Questions tagged [literalism]
A hermeneutical approach in which the Bible is understood as accurate historical narrative throughout, with the exception of parts clearly stated not to be so.
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From a Fundamentalist viewpoint, what does it mean to "take the Bible literally"?
In my previous answer on this question, while discussing Biblical Inerrancy, I stated:
The doctrine of inerrancy does not imply hyper-literalism. As noted
above, in the second possible mechanism ...
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What is the difference between being filled by the Holy Spirit and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit? [closed]
The book of Acts talks about people "being filled" with the Holy Spirit at various times. There is also the concept of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. From the perspective that asserts these are, ...
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How do Christians that do not believe in inerrancy interpret the Bible?
I know there are several Christian traditions that do not claim that scripture is inerrant (and therefore do not interpret everything in the Bible literally). If this is the case, then it seems like a ...
user5154
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Who decides if a verse is literal and what parts of the Bible metaphorical? [closed]
Just to be clear, I'm not asking what parts of the Bible are literal and what parts aren't. I just want to know who decides which view verses are supposed to be followed and which ones are like ...
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Where did Noah find polar bears and penguins in Palestine, according to those who accept a global flood?
According to Christians who accept a literal global flood, how could animals accustomed to thriving in extreme temperatures be found in a common place for preservation aboard the ark?
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According to the young-earth perspective, when were races created?
From Genesis, God created Adam and Eve. How come we have so many races on earth if we came from the same parent? Is it because people changed physically by adapting to various climates? Or races were ...
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Biblical literalness and the speed of light [duplicate]
How do biblical literalists defend that if a star is 10 million light years away and we can see the light from it, therefore the Earth would have to be at least 10 million years old? That is, ...
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By what mechanism could the Bible be inerrant?
For those who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible (or those who understand the positions of those who do), how can the Bible have this status given all the opportunities for any message delivered by ...
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How do Bible Literalists deal with trees older than the flood?
According to Answers in Genesis, the flood happened in approximately 2348 BC, which means it would've happened about 4360 years ago. Wikipedia has a list of the oldest individual trees known, of which ...
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To a YEC, how does a metaphorical interpretation of Genesis 1-3 distort the gospel?
In my conversations with Young Earth Creationists (YECs), I have on occasion heard the argument that I must interpret Genesis literally, otherwise the entire gospel, culminating at salvation, crumbles....
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If the Bible is open to interpretation, how does one know which one is right? [closed]
Often times when I cite a particularly egregious passage from the Bible in an argument with a Christian, they just shrug and say it's not meant be taken literally, that it's parable, or worse - that ...
user729
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How can Psalm 137:9 be defended?
Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
Whenever I debate someone about Bible literal-ism they usually mention Psalm 137:9 KJV. Based on the Protestant ...
user1054
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Did Jesus and NT authors think OT was literal history?
As I read the gospels and the other NT books, both Jesus and the authors all seem to take the OT as entirely historically accurate, especially the events of Genesis and Exodus. Additionally, this ...
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According to Biblical Literalists, who is Satan? Where did he come from? What is he? And what will happen to him?
According to Protestant Biblical Literalists:
Who is Satan?
Where did he come from?
Where is he going or what will happen to him?
I'm interested in answers with citations from the Bible.
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How do Old Earth Literalist handle the Biblical Earth age?
I find it a confusing paradox, maybe someone can help clear this up. If someone considers themselves to be a Biblical Literalist AND an Old Earth Creationist, how do you handle the dates within the ...
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