Approximately how long ago did the majority of Christians stop taking the bible as literally as they used to?

Question

Would you say it was a gradual decline or sudden?

Answer 1

I would say gradual. with more freedom, comes more choice- as mass media/ technology began taking off people were exposed to other ideas, opinions and views. They became more 'worldly' i guess and people began picking and choosing their beliefs- taking in all that was around them and deciding on what they felt was right and true to them..

gotta love free speech!!

Answer 2

The Bible is the flawless Word of God. For those who would say the Bible is not the Word of God, or that the Bible contains numerous errors I would say this: Paul could say in 2nd Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." That's the Greek word, "theopneustos" meaning "God-Breathed." Every single word was given from God to 40 different men, and 2nd Peter 1:21 adds: "for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." Now that was the Old Testament. The New Testament wasn't in existence when Paul used these verses. He was telling the churches in his letters what had happened in the past, but in John 16:12-13, Jesus talked about the coming of the New Testament. He says, "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come."
That's the New Testamant. And we can say with John 17:17, "Your Word is Truth." Today, we have 66 books written by 40 different individuals on 3 continents covering a period of 1,500 years and there's not one mistake, regardless of what some of the critics say. They haven't studied God's Word enough to know the truth. Among the writers we had kings, poets, philosophers, prophets, scholars and fisherman. And I want you to know we have all of the Word of God today. Someone says, "Yes, but we don't have the original manuscripts" Who said so?
We have copies totalling 24,800. Now, how do we know that they're right? Well, if you take 20 items and you compare them and 19 state one thing and one doesn't, then the one is in error. We've got 24,800 manuscripts that exist today to compare one against another and we have another 80,000 quotations from the church fathers, enough to put the entire Bible together with the exception of 11 verses. Take the 80,000 quotations from the church fathers and the 24,800 manuscripts for a total of 104,800 and you have all of God's Word dozens and hundreds of times. This is so because God's Word is literally flawless. After computers have compared millions, or even billions, of letters in analyzing the 104,800 manuscripts the texts are basically flawless. So, don't listen to the critics. Read the Word; learn the Word; live the Word; love the Word; be transformed by the Word.

Answer 3

It was gradual. As mankind aquired more knowledge and understanding, it became apparent that the Bible was not the word of any God, but ancient ignorant man. It was fairly recent when mankind learned that there are over 1 million different species of insects and poor Noah could not get to the Amazon Rain Forest to gather many of them. As mankind gained more and more knowledge, God showed up less and less to the point now where he doesn't show up at all. Because we don't call it God anymore, we call it UFOs or according to the government, Weather Balloons.

Answer 4

Who says the majority of Christians stopped taking the Bible literally? Those who have, have made a grave error

Answer 5

There is a difference in literal & serious, But in my 37 yrs. of serving God, I know what is literal & what is a parable & what is a type & shadow of something. I still take my bible seriously as ever, Rather it is literal, Parables, Types & shadows, , Because after 37 yrs. the picture is much brighter & clearer to see & understand.

Answer 6

i would say it has been an exponentialy increasing decline.

since science now has stories of an explosion from nothing in nothing, and a biological developement process that defies the tested laws of science for everybody to believe in, people have no more reason to believe that DNA( a code more complex that the one in you computer) had to have been designed, and created. Nope, Now we all are just giving ourself's, and our minds as fools.

we are fulfilling RO1:20-22

I, for one, see far more flaws in the scientific 'theories' that are allowed to be taught as true, without experiment, or qualifycation. No other science would have tolerated a theory to remain accepted as long as the Big Bang, and Evolution have with So little proof. The Reason is simple, they want to be God, and say how it was done, so people look to them for the all the answers.

Answer 7

It was a little over 100 years ago that somebody decided "God is dead." What they actually meant was God existed only in the mind of believers, and they thought we had become so intelligent that we don't need the idea of a God any more. It is very sad that people think that way. God is so obvious around us, and people don't want Him.

Answer 8

It was gradually when all of them started to notice all the mistakes that were being made and the text has been changed over time.....it was bound to happen.

Answer 9

It took me thirty years.......I was brought up in church, and heard the same stories over and over again.....from childhood into early adulthood. This unfortunately had a lot of power, and I was more ingrained than I realized. I woke up, but it took a while before I could start thinking for myself. Needless to say, I don't do church anymore, I study independently.

Answer 10

I would hazard an educated guess that if you could put a date on it about the 1950's when science started becoming popularized. It is definitely gradual. very gradual.