Why do people take the Bible literally?

Question

Aren't people aware that its really more of a metaphorical book? Otherwise how do you explain all the discrepencies in it and contradictions? Why don't more Christians study Hebrew? Finally, why don;t Christians uphold the covenant of Abraham instead of falsely believing that Jesus's new covenant erased it as opposed to merely adding to it? If youi claim descent of the Old Testament, why not celebrate passover?
Why do you blame the Jews instead of the Romans?

Actually the NY is full of contradictions relating the life and deeds of Jesus.. the people who keep saying htat they haven't found any must be illiterate or liars....

The very fact that no one has answered as to why they haven't leanred Greek or aramiac so they can actually read this is beyond me... The Bible is like a game of telephone.. the more translations it goes though and the more time that passes by the more its original meaning and verses are corrupted by simple men.

ok.. obviously a lot of people claim to be versed but really aren't.. I'm not one to argue with faith, but...
First of all those who say that Passover was before Jesus' time are out of their minds... Yes the events which Passover marks were in the time of Moses.. but it is still celebrated today, and many would argue that Jesus' Last Supper was a Passover seder.. Secondly.. The contradcitions I refer to are in the Gospels.. I think theres a beautiful message in Christianity... but its not unique to it... Secondly it would do many so called Chirstians a faovr to themselves to open a history book and examine the evolution of their faith. That much is well documented, and the key events being the ecumenical meetings, most notably the 3 Nicaean councils... I think most Protestants and by extension evangelicals are unaware that their form of Christianity is an offshoot of Roman Catholicism and are unaware of the differences posed by Eastern Orhtodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches...

Answer 1

Because God literally meant it

Answer 2

1) We take it literally in the parts where it is obviously literal (such as the history, doctrinal teachings, etc.) We take it as a metaphor when the it says things such as "The Kingdom of God is LIKE...." or when it is part of a song or poem using flowery language, such as in the Psalms.

2) It is a library of 66 different books. Some are metaphorical, others are not.

3) If over 50 years of reading the book, I have yet to find any of the discrepencies or contradictions.

4) Most do not study Hebrew for the same reason they do not study Greek (the language of the New Testament). It is difficult learning a language that uses a different alphabet, especially one as different as the Hebrew alphabet is from English. Also because there are enough excellent translation of the scripture into English that are easier to understand then the Hebrew would be, as it would be a second language and like most second languages never fully mastered.

5) Christians keep a convenat which does not "erase" the convenat of Abraham (or Moses), but rather fulfills it. Since the purpose for the older sacrifices, rituals and holy days has been accomplished, there is no reason to continue to perorm them. Rather we live in the new birth which comes from Christ.

6) I usually do keep the Passover, as do many Christians, as a tribute to our Jewish heritage, rather then as a "law" that we must.

If you read the New Testament book of Hebrews, you will find a complete teaching on the subject of Christians and the old testament laws. It is all explained quite clearly in there.

7) Because within a few generations, the majority of the Romans had embraced Christianity, while the Jews continued to reject it. Why would the church blame themselves, when they have a ready scapegoat in the people who rejected the church? But also because it was the Jews made the arrest, forced the issue, and vowed that the blame should rest on them. They got what they ask for....

Answer 3

The Bible is God breathed. It is by His work that spoke through those who wrote the Bible. His Word is perfect, unfallable and the same today as yesterday. The Passover was before Jesus' time where a lamb was used as a sacrifice to save those behind the blood-stained doorways. Jesus' was that sacrifice and therefore other blood sacrifices are not needed. We celebrate Jesus' life, death and ressurection. I hope that makes sense. One thing I tried to tell a friend of mine a while back is if you worry about the little things, you are missing the big thing. A translation here a verb there does not teach you to be a better Christian or what it takes for you to be saved and go to Heaven. I pray the things you speak of do not cloud your vision as to your real purpose here. Oh, and yes most things in the Old Testament are symbolic but all true just the same.

Answer 4

Apparently people have a hard time understanding and applying the idea that something can be "true" without being "factual."

What I find interesting is that Judaism seems to understand that whether or not the events in their holy book actually happened is irrelevantly to their meaning, and have no serious problems with whether or not the stories should be considered factual.

Christians, especially in America, seem much more hung up on the idea that their mythology must be factual to be meaningful, and that if it isn't, it is a lie, and not just an important message told through a well constructed story.

