So the age old question (besides "is there a God?"), the Bible: literal or symbolic?

Question

If you say literal , does that mean as a woman, I'm not supposed to talk in church or sleep next to my husband during my "femine period"? Or that people were justified in enslavering people since it is absolutely condoned in the Bible ( yes the Bible was used to prove that it is okay to own people and they were right since it does say that)?

If you say just symbolic: then euh.....is there a God? what exactly is it symbolic of?

If you say both: how do you choose what is supposed to be taken literally and what isn't? Where does it say that the Bible evolves with the times?

Answer 1

Jesus taught in parables
Jesus is God
God teaches in parable
The Bible was inspired by God
The Bible teaches in parables

Don't forget to seperate the Old Testiment (Jewish Bible) from the New Tesiment (Christian Bible)

Answer 2

The bible is composed of many forms of communication. Yes, much of it is literal. There is also an incredible amount of symbolism in it. Also there is parable, hyperbole (gross exaggeration, to underscore a particular point), like that. The word of God says that only those with God's spirit can discern the things of God. If you read the bible and ask for understanding, God can give it to you.

And the bible does not "evolve". God, and His word, was the same yesterday as He is today, and will be tomorrow. Please remember that the bible is not only by inspiration of God, it is the history of the nation of Israel. Therefore, within it you will find written down the things that people did. They took multiple wives, they had wars, they committed adultery, there was slavery....this was just what was going on in those times.

Answer 3

Its an interesting question that does pose some problems...

By interepreting the Bible fundamentaly, you open yourself to all sorts of critisizms, as there are certain parts of the Bible almost certainly not meant to be taken literally (take a look at Revelation)

However, there is a danger of interepreting it liberally, as it means your potentially left to choose what you consider right or wrong, even though the guidance within it is all relevant and directly from God.

Basically, the Bible is meant to be an aid from God, and as such, the only way to understand it as it should be understood is through studying and prayer. Many people are deluded by going through it without opening themselves to God, and mey therefore misinterpret it.

So to answer, yes, the Bible should be read liberally, but at the same time with an open mind, and with lots of prayer and meditation over it. One of the best things you can do is join a Bible study group, its incredibly helpful.

Answer 4

It's a misinterpretation of someone's deep enlightenment experience. Only those who directly experience God can get what someone who has had the experience is trying to get across. And those who haven't will feel that the message is threatening because it doesn't support the individual/ego thought system. Given that, people will do what they always do: change the message to make it fit what they're comfy with. The apostles didn't understand and none of the people did; the councils that decided the interpretations that were to be the canonical New Testament were in the same boat.

Answer 5

Good summary.
For most of the books of the bible there's not too much controversy as to their literary form.
The history is history, the poetry is poetry, the sermons and letters are what they clearly are.
The problems chiefly lie in whether inerrancy (of a variety of shades) is meant to be held for the texts, and whether certain books are meant to be read as myth and allegory or as history.
(Principally Genesis and Jonah. Some insist on Job as a historical account.)

As far as I know, pure literalism is held by no-one.
The trees of the hills did not actually clap their hands.
There are horrific texts in the Old Testament.
To ignore those passages while maintaining inerrancy is inconsistency of a high order.
Various approaches to understanding, accepting them have been attempted. I gradually worked through these, but in the end I wasn't convinced.

Answer 6

so the bible is facinationg because it tells stories, things that actually happened, prophecies of things to come(most are already fulfilled) and parables. parables being fiction, used to open our understanding to the ways of God. The Bible is an amazing collection of truth written down by men who were inspired by God. The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) are a compilation of things that actually happened -( creation, the Exodus, the wars when the Isrealites inhabited the promised land, Elijah being fed by the birds etc,) poetry ,prophesy,and law. The New Testament is full of stories of actual events(birth of Jesus, miracles of Jesus, His death and ressurrection, apostles' ministry ect) as well as prophecy (re:the end times) and letters from the core diciples of Jesus warning, teaching and instucting new and old followers of Christ how to live like Christ. I think you'll find in readin the word of God that people have always used the scripture out of context to satisfy their own needs or desires- the devil knows scripture (referece the temptaion of Jesus in the wilderness) and uses it to try and decieve God's people- hey it worked with Eve in the garden- But the Bible very clearly states a serious warning to any who would "add to or take away from" God's written word. Listen to your inner spirit, and tap into the measure of faith you have been dealt, get a study bible that breaks things down and YOU DECIDE with God's leading what's what! Good Luck and God Bless!

Answer 7

All are literal. If we take Scripture any opposite direction we don't comprehend what to have self assurance and what to no longer have self assurance. Peter replaced into the chief of the early Church. the 1st bishop in case you like. for this reason Christ time-honored a development of management that we see in all denominations. This management exceeded down by Christ for the period of the Apostles is the "Apostolic Church" in spite of denomination. confident the Church is lead by imperfect men who err, fake doctrines do, have, and could creep in, however the secret's salvation with the aid of Christ. the only protection we've against fake doctrines as a results of human interpretation is the literal examining of the Bible. Christ is sparkling in John financial disaster 6 with regards to his physique and blood. If we reject advent because it extremely is revealed in Scripture, then we could reject all Scripture. Mark

Answer 8

Both and much more. Those words are inspired. They were so big the ones they were given to could not hold them. They did there best to write them down but if you read them with out an open heart you only get a small portion of what is there.

Answer 9

I can pretty much bet you, you didn't get the answers you were looking for.
They will always have a comeback or a justification if you ask me it's just sick.

Answer 10

That is an interesting question and I think the only person that can answer that is you.