Question:
how do you know what to take literally or not in the bible?
polaxed
2011-06-06 13:45:31 UTC
from conversations with christians they seem to pick and choose what parts of the bible to take literally and what parts to take as metaphor. so who decides which is which?



i'm not attacking anybody i'm just curious. just thought i'd point that out before people started getting bent out of shape



thanks
Sixteen answers:
Arizona Knight Wolf
2011-06-06 13:47:26 UTC
Take none of it literally.
?
2011-06-06 13:57:42 UTC
2 Tim 3:16-17 states the Bible is God-Breathed literally. So All is true according to the scriptures. What do you take from this? Well if you cannot determine which is fact and which is fiction then who knows what is real and what is not. If one cannot determine this then you might as well throw the whole Bible out since there is no way to know what is true and what is not. Christians who state one thing is true and another is false need a reality check that they are making their own definitions and this is wrong. I believe the whole Bible to be the truth and true inherit word of God; living and breathing. We must NOT change it's definition, nor let it be contextually be taken out of context. For instance, many non-christians will say Do not Judge, lest you be Judged. Yes this is out of the bible but with context you learn you must remove the plank out of your eye before you remove the speck out of your brothers eye. Context is important. Also Jesus in the NT stated many of the OT stories as Fact not fiction, so if you discount the text of the OT as metaphors you discount Jesus as not fully God. Again context is important.
?
2011-06-06 13:54:54 UTC
What makes sense, and/or is morally viable, which you as an adult should be able to discern, you should take literally. Everything else is either a metaphor, or downright fanciful and imaginary or delusional. The point is to ask yourself if what you read makes sense or is realistic, and there is quite a bit of history in the Bible, backed up by archaeology and/or Egyptian and Mesopotamian records.
2011-06-06 13:51:37 UTC
The bible has been written long after Jesus, and from your own life experience you may easily know how often people twist facts, forget facts or modify facts to please their own needs or ego.



When reading any holy scripture, always read with an open mind, open heart and listen to your heart.



Most importantly,

learn to directly connect to God and learn to communicate with God to a point of reliability to no longer depend on any books written by mortals on earth. God is omnipresent and we all are God's beloved children, thus we all have the right and power to directly connect to God. Millions on earth know already how to do that, more and more learn it,

may be soon all can communicate with God again to learn more efficiently and have a more loving life and thus also learn more efficiently to love and to return home to God.
djmantx
2011-06-06 13:50:10 UTC
God is greater than ink and paper and his word comes to life through revelation from God.

It was not intended for your personal interpretation.

There is a way to receive truth that is greater than flesh and blood and it is through realizing your sin and accepting the atonement and being made new and receiving the Holy Spirit.
Shadowplay
2011-06-06 13:49:09 UTC
How do you know which parts of "Theseus and the Minotaur" to take literally?



Only the verifiable facts, such as prominent monarchs, dates, traditions of the time. The "storyline" is up for debate, and should definitely not be considered truth by any means.
2011-06-06 13:48:34 UTC
It's pretty simple,

go get another book



EDIT: Just look at what it did to @stung. That guy is out on the streets with us, he's not locked up somewhere so he can't injure himself or others.

He's not a writer for a hollywood tv show, he actually sits at home believing that he's being attacked by demons. And you might meet him on the street, he might be swatting at demons while driving on the freeway. That's why that book is dangerous, it makes people insane, batshit insane.
?
2011-06-06 13:57:09 UTC
Which ever bits don't fit your moral compass are metaphorical, the rest is literal.



Until someone changes their mind, then it changes to match.
2011-06-06 13:46:43 UTC
The parts about having faith in Jesus are just metaphors but the rest is literal.
Gregory
2011-06-06 13:48:40 UTC
the holy spirit of god tells us what is literal and what is not



every thing is literal unless it indicates it is speaking in metaphor
?
2011-06-06 13:46:58 UTC
The parts I disagree with. Those are just metaphors.
?
2011-06-06 13:47:39 UTC
it all depends on what's your purpose for believing in a religion. What do you hope to get out of it? Well, for me, it is for self-improvement. I treat religion like a philosophy, for make myself a better person and also to motivate me in my field of work. So for me, i interpret the Bible in ways as long as they make sense to me and make me a better person.
2011-06-06 13:50:14 UTC
I'm pretty sure snakes can talk if the devil is in em
2011-06-06 13:47:37 UTC
That's why there are so many Christian denominations they pick and choose verses they like and teach different things.
2011-06-06 13:52:22 UTC
why not make up your own mind and see life through your own eyes? :)
2011-06-06 13:48:27 UTC
To the best of my knowledge the Bible is the Inspired word of God just as it says in the beginning, However this is what happend to me!



