Do Christians take the bible literally ? or do the stories have more a moral lesson to be taught?

Question

Such as Noahs Ark .. or the Tower of Babel etc .. do they have some kind of secret moral within the story ? or do you take it literally ? B/C if thats the case.. then thats ridiculous

I Highly Agree with you dbytz

So peacetimewarror :

Are you one of those you believe that Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami was the work of god ? to rid of the bad ?

I HOPE NOT

jamnjims :

WHATEVER

Maggie E :

Oh has it now ? .. please.. inlighten me.. and show me

Maggie E :

Oh has it now ? .. please.. inlighten me.. and show me

Answer 1

Most of the stories are there to teach moral lessons. Jesus' favorite teaching method was the use of parables.

Answer 2

If its ridiculous, why are u asking the question...you've already made up your mind.

Do some research....Noahs Ark has been found....Read the history of Babylon for the Tower of Babel, read the history or Iraq, Iran and all the Mediterranean countries and you will find that all the events are already spelled out in the Bible.

Now, to anwer your question.....its is a mix. For starters they are not stories, they are accounts which mean they happened and some are still waiting to happen as we are in the endtimes. If you read the news about what has been happening with the Tsunamis and hurricanes and floods lately and read the bible or at least get someone who understands the bible and can interpret and teach you, you will find that all these things were foretold thousands of years ago and are happening, same thing with the events overseas.

Answer 3

I am a very strong Atheist.
I was brought up as a Christian and still live my life to the morals I was taught in Church. The Bible is an excellent form of morals and values, that everyone should follow (most of them.) The reason it has such good teachings is that it was passed down and revised so much, so many people got a chance to add morality to the book.
Now Noah's Ark has absolutely no moral. I think the person who wrote that was on something. Haha.
And yes, I know many people that take everything literally. Let's just say they are logically challenged.

Great question!

Answer 4

The Bible is full of illustrations, metaphors, and parables that are used to teach a principle. There are also many prophecies that have been fulfilled that history proves. These prophecies are so accurate that critics often believe that they were written after the incident occurred. A perfect example is in the Bible book of Isaiah. It describes the fall of Babylon. Two hundred years before the event, the prophet Isaiah had named the man who would lead the attack, his name was Cyrus. Isaiah also described the military strategy Cyrus would use.(Isaiah 44:27-45:2) Why is that significant you may ask? Because there are lots of other prophecies that have been fulfilled and there are more that have been given. The ones pertaining to the future are of great interest.
The Bible is so much more than just a "story book" It provides principles that can help us in our family life, our dealings with other people, business dealings...health, both mental and physical, the list goes on. The truly ridiculous thing is that people are too proud to pick it up and read it.
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20001201/article_02.htm

Answer 5

These are true stories the bible is a history book as well as a books of prophecy what is ridiculous is how this world spends so much time hating each other and so much money trying to destroy each other the only reason this world still exsist is because of the Love of God, Jesus came to show the way to life, for this world will be destroyed and everything in it Yes the story of Noah is true and the earth was flooded next time it will be consumed with fire the rainbow is a symbol of Gods promise. All the colors in the rainbow can be found in flames of the fire, as you see the rainbow in the sky so shall fire fall from the skies. there will be a new heaven and a new earth. I will be there will you

Answer 6

Both literally and conceptually (ie, underlying moral)

Many times God will use physical events, miracles, or practices (such as commanding to Israelites to participate in certain rituals) to illustrate moral or life principles in a VISIBLE way, that we will remember.

Many believe both that these events actually happened, AND that they illustrate a concept about how God works. ie, in Noah's ark, God brought an end to humanity's corrupt societies and all systems, institutions, but NOT all people. He only saved a few who had a heart for righteousness, to allow society to start anew. It's also the concept that sometimes God will bring an end to something, not to bring devastation, nor take away all hope and future, but to get rid of destructive patterns and systems and allow us to start anew. (ie, if God takes away an individual's job, family, house, all possessions, etc. They are not left to stay in devastation, but to begin again.)

Answer 7

Your definition of fable is incorrect. From a Christian viewpoint a fable is a narrative which teaches a non secular reality. indexed under are different definitions: "A fable, in its least complicated definition, is a narrative with a meaning related to it different than it form of feels to have in the start; and the actuality that it has the form of meaning is as a rule marked by ability of a few of its situations being staggering, or, interior the difficulty-unfastened use of the word, unnatural." John Ruskin, in 1869, in "The Queen of the Air" "A often classic tale of ostensibly historic activities that serves to unfold component to the international view of a human beings or clarify a custom, theory, or organic phenomenon." Merriam-Webster Dictionary So, a fable isn't right now fake. a sturdy occasion is the creation memories present day in Genesis. There are 2 diverse tellings of ways God created the international and its inhabitants. they are each and every relaying a particular reason as to why God created the international. So, if i'm taking the Bible actually do I take the 1st tale or the 2nd tale actually? OR! Do I take actually the message that God created us to be attentive to Him, love Him, stay in cohesion with Him, one yet another, and the international around us?

Answer 8

I take literally what is considered history in Scripture. The flood and the tower of Babel are considered historical events. And with any historical event, there are lessons to be learned. Jesus took the events of Noah as literal, and that is good enough for me.

Luk 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so also it will be in the days of the Son of Man.
Luk 17:27 They were eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, until the day Noah went into the ark. And the flood came and destroyed all.

Answer 9

Both, all the stories in the Bible have a moral to them. Most Christians take most things in the Bible seriously, sometimes I question what is just meant to teach a lesson and what is meant to be true but I take the Bible literally, some people may say it is ridiculous or whatever to believe in the Bible or in Christ because there is no proof--I don't have to have physical proof answered prayers and my new life in Christ each morning is proof enough for me

Answer 10

If you take it literally, then you have problems due to extreme lack of proof. If you take it as a lesson, then you have even more problems like: "Why did God treat us in such a condescending manner?" and "Where and when do you not take a statement literally or allegorically?" The last has extremely important connotations as we could take Christ as a metaphor for how we should live, not as a real person.

This is one of the reasons that I choose not to believe.

Answer 11

ridiculous based on what criteria? Your say so? Why should you be the decider?

The Bible has both literal history and parables meant to teach lessons. Even the literal history teaches valuable lessons. For the record what you mentioned is literal. Some Christians seem to feel the need to water down the Bible, maybe to try to make Christianity more palatable to the non-Christian. Sad. :(