Why do Christians take the Bible so literally?? After all...?

Question

It's not gospel..

Fireball did i say i cared.. was just wondering.. do you ever wonder about things. Ever have an original thought.. or do you prefer to stay in that empty headed bubble, and have your life dictated for you.. Its a lot less scarier than actually taking responsibility for your own life isn't it.

Idahomike- i don't have a serious question but when i do i shall be sure to inform you first. And please inform me when you have a sense of humour...

Blimey, you lot really don't have a sense of humour do you?? Funny you can all see that God exists but can't see a joke...well done..

Randy- bless you, it wasn't meant to make sense it was meant to be a joke, you know a play on words. Now you Christians could have used it as a chance to show your lighter side and raise the profile of Christianity.. but that seems to have passed you all by and you seem determined to live up to stereotypes.

Answer 1

I think I am having an Epiphany! Is this the road to damascus?

Answer 2

I am a Christian. I have a sense of humour about my religion. Life of Brian is my favourite film, when you look at Christianity from the outside I guess some stuff doesn't make sense. I don't take the Bible literally. I think some things have been lost in translation over the years and other stuff is metaphors, I believe Jesus is the son of god. however, there is no need to class christians as a stereotype - there are many different denominations who look at the bible differently, don't judge millions of people based on the actions of a few

Answer 3

Ha!

To be fair there are literal and liberal views of the bible. Not all Christians have the same view. That's why there are so many different denominations. You're referring to the Christians who that the Bible literally. [Perhaps they are bit overzealous with their belief]

For example:

Literal view of Bible: God made the days in seven days

Liberal view of Bible: God made the world in seven stages but they probably weren't actually days. They may have been ages (time periods such as cosmological, prehistoric etc.)...

The only issue with the literal view is that there are points in the Bible which contradict each other. for example I'm certain there is a passage which says that the days and years of God are not the same as days and years of man. If that's the case, can you see the problem with the literal viewof creation? How long are "God's days"? How do you know that the earth wasn't created in 7 "God days" rather than Earth days?...

Ah well... *shrug*

Answer 4

Interestingly, the word "gospel" has taken on the meaning, "incontrovertible, set in stone". Originally it meant "good news", as in the good news of Isaiah 61: "...The Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor..."

Too many Christians accept the Bible as a literal recounting of history, an explanation of how thinks got to be the way they are. That makes things simple. There's nothing to argue about. After all, Abraham, David and Paul died centuries ago.

It's more challenging to see the Bible as a series of allegories to explain WHY things are the way they are and what should be done about them. You have to think about what's really happening and how YOU fit in the story. You can't assemble a list of good and bad deeds, you have to think about what can make any act good or bad.

People prefer the list. They prefer closure, a story with "The End" clearly stated at the back. All they have to do is conform to hard and fast rules and point out violators. To have to constantly think about how what I'm doing now does or doesn't bring "good news" to others, contribute to the world's well being or alleviate suffering is too stressful. Better to just put "good" and "bad" labels on everything and everyone and get ready for that big quiz at the end of time.

(If I can't be funny, will sarcastic do?)

Answer 5

Well hey! Yet more 'because it's true' type answers and a few one-line-pokes, presumably from atheists! What a surprise!

Don't you sometimes wish for a bit more detail? A bit more of why just following Christ's teachings isn't enough for Christians? I know I do.

Good for angeltress and scattycat otherwise the only sensible answer might have been from an atheist!

But humour Baby? Sadly you seem to be in the wrong place for that!

.

Answer 6

The Bible contains some history...archeology has born out most of that.
It also contains some philosophy...like Proverbs and Psalms. There's some really good stuff there...some good advice, as well.
There is some prophecy. Some of that has already happened and is verifiable, some of it is arguable...and some of it hasn't happened yet.
Then there are some parables. These are stories that the Lord uses to teach a moral lesson...sort of like Aesop's Fables.
I don't know what you mean by taking it "literally"...but I take every single word of it seriously.

Answer 7

We take the bible literal because it is the word of God. The Gospel is the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ. After all... they've never been able to disprove what the bible says as hard as they have tried. For those who think it is a storybook they should read it in it's entirety and find out how so many writers could tell of the same events. Were they all just psychics

Answer 8

Not all Christians take the Bible literally, word for word, just fundamentalists. For example, most Christians have the common sense to know that the world was not created in seven days. It's symbolic, in that it means that God created the world, not that He did it in seven days. Actually, many Biblical scholars and Christian theologians nowadays interpret a lot of the Bible symbolically.

Answer 9

They take it seriously because they have been CONDITIONED to accept as truth something that is fictional. Persons exposed from an early age to the normalisation of supernatural events, are more vulnerable, and more likely to be accepting of fiction as fact. You can see this worldwide, insular, generally poorly educated, science hating communities/cults/ideologies, carrying out all manner of absurd customs and practises, and claiming them as God inspired. Freud described religion as Psychosis. others would consider it brain-washing, both are true.

Answer 10

Actually it is. you should read it sometime...it deals with real issues like: sex, love, death, life, fear, hatred, worry, lonliness, after life, what more could you ask for? Apart from the fact that it also deals with Life eternal, God his Son Jesus and Oh so much more. Yes its Gosel its very, very true. Read the 10 commandments if you stilla ren't convinced.