ancient documents that corroborate the integrity of the Biblical texts. It can be trusted because the translations are made directly from the oldest texts available. End of that problem.

I'm curious to know what you mean when you refer to "taking the Bible so literally." Archaeology continues to dig up (pun intended) evidence that places in the Bible did exists a few thousand years back--I'd say this is pretty literal evidence of the historicity of accounts within the Bible. Are we talking then about the events themselves, especially miracles? Why should miracles not be accepted as possible, unless we totally discount the possibility of miracles for no good reason other than the fact that miracles don't gibe with our five senses and our puny little human intellects? If we rip out all of the miracles and Jesus' claim to be God and any other supernatural elements that seem too fantastic to be real, what do we have left? Where do we stop in our excising of passages from the Bible that just don't seem to make sense? It's arbitrary and utterly impossible to make this call as to which passages are "too literal" and should be ignored or removed because in the process we gut the whole notion that God isn't human and is not at all bound by either our limitations or our "intellect" or our "wisdom." Sorry I'm just rambling on, but to make a short answer long, could you give us a little more information on what you consider too literal and specific passages that bug you?

Answer 3

Because it is literal!
You have a few problems with logic, my friend.You say",The Bible was ment to be a guide and a way to discover your own spiritallity.(spirituallity?)"
And ,I agree with you, It was mainly writen in parables (stories that illustrate a moral point)
I don't think you know what face "value means", because if you do not take the intent of the moral illustrations at face value, you throw the baby with the bath water and you have nothing left.
The Bible was never intended to be a perfectly transliterated book; just as long as an approximate of the main point is conveyed, it is good enough.
Here is an analogy about conveying meaning: You are traveling around the world, want eggs for breakfast in Botsawana, you don't know the language, you draw a couple of ovals, show how many, and the "meaning"
is conveyed at face value and you get your breakfast. You continue to Central America, and being savy of Spanish you request "dos blanquillos"
(two whities). If your weitress is Central American
you get your eggs for breakfast, if your waitress is new at the job and from South America, she likely does not know what you are talking about, until you remember eggs are "huevos" and ask for them. The main point "eggs for breakfast" is not lost in the translation, everything else around the main point may be lost, the politeness of asking, the maner, the poetry, the anger, the indiference, etc.But you, yourself said it, "you don't nead a litteral translation" to get the point.
Then, why ask: "How do we know that what we read today is even what was intended for us to read?"
We know because the meaning of the point of the stories come clear through the haze.

Answer 4

You said,

.......The Bible was ment to be a guide and a way to discover your own spiritallity. It is not ment to betaken at face value......

You took the words right out of my mouth!

Answer 5

Good point. I recently had a big disagreement with someone over the differences in christianity and catholicism. They were trying to push things down my throat in regard to the differences of opinions between the two religions. They took every word literally, believe me, whereas I know without a doubt what the true word is and nothing can change my point of view......

Answer 6

Yes, between the countless translations and metaphors, it is impossible to take the bible literally, which leads us to the question of where one draws the line? How do we know that god is not merely not a metaphor for human good?

Answer 7

The Bible is the True Word of God, I believe that, it's called faith, if you don't take that at "face value" then you have lost faith.

Answer 8

ppl in general tend to abide to whats written, thats why we have documents (legal, sceintifc...etc.), so whenever they read anything they tend to believe or influenced by what they read, more than when they hear and forget promptly...for instance if u tell them that eating eggs is not healthy, they won't listen carefully, but when u give them a medical article, though it can be wrong or incomplete, they tend to accept wholeheartedly.

ppl. in general, from all religions, like to see a text....telling then what to do or not to do,...we r text worshippers, we dont see the spirit behind any holy scriptures.

some holy books are man-made, so they appeal for men, for the way they were written literally.

Answer 9

Because God's Word HAS been preserved. It is when people through the work of Satan put doubt in your head, that questions arise. Want to know how the Bible came to be what we have today? Look at the first article on this page...
http://planttel.net/~meharris1/mikescorner.html

Answer 10

Help me Jesus answer with a smile on your face and not a frown.

Your quite skilled, I am not, so every thing I have learned its been from God. I like the King James Verizon, its just wonderful, I could understand it like when I first learned to read.

I have seen miracles, and seen lots of people with different versions of God, but when God stands up and says, that's my word, and I will justify it, I will bring it to pass, I will, and he does, and you sit with your jaw open and flys coming in to your mouth hole, you know its God.
If you have never experienced God, like that, your heart has no faith in what your reading.
Child like faith. Is it real, or is it not.
Jesus said and the truth shall set you free.
Ask Jesus, to show you, he will.
He did me.
I'm stupid, dumb, but I can learn from him, he made me strong when I was weak, my family called me retarded up to 26, I heard Jesus spoke to me an said, no your not, let me teach you, I will make you an over comer.
he did.
Fact, he did. Its a way of life for me. Everyday. I have to pick up and go on, or I will be eaten up. Just eaten up by people just like you.
Jesus help you. God help you. Holy Spirit teach you the ways of our Father.
Amen