For 1000's of years the story was taken as literal. But with modern knowledge, it seems that it is not literal.
If you say that the story is literal, investigation shows that it cannot be correct.
But if you understand the symbolism correctly, then it is true.
Being symbolic doesn't make it false, only that the literal interpretation is false.
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In the news today, worlds oldest ice core drilling dates back 2.7 million years.
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