As for the other issues you bring up, I know very little about these things, and have very little opinion.

Answer 5

First off I do want to say that I am totally aware that it was the Romans not the Jews that killed Jesus. The Romans carried out His execution at the request of the Jews. They did their dirty work so to speak. I would like to clarify that I don't blame either. He came to earth for that very purpose and they were both simply fulfilling prophecy. Our sins are the reason He died. It's that simple. I know I should study Hebrew. Maybe someday I will. For now I just break out my trusty Concordance. I believe the Bible is the Word of God and every word in it is God breathed.From the Old Testament alone, more than 2000 specific prophesies have been fulfilled.No other so called Holy book can say that.Most of the 333 prophesies concerning the Messiah were fulfilled by the birth and life of Jesus Christ and the rest will be fulfilled at His second coming.Only a God who knows the future could have revealed these prophesies to those that He would have record them in His Word.

In spite of what is being taught today, the truth is we can reconstruct most of the life of Jesus Christ through non - Christian writers of the first century. Even Celsus who despised Christianity, never considered claiming that Jesus Christ did not exist.This is what can be learned from the writing of Celsus...

He was born of a virgin in a small village of Judea;
He was adored by wise men;
His birth was followed by the slaughter of infants by order of Herod;
He took flight to Egypt, where Celsus supposed Christ learned the charms of the Magicians;
After returning, He resided in Nazareth;He was baptized and the Holy Spirit descended on Him as a voice was heard from heaven;
He elected disciples;
He was a friend with publicans and other low people;
He cured the lame and blind;
He raised people from the dead;
He was betrayed by Judas;
He was denied by Peter;
In addition Celsus refers to several details of Christ's passion, crucifiction, and resurrection.

Twenty seven books of the New Testament, nineteen Pagan writers, and three Jewish writers testify to Jesus Christ's historical reality. When I hear people say that Jesus or the Bible is just a myth I just realise that they are simply unaware of the facts.I recommend The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel and or Skeptics Answered by D. James Kennedy, and The Signature of God by Grant R. Jeffrey. May all your thoughts be taken captive by the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Answer 6

metaphorical?

in the old testament, the prophecy of daniel said that after the babylonians would come the persians and then the greeks and then the romans

not bad for a man who lived about 1000 years before the greeks and the romans eh?

jeremiah talks about how people practice a paga celebration called christmas by chopping down trees

the books of job and daniel also describe beasts that we call dinosaurs, god describes his leviathan with a tail like a cedar tree, and daniel kills a dragon. The word dinosaur was coined in the 1800's and therefore missed its inclusion in the bible by some millenia

if you think, despte bitter arguments and not much proff thatyou came from a monkey, then there's no point in a heaven

if you think you were made by god, then he made you like the bible says and you can't wait to be with him, but there wil be trials and tribulations before that point

and yes the pope does beleive in evolution, he refuses genesis and the book of revelations

even jesus says only the ons of adam can be saved, showing how he beleived that we are all descendants of adamand eve

but if the pope doesnot think he is a child of adam, and wants to tell te millions of christians they can pick and choose which bits of the bible to beleive in, then that is his loss,

not yours

stay blessed in christ

Answer 7

This is a very good question that you raise because many are not sure what to believe about the Bible, if at all. However, what makes the Bible unique compared to other books is that it is translated in thousands of languages worldwide. It is a book that the majority of the population has in their homes. There are many verses in the Bible that seem to contradict each other. However, it may just be that we need to see another scripture regarding the same point in order to get the whole point. There are scriptures that link to each other.

I am not sure if you have read the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Nevertheless, you will find many of those scriptures that are similar to each other. In fact, some will say the same words, but the context may differ in small matters. It is just a matter of digging a bit deeper, or, going to another book of the Bible to get the full understanding of what a particular scripture(s) is conveying. Consider the context below.

Deuteronomy 32:4: “The Rock, perfect is his activity, For all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; Righteous and upright is he.”

Psalm 19:7: “The law of Jehovah is perfect, bringing back the soul. The reminder of Jehovah is trustworthy, making the inexperienced one wise.”

Daniel 4:37: “Now I, Neb•u•chad•nez´zar, am praising and exalting and glorifying the King of the heavens, because all his works are truth and his ways are justice, and because those who are walking in pride he is able to humiliate.” One of Jehovah God’s works is His Word the Bible, in which was inspired by him.

