How to decide: Literal vs. Interpret

[T'ai Chi]

How do religious people decide whether something they read in their holy texts are to be taken Literally, or are to be Interpreted?

[Yahweh]

Personally, I dont think its possible to take most parts the Bible allegorically (either that or the symbolism in the Bible has gone straight over my head). Other holy scriptures, I dont know much about them, but I would assume its better to interpret the Holy Scriptures rather take them as a literal account of history.

I cant help but be reminded of a genre of literature called "Historical Fiction"...

[gnome]

The parts that appeal to them are literal, the inconvenient or embarassing parts are interpretive?

[Nyarlathotep]

Originally posted by gnome
The parts that appeal to them are literal, the inconvenient or embarassing parts are interpretive?

Rats. You beat me to it.

I have noticed that that is the major difference between Christian sects (I am not familiar enough with any other religion to say if this applies to them or not). They pick and choose which passages are literal to suit whatever they want their religion to say. If they want a nice warm fuzzy God, then all the bits about peace and love are literal and all the parts about about sinners roasting forever in eternal fire are just allegorical. If they want a stern, angry God, they reverse this process. With this process you can justify just about anything with the bible. Emphasize the parts you like and claim the inconvenient parts are mere allegory, and any atrocity becomes acceptable, any way of thinking becomes "the will of God."

It is one of the things that made me decide to become an atheist.

[gnome]

Ok, we're putting a lot of words into their mouth, let's hear from a few true Scotsmen, I mean Christians.

:D

All joking aside, I am curious what a practicing Christian thinks of this question.

[ehbowen]

Originally posted by T'ai Chi
How do religious people decide whether something they read in their holy texts are to be taken Literally, or are to be Interpreted?

"If the plain sense makes good sense, seek no other sense."

[DarkPrimus]

Originally posted by T'ai Chi
How do religious people decide whether something they read in their holy texts are to be taken Literally, or are to be Interpreted?

It's all a matter of how THEY want it to be. :p

[neutrino_cannon]

Gnome has got it. Take for example todays biblical literalists. Even the staunchest would be unlikely to suggest that revelations is completely literal.

[The Don]

Originally posted by neutrino_cannon
Gnome has got it. Take for example todays biblical literalists. Even the staunchest would be unlikely to suggest that revelations is completely literal.

What, not even the good people over at RaptureReady ?

[El Greco]

Originally posted by T'ai Chi
How do religious people decide whether something they read in their holy texts are to be taken Literally, or are to be Interpreted?

This question is a blasphemy, because once you have the divine inspiration upon you, it is the Holy Spirit that decides for the particulars of the interpretation. You are just its vehicle.

Amen

[ceo_esq]

Originally posted by T'ai Chi
How do religious people decide whether something they read in their holy texts are to be taken Literally, or are to be Interpreted? Even ascertaining the literal sense is an act of interpretation. I imagine that each religion or variation thereon has different principles of construction for its own holy writings. Here's an essay from the Vatican (http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/PBCINTER.HTM) on the subject of biblical textual analysis as it relates to Catholicism, which is largely boring but demonstrates a fairly sophisticated grasp of hermeneutics. It also contains a scathing section on the nature and (relatively recent) origins of fundamentalist interpretation.

[RebeccaBradley]

Most of my relatives are cover-to-cover bible literalists, and they seem to have a number of strategies for dealing with the awkward or embarrassing bits. First, there's rationalizing or harmonizing - that is, explaining away the slip-ups with fancy footwork, twisted logic and special pleading. A good example of that mindset is Gleason Archer's Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, one of the (unintentionally) funniest books I've ever read - when it isn't being horrifying.

Another strategy (as mentioned in previous posts) is selective blindness to the nasty bits. For example, I wrote a story based on the massacre of the tribe of Benjamin in Judges 19-21, and my parents, who have been reading the Bible for seventy-odd years, were unfamiliar with the passage. Either they'd blocked it out, or the spin put on the story by the preachers had blinded them to its nastiness.

When all else fails, they have recourse to the highly convenient "I don't understand it now, but God will explain it to me in heaven."

[Thanz]

I think that ceo_esq has it right when he says that even determining the "literal" meaning is an interpretation. It is all an exercise in interpretation. I don't see how it could not be considering that the vast majority of "literalists" are not even referring to the ioriginal source, but a translation of the original source - and only one translation of several available.

Although it is interesting to hear a literalist Baptist who thinks alcohol is evil try to explain Jesus turning water into wine.

[Johnny Pneumatic]

proverbs 31:6
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

31:7
Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

[T'ai Chi]

Originally posted by bewareofdogmas
proverbs 31:6
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

31:7
Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

Uh, I think you might have the wrong thread, unless you are saying wine helps with the interpretations.

[jimmygun]

I always thought that believers used the rock/paper/scissors method of choosing which passage was relevant at which time.

[UserGoogol]

Originally posted by The Don


What, not even the good people over at RaptureReady ?

Even they don't think that a lamb will be literally opening seven seals.

At least I hope not.