Did anyone else hear the Fifth trumpet of God Almighty sound during “Operation Desert Storm”?

Did anyone else hear the Fifth trumpet of God Almighty sound when oil wells were lit ablaze during “Operation Desert Storm”?

During the Gulf War when all the oil wells were lit ablaze I was attacked by a demon on three separate occasions all at night. This is what happened. While I slept this demon would fly through the window and attack me. The spirit inside me fought this demon briefly until I awoke. Then it made me take over. I leaped out of bed trying to defend myself. This demon was horrid and spun circles around me thrashing through my soul with his hands. then it left as fast as it came. The demon radiated from the pains associated with the abyss. He was like a coal pulled from the fire, with the pains of the abyss Rev 9, 3. This attack happened on three separate occasions as I have stated. The third time however was different from the rest. As before the demon attacked me, but this time I had enough since to command it to leave in the name of Jesus Christ. What happened next is even more amazing. After commanding this demon to leave in the name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit delivered me outside my room into the hallway. The demon followed. We were brought into the presence of the Lord. The Demon stood to my left and grabbing my hand with his, it placed its tail on top of my left hand. It was the sting of the scorpion and it went like this. It sent waves of fire through my soul Rev 9, 10. The pain was so sever that I couldn't scream. Unconditionally, I looked straight up and said “father please help me”. The demon then left.



This all happened after being seduced into trying transcendental meditation and falling into spiritual bondage to witchcraft / demonic forces Rev 13,10. Or the spiritual bondage may have occurred after playing a Ouija board as a young boy. I'm not quite sure. What I am sure is that prior to being attacked by this demon, I was forced to go through the N.W.O's. “secret” ceremony performed through transcendental meditation assisted with witchcraft / demonic forces. Why I say demonic forces is that I believe all witchcraft to be the powers of demons / the Devil. I was forced with witchcraft, through methods of torture, to go through said ceremony. The methods of witchcraft included mind control / manipulation, heart palpitations, witchcraft dreams causing sleep depravation, powerful visions, and many other forms. In said ceremony I was instructed to except the worship of one of their many "demonic gods". They informed me that in excepting one of there gods I accepted them all. One of there Gods was the Devil, another they named Jesus, but they had a demon for every occasion. What better way to join all religions of the world together under one banner of 666?



To the best of my knowledge this is the method Satan's Secret Society uses to distribute the “spiritual mark of the beast”, and cause spiritual captivity Revelation 13, 10. Have you received your spiritual mark yet? This may sound hard to believe for those who don't know what I'm talking about but it is a true story. Hear are a few scriptures giving in sight. Revelation 13, 10, If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go . This is spiritual captivity to witchcraft / demonic forces. Naham 3, 4, who enslaved nations by her witchcraft. Revelation 18, 23, By your magic spell all nations were led astray.

There is a way out, but it is difficult. Revelation 12, 11, those who overcame, overcame by the blood of the lamb and the “word” of their testimony. They didn't love their own lives so much as to shrink from death. Hebrews 2, 15, by their fear of death they are held in spiritual captivity. Satan's Secret Society has many names; a few are the Mafia / Illuminate Masons 666! Have they been using drug dealers to terrorize your neighbor hood? Christians are their many “Free” Masons and Shriner's in your Christian church? I'm sure they are in all walks of life and the cancer is spreading through out society.



Here is the rest of the story. Three to four nights later the demon returned in the early am @ about 3am. He wasn't alone, Satan / Apollyon and the demon's twin brother was with him. They hovered in the air above the ground, before the olive tree in the back yard. I could see them as the spirit in me manifested them to me! Satan hovered in the middle while the demons were on either side of him. The demon on his left had been thrown into the lake of fire for what he did to me. He radiated like a coal pulled from the fire what seemed to be 15'x15'. He was lit up like a Christmas tree! Graciously yours baptized by fire the witness! Who will believe this testimony? God will be my witness!


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
Loading...