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I think when we have some Christians still trying to insist that Noah's story is literal, we are setting ourselves up to be a laughing stock. Historically speaking it has been proven to never have happened and when that was proven, we should all have switched to saying it was metaphorical.
That's very helpful. Thanks everyone. I sincerely doubt I can use it in an argument though as these people rely on logic and reason over faith so the discussion with them is futile when we look at texts so differently to the way they do.
I think when we have some Christians still trying to insist that Noah's story is literal, we are setting ourselves up to be a laughing stock. Historically speaking it has been proven to never have happened and when that was proven, we should all have switched to saying it was metaphorical.
Well, Christianity is a big, big bunch of people and I don't think that it's ever going to happen that "all" of us switch our thinking on any issue. However, take heart. The vast majority of Christians view the Noah story, and the rest of the book of Genesis for that matter, as metaphorical.
i know that, Yardstick.
However, it doesn't answer the very valid question. The more I think about this, the more I think we're deluding ourselves and missing the point of the Bible if we don't allow ourselves to seriously consider this question.
On another thread on here, there are people trying to argue that the Ark existed but I have long since thought that history and archaeology prove that to not be the case and only a few literalists remain who are trying to prove it.
I think these people make a mockery of our faith, in a way. It's so easy to disprove large parts of the bible, unless we accept them as metaphor. I just want an answer to this question I keep getting asked...
How do we know which bits are metaphorical and which bits are literal?
I honestly think that if we cannot answer this question well, that it really brings into question the whole book and this is not something I want to do.
Please help.
It's history in as much as it's telling a story. The gospels for instance, where not interested in writing a biography of Jesus, they wanted to share with people why Jesus was so important.
Hello everyone,
First post and all that.
I love to discuss faith and Jesus with people but I keep falling down on the same point.
I look at the Bible and there's so much in it which cannot be taken literally and is clearly metaphorical. When atheists laugh at the Bible, I always say, "it's not all supposed to be literal" and most back off at this point.
However, some ask me the following question and the more I question it, the more I wonder
"So, how do we know which bits are meant to be taken literally and which bits are meant to be seen as metaphorical?"
Can anyone help? Thanks.
Thanks brinny. I'm kind of looking for something more definite. That kind of answer isn't going to wash with those who don't have the faith.
The trouble is when I look at it, it does start to look like we're told to see the things that have been disproven by science as "metaphorical" and everything else as literal.
For example, historically speaking, the people on the earth at the time of writing the scripture would have believed the genesis story as a literal explanation of how things worked but now we know that to be a metaphor...Do you see my problem?
We need to read the bible the way we would any other literary work. When you pick up a book and read it, what clues tell you whether it is an allegory, fiction, non fiction, lesson, study book, etc. the point is, the bible is a literary work, if we read it, looking for the same clues, we can know right off the bat which are allegories, parables, history, etc. It's all about basic literary clues.Hello everyone,
First post and all that.
I love to discuss faith and Jesus with people but I keep falling down on the same point.
I look at the Bible and there's so much in it which cannot be taken literally and is clearly metaphorical. When atheists laugh at the Bible, I always say, "it's not all supposed to be literal" and most back off at this point.
However, some ask me the following question and the more I question it, the more I wonder
"So, how do we know which bits are meant to be taken literally and which bits are meant to be seen as metaphorical?"
Can anyone help? Thanks.
The Bible explains itself.Thanks Brinny. There's not really anything else I struggle with but I just cannot find a proper straight answer to the question,
"How do we know which bits of the Bible are metaphorical and which bits are meant to be taken literally?"
something to keep in mind, the bible is a collection of books, all with a common theme. Therefore writing style, literary rules all apply.That's very helpful. Thanks everyone. I sincerely doubt I can use it in an argument though as these people rely on logic and reason over faith so the discussion with them is futile when we look at texts so differently to the way they do.
I think when we have some Christians still trying to insist that Noah's story is literal, we are setting ourselves up to be a laughing stock. Historically speaking it has been proven to never have happened and when that was proven, we should all have switched to saying it was metaphorical.
Thanks Brinny. There's not really anything else I struggle with but I just cannot find a proper straight answer to the question,
"How do we know which bits of the Bible are metaphorical and which bits are meant to be taken literally?"
The Bible is merely a beckoning to look to the One Who wrote it. As far as convincing someone that is truly the Word of God, that is the job of the Holy Spirit, not ours. God, moving in a heart, is what softens it and opens spiritual eyes...i once was blind but now i see. God will do this. We cannot.
Originally Posted by brinny
The Bible is merely a beckoning to look to the One Who wrote it. As far as convincing someone that is truly the Word of God, that is the job of the Holy Spirit, not ours. God, moving in a heart, is what softens it and opens spiritual eyes...i once was blind but now i see. God will do this. We cannot.
Amen but we can stand in testimony of our Lord and His written Word by our living example and through talking about them when asked or if we feel the time is right to bring the Lord up to a preChristian.
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