Christians: What's wrong with believing the entire Bible is allegorical?

Question

Adam and eve, Jesus' crucifixion, Noahs Arc...they might not have actually happened but maybe they are just parables told in symbols. That would be something I can respect

Answer 1

Because that's too taxing on the creative, abstract centers of the human brain. Many Christians have lower IQs, and don't want to think too hard.

Answer 2

Then Jesus didn't die for your sins, and you are still in your sins, which means you cannot have the blessings and favor of God, and worse yet, God's wrath is upon you.

God cannot be in the presence of sin, and all men are sinners, but God also gave a remedy, namely, He accepts the sacrifice of His Son, a Perfect Man, One Who has never sinned, in place my you and I having to pay the penalty for our own sins.

That's the biggest problem with believing the entire Bible is an allegory.

Answer 3

If the bible is meant to be told in symbols how do we know that were interpreting the symbols right, so I would think you have to take the bible literally.

Answer 4

Adam and Eve are symbolic. Noah's flood was probably a local event. I think Jesus actually rose from the dead. Jesus was an actual person. http://usminc.org/kingjesus.html

<edit> As for zeitgeist, it's just a tired rehash of Frazer's Golden Bough (1897) which has long since been discredited.  http://www.conspiracyscience.com/article...

Answer 5

nothing's wrong,,,

find out ur own truth,,, :D

Answer 6

The fact is: Either the bible is the inerrant word of god, or it's not. There is no rational middle ground.

Answer 7

Because it doesn't make sense if you think of it as allegorical.

For instance, (this is just one of a multitude of examples) - history tells us that there really was a person named Jesus, and he referred to Adam and Eve and Noah and Moses and all the others in the Old Testament as real people.  How do you allegorize real people who existed in history?  Rome really did exist.  How do you turn Rome into an allegory, and what IS it an allegory of, anyway?

And what about all the archeological digs that have verified the Biblical accounts?

Furthermore, how do you allegorize prophecies that came to pass in history?  (Over 300 prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, including WHEN he would be born, WHERE he would be born, HOW he would be born, WHY he would be born, how he would live, how he would die, and even WHY he would die, along with so many others.  If it was all allegorical, you couldn't have fulfilled prophecies.

I could go on and on and on, but I think this should be enough to get you to rethink your premise.

Answer 8

That's what a Christian that is a faith teacher told me.

Answer 9

You can believe anything about the bible you choose.

However, those things in the bible which are meant to be taken literally, I do take literally.  That is how I know I am saved, and that is how I know how to lead a Godly life.

Answer 10

good point. nice question x

Answer 11

Not.

Answer 12

It's wrong because the Bible is not all allegory. There are various genres in the Bible, like parables, hymns, proverbs, prophecies, apocalypses, etc. One should interpret the Bible books or passages according to their own genres.

Answer 13

Well what if 1000 years from now people say the same thing about the history of the United States of America?  (Assuming the earth and our country is still here.) What if people deny that the colonists ever existed and deny that there was ever a revolutionary or civil war and try to claim that our history was all just a bunch of symbolism?

The Bible is part of history, and it really happened.

Answer 14

I don't see anything wrong with that at all. There's nothing wrong with anyone's belief.. everyone has their own opinion, and usually there is no way to prove it false or correct. So just believe what you want.

Oh and to the idiot who said Christians have a lower IQ and don't want to think too hard, whose the one with the lower IQ? Obviously you can't think of something intelligent if you feel the need to bash other people and be rude. Seriously, grow up. Your not funny. If our IQs really are lower, it's probably from reading the c**p you say.

Answer 15

Is Jerusalem allegorical? Or the hundreds of other archeological sites?

Answer 16

Because it's not. Things that are parables are told as parables. Why can't you read history books as allegorical?

Answer 17

If all of it's not true, all of it is a lie!

Answer 18

Nothing's wrong with that. Many things mentioned in the bible have been scienifically disproven (unlike the existince of God, which cannot be disproven). God didn't throw bibles down from the heavens, they were written by humans. Which mean their subject to human error.

Answer 19

There is noting wrong with that; but it does not seem correct.  Some of it is clearly allegorical, some is law, some is history, etc.  For me, the trick is to read it in a way that works for me where I am. That is the great thing about spiritual texts.  You can read it as allegory when that serves your spiritual development best.  Other times, you might find other levels of meaning.  I have never found literal truth to be important.  Its the spiritual truth that is of use in a book like the bible. At the same time, I have come to accept many things once thought were simply stories.  But its on really important to your spiritual growth.  

Answer 20

Everything up to and including Joshua is myth.

Most of the stuff after is like Gone with the Wind; a fictional story set in some real history.

You can find many liberal Protestant clergy who will tell you that the Bible is not the Word of God, it's a people's attempt at understand God -- first myths, then rules, then humanism (Jesus).

Answer 21

Yeah, well, good luck proving that the Babylonian Empire, the Roman Empire and Jerusalem are all "allegories".

A lot of the events in the Bible actually did happen. Today, you can go and stand on razed cities, ancient battle sites etc. and say "Hey, this place is in the Bible".

Thinking about it, I could go to the Garden of Gethsemane for a holiday...

Answer 22

Uh. . .you SERIOUSLY need to watch Zeitgeist, if you want a rough factual account of how your Religion started.

Answer 23

That's fine. They are your beliefs and, of course, you shouldn't feel bad for having them.

Answer 24

I see nothing wrong with that.

And, I would like to correct no1home's answer: other than the Bible, there is NO historical evidence that Jesus Christ existed. All of the "documents" quoted by Christians as "independent proof" of Christ's existence were based on one piece of writing... which has long been known to be a forgery. Sorry to burst your bubble, though.

Answer 25

The Bible is comprised of allegories, parables, history and there are two other methods used but I can't think of them right now.

I believe that Jesus' Crucifixion is true since it is a historical fact that crucifixions were a common means of execution in his time.

Much of the Bible uses parables to make certain points.

The book of Judith in the Old Testament describes a war which actually has been historically documented.

Reading books about the Bible written by biblical scholars would probably be very interesting.  The scholars often work on something together even though they may be of different faiths; e.g. Jews, Catholics and Protestant denominations.