This is a debate that really picked up steam in the 17th and 19th centuries, highlighted by events such as the trial of Galileo and the Scopes Monkey Trial.
The question can basically be summed up as which is the correct way to interpret the bible, literally or non-literally?
For nearly a millenium, people only read the bible(which ever version it may have been) literally. However, as man's knowledge grew, many people began to question whether that was the correct way to read the bible. For example, most people assumed, from the bible, that the earth was flat and that the earth was the center of the solar system/universe. However, as our scientific and technological capabilities grew, we realized that these assumptions were false(or didn't realize as seen by Galileo).
I'm going to cut to the chase now and give my reasons for why the bible SHOULD be interpreted in a non-literal fashion.
1. My first reason is that even though the bible was
inspired by God, it was dictated by man, and man is fallible. This isn't saying that when the bible was first written that it contained flaws, but as it was translated and copied, flaws
did pop up and were picked up in the bible(see why many pictures of Moses had him with horns in the middle ages). It isn't God's fault, it's mans. We're imperfect beings who makes mistakes, and this shows itself in copies and translations of the bible. One must remember that the bible is a
human interpretation of a divine revelation. While the revelation may indeed be supremely perfect, the interpretation could very well and very likely did contain flaws. History is a series of mistakes, and there is no reason to think that the bible is immune. On top of this, the books of the bible were written by different men during different periods of time. These men had different writing styles, vocabularies, and intellectual limits. God could have revealed something to them that they did not have the capability to express coherently, thus requiring them to resort to stories and simpler means of expression.
2. My second reason for why the bible SHOULD be taken in a non-literal fashion is that the bible wasn't written for theologians and intellectuals; it was largely written for the uneducated and illiterate masses. This means that complex ideas, such as creation of the earth, origin of man, and the dual divinity and humanity of Jesus HAD to have been explained through the use of metaphors and stories. If someone tried to explain to an illiterate and uneducated person evolution(even in its barest and most non-scientific sense), one would be faced with incredibly difficulties and blank stares. However, the important part of Genesis isn't how the earth or humans were created or came to be, it's that God had a part in this creation in some form or another. That's why it's essential that the creation story be taken in a non-literal way. It was a story crafted by learned men to teach simple men complex ideas. Now that most of the world is educated(aside from Kansas
I kid, I kid), we should look at the intricacies of these biblical stories(the creation
story in particular). Now, I think everyone would agree that if the only thing you get from the creation story, you should get that God created us, and the method by which he created us is unimportant(and it is). However, I also think that it's important that people realize that religion and faith does not rise and fall with science. The two are separate and shall remain as such. God will have still created man(by some way or another) whether it be through evolution or creation, or whether he did it in 6 days or 50 million years. It's all irrelevant to the point, and I don't think any biblical scholar would disagree with that.
3. Another reason for why the bible should be read non-literally is that society and the times are so radically different nowadays than they were when the bible was first written and collected. There is a HUGE difference between Jerusalem at the turn of the century and Britain in 1700 or Beijing in 1900 or New York in 2006. It'd be crazy to think that something that applied to the people living in that region at that time should be applied literally to all people in all regions. Non-literal interpretation is the ONLY way to account for important differences in culture and language that God forsaw.
4. My final reason for why the bible should be taken non-literally is that it's impossible for their to be agreement even if the bible were to be taken literally. The bible is too vague to warrant literal interpretation. The chronology and stories are so clouded in mystery, that to think that two individuals could reach the same literal interpretation of the entire bible is ridiculous. There are simply too many areas where the
reader needs to make their own interpretation, and there is nothing wrong with that, as God evidently intended for the bible to be read that way. If he wanted the bible to be read literally, then he would have made it capable of being read literally. Even if there could be agreement on the interpretation, there is no guarantee that your interpretation is correct. Literal interpretation is still an interpretation. Inferences
must be made even when reading the bible literally, because God doesn't have the good graces to spell every detail out for us clearly. This means that humans, even if trying to read the bible exactly as it is written, can still make mistakes. This isn't so much a deterrant of literal interpretation so much as I view it as a valid reason for why literal interpretation isn't the end all be all of biblical interpretation.
I just want to stress the point that how one reads the bible is largely irrelevant(though the parts that are relevant tend to be biggies, like th genesis story) as long as the reader understands the message being presented. However, I think it needs to be emphasized that the bible is a tool for presenting ideas, not historical or scientific fact. The bible is something that is meant to teach and enlighten people about their faith, not something meant to be the basis of scientific theories or historical research. I don't think enough people understand this point.
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