Has anyone ever read the Bible from a literal point of view?
398956
I read the Bible from a literal point of veiw. By this I mean that the Bible contains a large number of Literary styles, and each portion needs to be read in accordance with the literary (literal) style in which it is written. I do believe that the Bible is the inspired communication from the living God to mankind.\n\nI agree with the previous poster who stated that the "Us" in Gen. 1:26 is a reference to the Triune nature of God. This is further supported by the references to the Father (as the directive member), the Spirit (which 'moved on the waters') and the Son (as the Spoken Word of the Father). \n\nFurther along, in chapter two (a detailed account of the creative activy of God on day six, not a separate creation account as some would claim), man is refered to as a single creation, both male and female, in the image of God. The theme there being that neither man nor woman (without each other) express the image of God, but that together (as the two are 'one flesh' in marriage) they demonstrate the nature of the Triune Godhead.
948217
Firstly I think your question is slightly misleading, "most people" do not believe in the Bible let alone take it as literal. Within the Christan community I think that the basic tenants of Christianity are regarded as enough i.e do unto others as would be done to you, it is a small but vocal and powerful minority that are fanatical  (the same is true of Islam and there is interesting parells). There is also quite a difference between the European (where I live) views and some of the more evangelistic US versions. I think the fanatics that preach literal interpretations (although missing out all the bits they don't agree with) do so as a means of social control, to gain political power  and make money. But I also think that peole like this, Father K above makes a very valid point; when the Church of Rome was supreme people where able to follow i's rules and doctroines without question. When the reforamation came along and removed that, humanity lost some of its certainty in life, we as a society became lost; there was no objective truth in the world anymore. we have been trying to get back to that certainity ever since, with some of the more fundamental christains this had been be adpoting The Bible as a literal infaliable truth (Father K's "Paper Pope". there is a famous painting of Martin Luther overlooking a church and crying out "My God what have I done", a question Protestants have struggled with, to replace the security of the Papacy they have put their faith in The Bible
225528
Just so you know where I stand. I asked a question of whether or not all the Bible should be taken literally or not. The best answer chosen was a good one.\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ales.wK5IftnZfqP3dD5hbHsy6IX?qid=1006012504879\n\nWhen Jesus said regarding the bread and the wine, "this is my body and this is my blood of the New Covenant", He was not speaking literally. When the Bible says that the blood of Jesus washes away sin, we do not go off to mount Calvary and look for spots of blood to wash our sins away. Jesus said, "I am the door, whoever enters by any other way is a theif." The disciples did not turn to Jesus and see a large board with hinges and a knob. Jesus was saying there is a single way to heaven, and He is the Way.\nQuite a bit of the Bible is spoken in allegorical and metaphoic language. Jesus said that He was the Light of the world, the Good Shepherd, Living Water, the Bread of Life, and more. He came as the Lamb of God. He will return as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. All of which is true, but all spoken in a metaphoric language.\n\nWrath, I have not run in to any Christians who believe the Bible is 100% literal. However, there are many areas of the Bible that ARE literal and many are trying to change the statement because it is not politically correct, or they have an agenda or they find it personally offensive.\n\nCase in point:\nRobert Anderson worked for Scotland Yard during the Victorian era. He was the main investigator for finding Jack the Ripper. He took the prophecy in Daniel and was able to calculate the coming of the Messiah to the DAY. This is in the his book "The Coming Prince". He started this project based on taking the prophecy as being literal. He was rewarded for this effort with knighthood from Queen Victoria and became Sir Robert Anderson. However, in this same book, he notes the prophecies about Israel being gathered together and becoming a nation once more. Seeing how this has never happened in history, he dismissed the literal meaning as pure fantasy. In May 14th 1948, this brilliant man was proven wrong. The idea that the Jews would return to the land and make it Israel was so preposterous that this brilliant man equated it to being metaphorical--the literal interpretation was too hard to believe. So we could easily make a mistake by either way.\n__________________________\n\nBTW-This topic reminds me of a very good movie called "Lady Jane". One of the main focuses was the rise of the Protestant movement against the Roman Catholic church--especially in regard to transubstantiation. The Roman Catholics took the sacraments as being literally the body and blood of Christ, while the Protestants kept arguing that it was metaphorical. Check it out sometime!
795419
Actually, I think it would be quite difficult to "understand" the Bible as each concept that is presented is contradicted by another.  It's hard to understand a book that has no clear message.
862034
Good question my friend and I did rate it as such. I am curious though if you do relate the reading of the Bible with the study of the Bible? In my view there is a great difference.\n\nI say this because I have met many who do read the Bible a lot but for some reason they do not get the message at all. I say this because I have read the Bible a little [that little is over 100 times cover to cover in the past 24 years]. That is no brag, just fact but I do not consider that I know anything. I am just a student and trying my best to learn the constantly consistent truth OK.\n\nThere is a saying here in the Philippines. All who work with charcoal must get some black on their hands, on their skin, and inside their lings. In the application those who do read some must get some of the words on them or in them. Thus I guess the results could be just take a bath and wash it off, cough it out , or better let it soak in and be absorbed and become part of ones life. I am afraid that I have met too many who go the bath route or do a lot of coughing.\n\nAbsolutely I recommend to read the Bible but only for those who do seek the pure constantly consistent truth. It must be ones life and not just a way of life OK, in my view.\n\nYou have a great day, smile, and do try to understand what I did say. If you do read the Bible make it your life completely and not just a way of life OK.
