This topic probably has come up many times before, but I couldn't find any threads on it. Stories such as Noah's Arch, are they to be taken literally? Does it make us lesser of Christians if we take it symbolically?
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The Bible: Symbolic or Literal?
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No, they are not intended to be taken literally. In fact, at the time in which the Bible was written the concept of literal history hadn't entered mainstream thought. Ease of re-telling and excitement took priority over factuality. What is important are the moral and spiritual messages and the lessons on how to live a decent life.
A non-fundamentalist view of Christianity does not make you any less of a Christian. It does make you a more reasonable person, though.
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artybloke
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Symbolic - every part of the Bible from beginning to end is symbolic.
That some of it is also historical/based on factual events, and some of it (such as the life of Christ) neccessarily so, doesn't stop it being more important for the symbolic, analogical truths it imparts rather than for the so-called facts.
That some of it is also historical/based on factual events, and some of it (such as the life of Christ) neccessarily so, doesn't stop it being more important for the symbolic, analogical truths it imparts rather than for the so-called facts.
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dayhiker
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I'd say yes too .... actaully its more involved than that as there are several types of literature in the Bible and each has to be looked at accordingly.
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Wiccan_Child
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To take the Bible as entirely literal leads to logical contradictions, both internally and externally, so that's not an option. Thus, it must be at least partially symbolic.
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WashedBytheSon
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Some is symbolic, some is literal. I do take things like Noah's Ark and the parting of the Red Sea and other such things as things that did literally happen.
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I feel it is a mixture of both. Sprinkle with things lost/scrambled in translation and some human element, and there you have it.
What is taught ~ literal (love one another)
How said ~ symbolic (all those parables)
What is taught ~ literal (love one another)
How said ~ symbolic (all those parables)
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Wiccan_Child
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The land animals simply couldn't fit. The biomass of all 'kind's, even being generously defined, would not fit on a boat made from the technology of the time.
Almost all aquatic and plant life would be rendered extinct.
The narrative says that only eight related people survived, effectively restricted the human Y-chromosome to just one genotype. After 4000 years, we would have very little variation in modern Y-chromosomes, which contradicts reality.
I think that will do, for now. Too much Y-chromosomal variation, extant aquatic and plant life, and simple practicle impossibilities.
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EdtheJesusfreak
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I think the Bible is both literal and sybolic, finely woven in perfection by God. Some of the literal stories in the Old Testament are also picture stories of Jesus Christ and God's mercy and love for man.
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EdtheJesusfreak
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Which would make it a miracle. It was quite large; 450 ft. long, 75 ft. wide, 45 feet tall.
Keyword = Almost
Noah, his wife, three sons (Shem, Ham, Japheth) and their wives. The Bible doesn't say the wives were related to the sons except by marriage.
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WashedBytheSon
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As quoted, from a source you probably wouldn't agree with anyway, on it 'not fitting':
' a cubit was about 18 inches long, making the ark 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. A gigantic box that of that size would be very stable in the water, impossible to capsize. The volume of space in the ark was 1.4 million cubic feet, equal to the capacity of 522 standard railroad box cars, which could carry 125,000 sheep. It had 3 stories, each 15 feet high, and each deck was equipped with various rooms. Also, there are less than 18,000 species living on earth today. This number may have been doubled to allow for now extinct creatures. With two of each, totaling 72,000 is a reasonable amount considering the cubic space could hold 125,000 sheep and since the average land size animal is less than a sheep, perhaps less than 60 percent of the space was used. The very large animals were probably represented by the young. There was ample room for the one million species of insects, as well as food for everyone. Also, they took 7 pairs of the clean animals to use for sacrifice.'
The people of the ark were Noah and his wife, and his sons and their wives. When they had children, cousins would be marrying. Issues like mental retardation and other such things did not necessarily occur.
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WashedBytheSon
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I know this argument, and that doesn't change anything. The parting still happened.
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I think that most of the Bible is to be taken literally. Including Jonah and Noah's story, but I'm sure many people will disagree with me.
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