Believers who interpret the Bible metaphorically instead of literally... how do you justify that?

Question

How can you justify calling "six days" more than six days, etc...? What makes you think God didn't mean exactly what he said?

Answer 1

One must understand semitic writing styles of 3000 years ago. Stories of Noah's ark, or of woman from a rib, are meant to convey truths, but not in a scientific manner (as we are use to today). That is where most people err.
Another problem is the way certain Fundies interpret the Bible literalistically. That is wrong too.
- - - - - - - -
This is what the Catholic Catechism says:

"The senses of Scripture"
CCC 115 - According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses. The profound concordance of the four senses guarantees all its richness to the living reading of Scripture in the Church.
CCC 116 - The literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation: "All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal."
CCC 117 - The spiritual sense. Thanks to the unity of God's plan, not only the text of Scripture but also the realities and events about which it speaks can be signs.
1. The allegorical sense. We can acquire a more profound understanding of events by recognizing their significance in Christ; thus the crossing of the Red Sea is a sign or type of Christ's victory and also of Christian Baptism.
2. The moral sense. The events reported in Scripture ought to lead us to act justly. As St. Paul says, they were written "for our instruction."
3. The anagogical sense (Greek: anagoge, "leading"). We can view realities and events in terms of their eternal significance, leading us toward our true homeland: thus the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem.

Answer 2

well, there's the tidbit that a thousand years is like a day to God.

there's also the factoid that people didn't really take the bible as 100% literal until somewhat recently

St. Augstine wrote around 408 AD: "It not infrequently happens that something about the earth, about the sky, about other elements of this world, about the motion and rotation or even the magnitude and distances of the stars, about definite eclipses of the sun and moon, about the passage of years and seasons, about the nature of animals, of fruits, of stones, and of other such things, may be known with the greatest certainty by reasoning or by experience, even by one who is not a Christian. It is too disgraceful and ruinous, though, and greatly to be avoided, that he [the non-Christian] should hear a Christian speaking so idiotically on these matters, and as if in accord with Christian writings, that he might say that he could scarcely keep from laughing when he saw how totally in error they are. In view of this and in keeping it in mind constantly while dealing with the book of Genesis, I have, insofar as I was able, explained in detail and set forth for consideration the meanings of obscure passages, taking care not to affirm rashly some one meaning to the prejudice of another and perhaps better explanation."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo#Natural_knowledge_and_biblical_interpretation


http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ag_AkXNppQiTR5S94TOwbUXsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071017152439AAGj784

Answer 3

as an athiest thats an easy one.

different cultures have different calandars. so why not a different interpretation of a "day".

perhaps the term itself was meant as a metaphor the term "day" representing the stages of man's life and the history of the planet. In ancient times thier grasp of science was not nearly as complete as today so it is obvious that they would describe things when writing the bible in terms that could be understood, or if according to theists god told them to then why would god talk in terms they couldn't yet understand?

would you talk to a child about complex algerbra when thier minds can only deal with simple addition and subtraction because they haven't "grown" into it yet to learn more complex stuff?

you don't know it wasn't "meant" metaphorically, but it makes a hell of a lot more sense to say that than to actually believe 6- 24 hour days given the knowledge we have now about the world and the past.

Answer 4

I would never try to justify anything. I do know that Christ spoke in parables, which means "meta-phorically." He said that he would speak plainly to his 12 disciples. (Some things he wanted to say but couldn't because they couldn't "bare it."

Moses spoke in song. He sang in verse in the style of the Hebrews. If "God" spoke literally, we couldn't understand it, let alone the people of that age. When things of a Holy Nature are not intended to be spit upon and twisted, they will not be explained to the public.

Sometimes I speak meta-phorically when I feel I need to. That way, the ones that want to be entertained, will be, those that want mysteries, will be seeking, and thinking for themselves.

I wouldn't hand a mystery on a silver platter. For people to not seek. People need to seek, if they want it. When anyone is handed something for free, that he didn't work for, he won't treat it as sacred, or with respect.

People were looking for a sign, and Christ said that only the sign that will be given will be the sign of the prophet Jonah. One meta-phore on top of another. Jonah was in the belly of the "fish"- "forever." Is that meta-phore or what?

Time is relivent. It is said somewhere in that book, that one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years, a day. It could also be a million as far as I'm concerned.

Answer 5

If God exists, what makes you think God's words are superficial and should be taken at face value? What makes you think God is so simple minded that He is incapable of writing a story with a much deeper meaning than what a simple man could literally interperate?

Jesus, the son of God, spoke in parables, so why not God?

"When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side."

Now, if the bible is so simple that any person could understand the words God says, then why would Jesus himself say that a person who does not understand the words will be taken by the wicked?

That's why literal bible believers are so afraid of evolution, because it goes against their literal understandings of the bible, and since they are being taught by the way side, when the "wicked" comes in with knowledge, many of them lose faith. And MANY atheists are atheists because they also think the bible is meant to be taken literally.

Answer 6

Translation. Everything gets distorted by translation. Also there are many versions of the bible and they say different things. None of it can be 100% literal. I'm sure god meant what he said at the time, but he left humans to pass it on and they always get facts fixed up. Just play 'chinese whispers' to find that out.

Answer 7

How about for one thing that before there was an earth, the creative days were going on? 24 hour days apply only ON the earth not elsewhere. Astronauts in orbit go through a day in a little over an hour. A day on Jupiter is several years earth time.

Usually, the Bible tells outright or by context whether it is speaking literally or not. So we go by that and not what we desire as men.

Answer 8

God didn't say it...some man said that God said it because his grandfather said He said it because his grandfather said He said it etc...etc... and then some man wrote it down because writing had been invented. God's language is not the human languages, people just don't know any other way to communicate insight.

Answer 9

Its very simple as for me, because as written, on the first day, there was not solar system yet. So the day and night had to be measured on higher meanings. As the Big Bang.

Same also by the definition variation of day and night.
"the day of truth", "the walking into the night". "the darkness of ignorance" and so on.

Answer 10

Since I'm not a believer, it's hard for me to say for sure, but maybe, just maybe, they read it as allegory?

You know, like metaphor. Parables. Stuff like that.

Or do you really think that Jesus thought faith was a mustard seed?