are we supposed to take the bible literally or not?

Question

some christians say we should and some say we shouldnt so which one is it? I mean if we arent supposed to take it literally then wouldnt that make most of the stories fictional? And what about the world being made in seven days but the earth being populated in 600 years? then how long did it take for the earth to form if it wasnt literally seven days?

sorry but reading it alone and not knowing if I should take it literally or not is only gonna make me even more agnostic.

helloooo isnt anybody else gonna answer this fuc*!n6 question?

Answer 1

NO!...its written by man, man has opinions, I have mine...*!*...

Answer 2

http://www.kingdom-gospel.com/interpret.html

"About the time of the end, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the Prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation, in the midst of much clamor and opposition." Sir Isaac Newton 1642-1727

Dr. David L. Cooper, the founder of The Biblical Research Society, was proficient in the Biblical languages. He studied Greek under Dr. A. T. Robertson. Dr. Cooper is known for his “Golden Rule of Interpretation” which is as follows:

When the plain sense of Scripture

makes common sense,

seek no other sense;

Therefore, take every word

at its primary, ordinary,

usual, literal meaning

Unless the facts

of the immediate context,

studied in the light

Of related passages and

axiomatic and fundamental truths

indicate clearly otherwise.

[This rule was published regularly in Dr. Cooper's monthly magazine, Biblical Research Monthly.]

--

If God be the originator of language and if the chief purpose of originating it was to convey His message to humanity, then it must follow that He, being all-wise and all-loving, originated sufficient language to convey all that was in His heart to tell mankind. Furthermore, it must also follow that He would use language and expect people to understand it in its literal, normal, and plain sense. The Scriptures, then, cannot be regarded as an illustration of some special use of language so that in the interpretation of these Scriptures some deeper meaning of the words must be sought. [Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), 81.]

--

The Clarifying Statement on Dispensationalism, published by the New England Bible Conference, says it this way:

The Bible must be interpreted literally which is the way language is normally and naturally understood. We recognize that the Bible writers frequently used figurative language which is a normal and picturesque way of portraying literal truth. The Bible must be understood in the light of the normal use of language, the usage of words, the historical and cultural background, the context of the passage and the overall teaching of the Bible (2 Tim. 2:15). Most importantly, the believer must study the Bible in full dependence upon the SPIRIT OF TRUTH whose ministry is to reveal Christ and illumine the minds and hearts of believers (John 5:39; 16:13-15; 1 Cor. 2:9-16). The natural, unregenerate man cannot understand or interpret correctly the Word of God. The things of God are foolishness to him, he cannot know them (1 Cor. 2:14), and his mind is blinded (Rom. 3:11; 2 Cor. 4:3-4).

Answer 3

You should read it with the understanding that all verses are the inspiration of the Lord. Intelligence deciphers anecdotes. If I told you a story about a woman having a baby, you can see that it is timeless. The Lord used parables because He was addressing human behavior, not human epochs. It is important to read a portion, then ask in what way is it relevant? You can fool yourself into thinking it has no modern basis. Only, a reverant heart seeks fidelity.

Answer 4

Anyone who interprets the bible literally without question is clearly an idiot. Anybody who interprets ANYTHING without question is an idiot. You have to realize where the bible comes from. The bible was written by dozens of seperate authors all at different times and compiled as we know it in a time of intense turmoil in europe.

The earth was NOT created in seven days, it doesn't take faith to see that, just your eyes. The bible was written by people who had very little understanding of the world and the way it works. Now that doesn't mean there isn't a God or anything like that or that the bible is entirely without merit. There's good to be learned from it, particularly in how to live your life and treat other people. But God didn't make the earth and give us our superior abilities of reasoning and observation to reject what we see. Knowing his tools doesn't mean he doesn't exist.

Answer 5

nicely, for my section the suitable thank you to look at it fairly is that each and every thing we are able to observe... each and every thing... shows an relatively previous earth, 4.6 billion years. as a result, the two god does not exist, did no longer prefer the bible taken actually, or is an relatively deceitful being. opposite to common theory, evolution by no skill shows a loss of a god, yet purely describes genetic mutation inflicting version over the years. organic determination, the mechanism for evolution on the different hand looks to show a loss of administration over evolution, as environmental adjustments dictate useful mutations. there is not any reason any logical individual could desire to refute that evolution is the technique in which life adjustments, yet there are various illogical human beings.

Answer 6

it really all depends on the scripture a week is a 1000 years in the bible....the book of Danial has alot of symbolic meanings but again most of the bible is literal ..if its talking about 7 head what ever then it is symbolic...but if not it is literal..Jesus Literally died for you and Is literally coming back for His people...

Answer 7

The scripture written by God in scientific text should be taken literally. God is referring the seven days of creation as seven eras of evolution of creation consisting of thousands and or millions of years to each era or Day not 24 hour days.

Answer 8

If you take the bible literally - it will bu***er your brain

Answer 9

No more than you should take Aesop's Fables literally.

Answer 10

Nobody will answer because nobody really knows. They are all mindless fools.