Is the bible meant to be taken literally as fact or is it a series of metaphors?
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It is nice to hear quite a few views from persons who realize that the Bible is written in parable form!
Many persons are preconditioned to read the Bible as a surface text because that is what they are taught initially by denominations and seminaries they attend, and because they are not initially focusing on Bible verses that seem to say otherwise. Indeed, the meanings of many verses are often provided for converts by groups, and are usually an attempt at surface or literal understanding. Most seminaries and denominations, for example, hold the view expressed in this thread a few times already, namely that the Bible should be taken literally as a surface text unless it obvious that a metaphor or a parable is being used. Unfortunately, there do not seem to be scriptures backing up this method by the Bible itself. Rather, the Bible itself seems to have quite a few verses that say it is to be interpreted as a parable is interpreted. There is a surface story, but the real intended message is what the parable words and names mean when interpreted. So, if someone tells you, as often happens, that the Bible is easy to understand, they are probably not dealing with the Bible in a correct interpretive way, though they may mean well. The Bible uses the method of comparing spiritual words of the Bible with other spiritual words of the Bible to get at the spiritual meaning, which usually or always revolves around the theme of God's salvation plan. The denominations have not really understood Mark chapter 4 very well at all. Jesus explains how to correctly interpret parables there, and unbeknownst to many, this means how to interpret all of the Bible. This Mark chapter 4 is the chapter which has often been treated as dealing only with the few well-known parable stories from the New Testament. The parable of the sower or the parable of the Pearl of Great Price are some examples that have been considered appropriate for such interpretation. However, Mark 4 is, instead, speaking of the entire word of God as being a parable that uses this method of interpretation. In the chapter, Jesus shows that the surface story is not the real or intended meaning. Rather, surface words are parable words which have interpreted meanings. Good soil means something other than actual physical dirt, and a pearl of great price is talking about something other than a physical pearl. We can take this method to other places in the Bible, a Bible teeming with parables that are sometimes obvious and sometimes not obvious. If we read about the rock being struck in the book of Exodus so that water flows out, for example; there is nothing in the story that literally says this is a parable story or warns us, "A parable is here". Yet by comparing scripture with scripture we do see that Jesus is called a rock in the Bible elsewhere. We also find a place where Jesus is struck, on the cross. Strangely, water comes out of the rock once it is struck in Exodus, an unusual thing. Yet other parts of the Bible tell us that water is a word meaning the word of God and the associated Spirit of God that can bring spiritual life. The people can even drink spiritually unto salvation. How much of the Bible is written in parable form? To me it seems, the more I look at the Bible the more parables are found. I should not be surprised since the Bible itself claims to be a parable. The Bible is God's law book, the law of God. Psalm 78:1-2:...Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable...
Many persons are preconditioned to read the Bible as a surface text because that is what they are taught initially by denominations and seminaries they attend, and because they are not initially focusing on Bible verses that seem to say otherwise. Indeed, the meanings of many verses are often provided for converts by groups, and are usually an attempt at surface or literal understanding. Most seminaries and denominations, for example, hold the view expressed in this thread a few times already, namely that the Bible should be taken literally as a surface text unless it obvious that a metaphor or a parable is being used. Unfortunately, there do not seem to be scriptures backing up this method by the Bible itself. Rather, the Bible itself seems to have quite a few verses that say it is to be interpreted as a parable is interpreted. There is a surface story, but the real intended message is what the parable words and names mean when interpreted. So, if someone tells you, as often happens, that the Bible is easy to understand, they are probably not dealing with the Bible in a correct interpretive way, though they may mean well. The Bible uses the method of comparing spiritual words of the Bible with other spiritual words of the Bible to get at the spiritual meaning, which usually or always revolves around the theme of God's salvation plan. The denominations have not really understood Mark chapter 4 very well at all. Jesus explains how to correctly interpret parables there, and unbeknownst to many, this means how to interpret all of the Bible. This Mark chapter 4 is the chapter which has often been treated as dealing only with the few well-known parable stories from the New Testament. The parable of the sower or the parable of the Pearl of Great Price are some examples that have been considered appropriate for such interpretation. However, Mark 4 is, instead, speaking of the entire word of God as being a parable that uses this method of interpretation. In the chapter, Jesus shows that the surface story is not the real or intended meaning. Rather, surface words are parable words which have interpreted meanings. Good soil means something other than actual physical dirt, and a pearl of great price is talking about something other than a physical pearl. We can take this method to other places in the Bible, a Bible teeming with parables that are sometimes obvious and sometimes not obvious. If we read about the rock being struck in the book of Exodus so that water flows out, for example; there is nothing in the story that literally says this is a parable story or warns us, "A parable is here". Yet by comparing scripture with scripture we do see that Jesus is called a rock in the Bible elsewhere. We also find a place where Jesus is struck, on the cross. Strangely, water comes out of the rock once it is struck in Exodus, an unusual thing. Yet other parts of the Bible tell us that water is a word meaning the word of God and the associated Spirit of God that can bring spiritual life. The people can even drink spiritually unto salvation. How much of the Bible is written in parable form? To me it seems, the more I look at the Bible the more parables are found. I should not be surprised since the Bible itself claims to be a parable. The Bible is God's law book, the law of God. Psalm 78:1-2:...Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable...
Certainly figures of speech, allegory and metaphor, exist, most notably in the first parts of Genesis.
phil112 was wrong in post #5 when he said: "Believers don't see the bible the same way you describe."
He doesn't, but some believers do. Although some of his posts lead me think that he thinks you are not really a true believer if you do not believe what he believes.
phil112 is also wrong in his challenge to Jeff_56 regarding facts and truth.
This is pretty easy
The Bible has poetry, songs, literal historical accounts, and prophecy
It doesn't take a Bible scholar to know this and to put things in context
The Bible has poetry, songs, literal historical accounts, and prophecy
It doesn't take a Bible scholar to know this and to put things in context
your grandma is a wise lady. if only people would listen to her.
in the case for example of Jesus' parables, some expand them beyond belief.
we forget that the Bible is an eastern book. and easterners are rarely literalists.
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