The bible is written in parabells, metaphors. For exmaple the bible says if you feel lust in your heart to stab out your own eye. It does not mean that you will never feel lust nor does it mean to stab out your eyes. It is saying that over indugling and letting the lust over take your mind is like taking away a part of your body!
2007-12-11 00:06:44 · 47 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes pretty much its all a metaphor. The people are real but much of the story isn't.
2007-12-11 00:10:03 · update #1
People the relgion is for the gospels...those my friend are different from alot of the passages of the bible. The story of Jesus birth is also in the gospels as well as the bible...and so is his death.
2007-12-11 00:19:53 · update #2
Oh, so it is all metaphor. Or are some parts literal?
2007-12-11 00:09:16 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 20⤊ 0⤋
Which parts are not meant to be taken literally........ just the bits that don't make sense any more right?
Anyway, even as a parable most it is pretty awful. Couldnt god have thought of a better story to tell than the mass murder of millions of people by drowning because they had annoyed him?? Why did he think it was a good idea to murder the first born in every household in Egypt? What does your all loving god mean by this particular parable?
Why does he condone slavery in it and give detailed instructions on how they should be treated.
Why does it teach men that women should be treated like second class citizens?
All you are doing is picking and choosing the bits that you want to believe and finding a way of ignoring the rest, by talking about parables and metaphors etc.
2007-12-11 00:18:39 · answer #2 · answered by Celestial Teapot 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
But the part about God impregnating a virgin and Jesus coming back from the dead so people can get to be immortal is true? Yes, I know it uses allegory and metaphor, only the hardcore fundamentalists are having trouble with that. I just don't believe the far out unprovable claims that are foundational to Christianity in general.
2007-12-11 00:13:43 · answer #3 · answered by Zen Pirate 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well you just highlight the problem with Christianity - if it is parabels and metaphors then everyone will interpret it differently. When that happenes then there can really be no one message from one God.
Also, you highlight the problem that within Christianity there is no unified Christian doctrine. Other Christians will tell you that it is literal and must be read as the true inspired word of God. Who is right?
2007-12-11 00:11:04 · answer #4 · answered by penster_x 4 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I believe that more Christians disagree with you than you realize. I take the Bible literally until I see a metaphor and all metaphors are explained. You make it sound like the whole Bible is a guessing game. That is not true. The whole Bible can be literally understood.
We are told in the Bible to read it "line upon line, precept upon precept and here a little and there a little," but it is all explained.
2007-12-11 00:18:39 · answer #5 · answered by Jeancommunicates 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
What's a parabell? What's over indugling?
The problem is that when you're prescribing rules to live by, you're writing LAWS...and these are supposedly laws of God. It's hard to know when to be literal and when not to.
No coveting, EVER?
Okay, so creation wasn't in 6 days. Too literal.
2007-12-11 00:10:29 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
The bible was also written by man... Also it has been edited by people of power and aurthority who have bent it to their own will and design...
For example there were whole sections on jesus speaking about how people would be reincarnated and it was removed.
It also says that Gay people should be stoned to death and wearing cloths made of particular fibres are against the teachings of god. Fibres that are in most synthetic materials around today...
2007-12-11 00:13:38 · answer #7 · answered by Mindwalker 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well if it is all metaphor, then Jesus didn't exist?
Edit:
I don't think you thought your statement through. Generally in either Testament, it is clear when the writer is telling a parable or writing "prophecy", otherwise it should be taken literally. True, the expression about plucking your eye out was a figure of speech.
2007-12-11 00:10:22 · answer #8 · answered by Pirate AM™ 7 · 9⤊ 0⤋
Some would disagree. There are plenty of Christians who take every word literally.
However, if the bible is allegorical and your going to interpret it the way you choose, why do you need religion? It seems like during the act of interpretation, your ultimately using the Bible to justify your own existing moral code.
2007-12-11 00:13:27 · answer #9 · answered by justin_I 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Christians seem to disagree on that point. Some would argue that it is meant to be read literally.
In any event, that leaves me with the troubling question of distinguishing the parts that are meant to be taken literally from the parts that are not.
2007-12-11 00:11:11 · answer #10 · answered by Let Me Think 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, that's fine with me. But you can get your metaphors from anywhere. You can get your metaphors from Star Trek. In that case, what is so special about the Bible?
2007-12-11 00:14:34 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