837696
When I was a kid I went to church, and I really liked the sign on the wall that read, "God is Love." \n\nThen I started to read the Bible, and in shock and dismay I read about an angry, murderous, misogynist, spoiled brat of a deity who is in seeeerrrrious need of a time-out. Or a spanking, for preference.\n\nI could not reconcile the two in my head, and I decided that I really believe in Love over anything the Bible had to say. So, when the two clashed, the Bible lost. Later studies of the history of the Bible confirmed my hunch that it was a man-made document and not divine.\n\nOver the years, my study of religions made me start to think that people's religious experiences had some interesting things in common... and perhaps all the personification of deities are mere metaphors for something bigger even than 'God', and are well-meaning but misguided attempts to define something indefinable.\n\nSo THAT's what I really believe in... not a deity and most certainly not the Christian deity, but something more abstract.
497659
Yes.  The Bible is an amazing book.  Those who are wise will read it and try to understand it.  The fool simply sits back and says "it all a myth"...
769935
The trouble with readibg the bible is that people like you tend to misinterpret it.
1035888
False. The Bible is a masterpiece of ancient literature with some good advice and wisdom. Your brain is the owner's manual should you choose to let it be.
1083745
Yes. \n\nBut you are the one that needs to learn how to read. \n\nThe literary form is when in a story a person tells a story to make a point. Like jesus telling about a 10 maidens .... The story about Jonah is not told that way.\n\nThat non the less this is about morality you may be right but a parable it is not.
329285
I personally agree with much of what you are saying. The bible was written by many different men, and is missing parts that were in it many y&#92;centuries ago. We have the English version (thanks to Henry VIII0, and that is a translated version from thee original Hebrew, Arab and Greek. It is therefore, in my opinion, ridiculous to take it literally. I also believe in God but not in the bible, per say. I believe in the golden rule and being a good person but do not allow myself to be bullied into certain behavior and beliefs by the church out of fear.\nBelieve whatever you want, in the end you have to live with yourself, and should therefore be true to yourself. Who cares what anyone else thinks? Many of the people who would "bash you" for not believing in creationism are just narrow minded people who believe what they were brought up to believe and never questioned any of it.
819416
I'm agnostic, but here's the deal: of course the Bible is metaphor. Garden of Eden, Noah's Ark, parting of Red Sea, Sodom & Gomorrah, Virgin Birth, Lazarus rasied from the Dead, etc. But we have to remember that those stories were all told by a group of semi-nomadic, largely illiterate people living 2000 years ago. They were simply using metaphor and allegor and symbolism to convey as best they could their understanding of God. So yes, they ARE a bunch of stories, if you want to over-simplify like that, but the big question is: what compelled them to go to such lengths to create such myths? And why would Jesus' disciples risk death--and incur death--if they thought he was a fake? After his death they could have simply disbanded, yet they continued on. To me--the reasons for the stories are more important than the literal accuracy. To read the Bible like a history book is to totallt miss the point!
372149
now let me think about that for a nano second...yes!\nlets face it, the bible was a collection of STORIES...and if anyone thinks that people get turned into pillars of salt, then they are more stupid than i thought
1049922
I agree that it is out of date, but I don't think that you can just go and arbitrarily change the content.  And by whose standards would it change?\n\nI think that there are many misinterpretations of the bible over the centuries.\n\nI am going to be ordering one that is supposed to be a direct translation from the orginal Aramaic New Testament to see what the difference is.  It is called The Modern New Testament : Translated from the Original Aramaic Sources by G. Lamsa.\n\nHaving said that, I also think that much of the bible directly speaks to that generation's society and political culture and therefore, not a lot of it has to do with how things are in this day and age, although I feel that Jesus taught us timeless lessons of love and acceptance and faith.  \n\nBut I don't believe that Jesus was the only master and that timeless lessons were taught by Mohammed and Buddha and many other masters as well.
1148590
1. Yes and No. The Bible (if read in the origional languages) has so much more meaning that any English translations - so much so that it can make the Bible very confusing to us today.  Additionally, the Bible wasn't written to speak to you and me. It was written to speak to the people of the Biblical world with completely different cultures and values.  Again, when you map Biblical stories and ideology on their paradigm, again, it makes much more sense.\n\nThe most important thing to take out of the Bible - whether figurative or literal - is the overriding message that God loves each of us and desired a personal relationship.\n\n2. No. I do not think we will see another prophet ever.  There are people with prophetic giftings, but Jesus was sent to a world full of prophets.  Today we have a completely different frame of mind and do not need "prophets" to speak God's word to us.  With a personal relationship with Him, prophets really become unnecessary.
1169574
The bible is not to be taken literally.
203391
I tell you one thing about the bible that is pretty trippy. Some, a few, know it's heavily veiled and cryptic.Some who skim through it (like allot of them out here) take many things the bible says literally.They think they know the truth. You cannot possibly understand this book by just skimming though it. Any theo-scholar can tell you that.. The best thing you can do is read it cover to cover, keep doing this no matter how many times you've read or what you think you know. The more times you read it, the more messages become "unveiled" and unencrypted. I've read it 37 times cover to cover, working on 38..and believe me when I quote gods own words in black and while in the bible where it says "none of you have this right" He's not kidding. I've seen only one or two Christians out here who are developing a good understanding.. From what you're seeing in what you've read you are beginning to get it.But you just went WAY over the heads of 99% of the Christians out here by a country mile...lol good work keep reading