Comment Re:Better questions for biblical literalists... (Score 1) 1225
"That's a false dichotomy if ever I heard one. Nobody at all denies that some things in the bible are allegories. And I would hope you would acknowledge that some things in the bible are meant to be literal."
No, that is not a false dichotomy. In this case there are only two options. Either every single word in the bible is to be taken as 100% literal, or the bible is open to interpretation. That does not mean that there aren't parts of the bible that are, in fact, literal. But it means that it is open to interpretation which ones are and which ones aren't.
"However, anybody who says that Genesis 1 and 2 are allegories have some tricky questions to answer. Firstly, where does the allegory end, and literal history begin? Secondly, if it is allegorical, what message is it REALLY conveying?"
Exactly. One must either believe that the evidence against a literal interpretion of Genesis is somehow fake (God planting dinosaur bones to fool the unbelievers?), or that Genesis has a deeper meaning than just a bland historical account of Creation. For those who believe in logic and reason, and who don't believe that God is a deceitful God, it is up to them to discover the true meaning of the allegory of Creation and the relevance it has for their faith.
No, that is not a false dichotomy. In this case there are only two options. Either every single word in the bible is to be taken as 100% literal, or the bible is open to interpretation. That does not mean that there aren't parts of the bible that are, in fact, literal. But it means that it is open to interpretation which ones are and which ones aren't.
"However, anybody who says that Genesis 1 and 2 are allegories have some tricky questions to answer. Firstly, where does the allegory end, and literal history begin? Secondly, if it is allegorical, what message is it REALLY conveying?"
Exactly. One must either believe that the evidence against a literal interpretion of Genesis is somehow fake (God planting dinosaur bones to fool the unbelievers?), or that Genesis has a deeper meaning than just a bland historical account of Creation. For those who believe in logic and reason, and who don't believe that God is a deceitful God, it is up to them to discover the true meaning of the allegory of Creation and the relevance it has for their faith.