2 Timothy 3:16, 17: “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.”

There are many people today who say that God is a liar. Here are some scriptures the say the opposite.

Numbers 23:19: “God is not a man that he should tell lies, Neither a son of mankind that he should feel regret. Has he himself said it and will he not do it, And has he spoken and will he not carry it out?” Yes, God is not a man (like you and I) who lies. We lie all the time, whether large or small. Conversely, Jehovah is perfect and never lies. Everything Jehovah says and does will come to be. (Isaiah 55:10, 11)

1 Samuel 15:29: “And, besides, the Excellency of Israel will not prove false, and He will not feel regrets, for He is not an earthling man so as to feel regrets.”

Hebrews 6:18: “In order that, through two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to the refuge may have strong encouragement to lay hold on the hope set before us.” It is impossible for Jehovah God to lie. The scriptures were inspired of Him. If there were any faults in the scriptures, wouldn’t that not contradict Jehovah himself, whose name means “He Causes to Become?”

Titus 1:2: “Upon the basis of a hope of the everlasting life which God, who cannot lie, promised before times long lasting.” Jehovah God is the Almighty. He is the Supreme One. Anything, I mean anything that Jehovah says will happen just as he foretells it.

Yes, the Bible has much credibility. Many people take every scripture literally. Some scriptures in the Bible are symbolic. For instance, if you are reading the book of Revelation and you come across the wild beast and the harlot, it is not a literal wild beast and harlot. Those creatures represent something. That something is the governments and false religion respectively. The seven heads in Revelation represent seven human rulerships on earth. On the other hand, there are literal numbers that are to be taken literally, for instance, the seven congregations that are mentioned in the Bible book of Revelation 1:10, 11 (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea)

Many people just read the scriptures, but do not live by them. They do not and will not dig deeper to find the meaning to the scriptures. Some scriptures will seem as if they are conflicting with one another, but another scripture will bring out the point altogether. As for a hidden treasure, you must search beyond the surface for it.

If you still think that the scriptures are not to be taken literally. Read Matthew chapter 24, 1 Corinthians 15:33 and 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

Take Care,

Source:

New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

Answer 8

I find it interesting that you didn't back up the contridictions and discrepancies comment with some proof. Anyway...The covenants were never erased but WERE added to. The Abrahmic covenant was a promise between God and Abraham that He would make Abrahams descndants as numerous as the stars. How do you want me to uphold a promise that God gave to Abraham?

I don't blame the Jews for the death of Jesus. Jesus didn't die because of the Jews. He died because of the need to sacrifice (atone) for the sins of the world.

Answer 9

Real Christians do not blame anyone, we only blame our sinful nature and this is the reason Jesus came and died.

The Bible is to be taken literally. If God tells me not to kill, why would I kill and then think, "I wonder if God meant that literally or if God says not to commit adultery and would I then say the same thing. Are you following me? Do you take your state laws literally? Yes, because if you kill someone, what will happen if you are caught? So, if you take your state & federal laws literally, why wouldn't you take God's words literally? CONFUSED on your question?

I take in the word of God as infallible, man is fallible.

If you think we should not take the word of God literally & the bible is not the true word of God, I dare you to go and listen to www.endtime.com and listen to 8/29/07, 8/30/07, & 8/16/07 broadcast. Listen live everyday at 3 P.M. central time or just listen to all the previous broadcast.

The bible says, "Be ye not deceived, for God is not mocked." Take it literally!

God Bless you

S.P.

Answer 10

The word metaphorical is a word of human reason.The more we discover in archaeological digs and other areas of interest.The more pieces of the puzzle fall into place.Read the books of Matthew,Mark,Luke,and John.You will see that Jesus has freed us all of the law of Moses.Why do think the Pharisees killed him?Pontius Pilot washed his hands of the incident.He hoped that scourging Christ would have been enough to appease the Jews,but it wasn't.His neck was threatened with the thought of Caesar lashing out at him.Pontius done what was prophesied.There was no way out of it.

Answer 11

Because of the MISUSE of the term "Word of God." Jesus used that term long before the Bible came along so he was CERTAINLY not speaking of the new testament.

Lots of things like that are explained in a free online source called "Gospel Enigma: and the young heretics" Find it at New Free Books.