Do You Take the Bible Literally?

Using the Bible's words literally rather than as general teachings

Published on January 25, 2006 By JillUser In Religion

I personally see way too many contradictions with the bible to take it literally. I can however understand it being used as a guide of general teachings. If you look at it as a compilation of stories to teach morality, I can see it as a very useful tool.

Can you take Jesus as your saviour and not take the bible as the word of God literally. Can you be christian and believe that God sent messages to mankind to be recorded in story form to teach right from wrong? If following the instructions of the Bible is the only path to salvation, what happens to all the people who are never introduced to the Bible?

Feel free to quote away. I am sincerely interested in opinions on the subject and how they are formed. I won't judge your opinion either way.

Comments (Page 1)

Shovelheat

on Jan 25, 2006

Jesus said he spoke in parables.

And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them

No. I don't believe the Bible is literal in the slightest. I believe there is a deeper truth there that a lot of people don't see. Reminds me in a way of the old Zen saying that if you see the Buddha on the road then kill him. Or the one about the Wise Sage that points to the moon but the idiot only sees his finger. The Bible (to me) is that finger. I try to use it to see the reality of the Moon.

MarcieMoo

on Jan 25, 2006

I take the Bible literally. I think it shows two different sides of God--the jealous, vengeful side, but also the caring, loving, teaching side, too. I think the paradoxes show that God is really alot like *me*...you know? I rarely run an even keel...some days I'm a bitch and some days I'm sweet as sugar.

I've said this before, but what kind of god would God be if he made it so His instructions had to be "decoded" but didn't give us the means for decoding? I think the Bible I hold in my hands today is what God means for me to read and understand, no matter what has happened to it in the past. I think the Bible is applicable in ALL areas of life. The Bible might not address abortion directly, but it speaks about killing, and it speaks about children and such. The Bible talks about how we should dress, how we should speak, how we should treat those in authoritiy.

At any rate, let me summarize: I don't think there's any "hidden messages" in the Bible. I think it says what it means and means what it says. As a mere human, I would expect God to make something simplistic so that my mortal brain and heart can understand what He's trying to tell me. I don't think there's any wishy-washyness.

If following the instructions of the Bible is the only path to salvation, what happens to all the people who are never introduced to the Bible?

This is why Jesus commanded people who believe in the Bible's message to go "make disciples"--go tell other people about Him. BUT...I also understand that not everyone can understand or hear the Bible because of disabilities, language issues, etc. When you become a Christian, you do so because you understand what Jesus' death means and you choose to believe that it applies to you. You've heard it. Someone explained it to you or you read it for yourself from the Bible. You CHOOSE. But people who don't have a Bible in their language, can't comprehend anything about Jesus, etc., I think they're not bound by the "making a choice" thing--because they've never been exposed to it or can't understand the gospel.

Babies? Kids? I think if they die and they're too young to understand the gospel, that they go to "heaven". The same goes for people with disabilities--if they can't understand about Jesus, they're not held to that standard either, because they lack the ability to choose for themselves. But I think that people that hear about Jesus and choose to say "no, I don't believe that" don't get "into" the Christian heaven.

Does that make sense?

Dr Guy

on Jan 25, 2006

Can you take Jesus as your saviour and not take the bible as the word of God literally.

being a Catholic, and since that is our cannon and creed, I would have to say unequivocally yes!

JillUser

on Jan 25, 2006

Wise Sage that points to the moon but the idiot only sees his finger. The Bible (to me) is that finger. I try to use it to see the reality of the Moon.

I like that.

Does that make sense?

Not to me but it sounds like a compassionate belief. The following have to do with being saved:

MT 10:22, 24:13, MK 13:13 He that endures to the end will be saved.
MK 16:16 He that believes and is baptized will be saved.
JN 3:5 Only he that is born of water and Spirit will be saved.
AC 16:31 He that believes on the Lord Jesus will be saved.
AC 2:21 He that calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
RO 10:9 He who confesses with his mouth "Jesus is Lord" and believes in his heart that God raised him from the dead will be saved.
1JN 4:7 He who loves is born of God (and presumably will be saved.)

