Friday, April 18, 2014

The Literal and Allegorical in the Bible

It is interesting that 'true believers' tend to read Genesis literally---thinking the events there were historical, as seen by me recently in the Creation Museum in Kentucky--whereas 'skeptics' tend to read it metaphorically, especially the first eleven chapters, saying this is mythical language uS ed to described cosmic primeval processes. Whereas with the Song of Songs it is reversed, 'true believers' say it can't just be about sex, it must be allegorical, whereas 'skeptics' say, it is totally about sex, no allegorical interpretation needed. It is so clearly a matter of ideological convenience, showing that the literal and allegorical are just arbitrary rhetorical labels; or, conversely, it shows that a truly inclusive approach to the Bible needs BOTH the literal and allegorical.

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