Obviously some of those are much more restrictive than others. I tend to believe that if you are a loving person with open heart and mind, God will see that you are trying to understand what is expected of you. Baptism is a nice symbol of your commitment to God, or in the case of infant baptism, the families commitment to God. I don't believe it has anything to do with whether or not you will be saved.

garsgolfer

on Jan 25, 2006

I am a catholic and not remotely close to being a bible expert. I use the Bible as a guide, take it literally in some cases, not in others. What I can offer to the subject is my belief that the Bible (all versions) has been reinterpreted many times by theologians over different periods. As a result, the bible presents facts and some ambiguities with hopes of not loosing the original intent. This is when I reach for my teaching bible for further clarification.

dharmagrl

on Jan 25, 2006

I think the paradoxes show that God is really alot like *me*...you know? I rarely run an even keel...some days I'm a bitch and some days I'm sweet as sugar.

Then issue I have with that is that god is supposed to be devoid of anger or raging hormones. He's supposed to be perfect.

I personally wouldn't want anything to do with a fallible deity. I refuse to worship an entity that's the same as I.

dharmagrl

on Jan 25, 2006

Oh, and I take nothing that's written in the bible literally. I look at it as being more like Aesop's Fables than a literal, blow-by-blow account. I think that it's when people start trying to take it literally that they run into problems and start looking for hidden messages because what they're reading makes no sense.

It's a book, it was written by aging men 70 years after the fact (and that's just the New Testament; some of the old was written much longer afterwards), and it's incomplete. It's no wonder people don't understand it.

Shovelheat

on Jan 25, 2006

That was beautiful Dharma...

JillUser

on Jan 25, 2006

it's when people start trying to take it literally that they run into problems and start looking for hidden messages because what they're reading makes no sense.

I think people often interpret things in dangerous ways. People who presume to know exactly what God wants by what is written in the Bible. It just seems that it would be a whole lot clearer and have no contradictions if it were to be taken literally. Otherwise, how do you chose what to take literally and what not to?

Texas Wahine

on Jan 25, 2006

I've said this before, but what kind of god would God be if he made it so His instructions had to be "decoded" but didn't give us the means for decoding?

Matthew 13:10-17

"The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables:

Though seeing they, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."

Christ goes on to explain the parable of the sower.

The Bible is exclusive by nature, rather than inclusive. It's not designed for ease of understanding or comprehension.

Shovelheat

on Jan 25, 2006

Otherwise, how do you chose what to take literally and what not to?

I dunno. Be honest. Do you really believe a giant fish ate Jonah? Do you really believe the universe was created in 7 days? Do you really believe that Lott's wife turned into a pillar of salt?

I don't think so, Tim.

Maybe, for example, Lott's wife turned into a "pillar of salt" i.e. a preservative, for her "looking back." something we are better off not doing.

Just my 2 cents...

JillUser

on Jan 25, 2006

The Bible is exclusive by nature, rather than inclusive. It's not designed for ease of understanding or comprehension.

So does that mean you take it literally TW?

Texas Wahine

on Jan 25, 2006

Jill: I'm not Christian, so it's just a book to me.

I don't think it can be taken literally, even by Christians, because it is clear that it is not designed for that. Jesus spoke in parables and explained (as in the scripture above) that not everyone will understand the scriptures or instructions...that it is that way by design.

JillUser

on Jan 25, 2006

Very good point TW. Thanks!

KFC Kickin For Christ

on Jan 25, 2006

The bible is both literal and symbolic. You have to read it in context. I basically use the principle that "if it makes sense, seek no other sense."

An example would be.... Jesus said "I am the door." He also said "I am the bread of life."

Now I don't take that literally. He's saying there's no getting around him to get into heaven. Many want the kingdom but not the King. He's not a literal door.

He's also the source of spiritual food. When we come to him, we are fed and satisfied...spiritually. He's not a loaf of bread.

It's sort of saying it's raining cat's and dogs in our day. We don't take that literal but it stands for something.

So when reading scripture you have to determine...is this literal (does it make sense that way) or is it symbolic? If symbolic...it means it stands for something. You can find the answer for the symbolism somewhere else in scripture. He wants us to search the scriptures to find these puzzle pieces.

The problem with taking scripture totally symbolic is that these groups out there can make it stand for whatever they wish to perpetrate their religion. That's when it gets nasty. I believe scripture interprets scripture.

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