How literally do you actually take the bible?

reply to post by undo


Believe it or not I am an avowed Agnostic but I do enjoy looking at alternative viewpoints and debating religious topics.

Unfortunately I have long ceased doing so here on ATS as I have found that the vast majority of people come here with entrenched views and are very reluctant to even consider alternative viewpoints and interpretations and they contradict themselves with their use of scripture.

reply to post by Freeborn


well some see it as one big commandment. i see it as historical and prophetical, with the most astounding pieces of information in it. it's a counselling guide, gives awesome advice, provides information on how to enter the afterlife, and inspires more books and commentary than any other text on the planet. i don't see it as a sledge hammer, however.

[edit on 16-9-2009 by undo]

reply to post by DarknessFollows

How Literally do I actually take the bible?

The bible was written by man, for man. I do not see it written by any superior being.
The text I feel has been changed in translation, I do not read the original languages the many books had been written in, therefor I can not read the bible as it was written. Nether can many people who regurgitate it to the masses. A lot can be lost in translation, just how I feel.

I was raised as a christian school teachers child. Actually my mother is now retiring well into her 70's, as of this year. One had to walk the walk in my family, when the doors were closed, and no eyes were upon the family then the demons came out to play.

I feel if we took the bible literally as in the translated text (it changes every year so it seams), then I say I want what they were smoking!! The bible is not meant to be taken literally. It is full of twists and turns, full of word play IE metaphors.

The writers were nothing but men, literally men. Men who some had many wife's, many children from these many wife's. Men who drank and smoked, men who hallucinated then wrote down what there odd dreams were. Men who found others mans company preferred over women in every way.

The translated text is a good read. It is a good book to take snippets from. All common sense really. Nothing to war over. It is a good book as far as society goes and how to get along in a society. Keeping in mind it was written long ago, by people most of us don't understand how they thought, or lived.

I do not take it literal. I just do not think it was ever to be taken literally.

Good question you came up with!

reply to post by mcgrower

The writers were nothing but men, literally men. Men who some had many wife's, many children from these many wife's. Men who drank and smoked, men who hallucinated then wrote down what there odd dreams were. Men who found others mans company preferred over women in every way.

So the Rolling Stones wrote the bibles ?

As a person I am very self-aware. I know my faults, my strengths, and consider myself a somewhat intelligent person. However, I am not going to pretend for one second to know what to believe and what not to believe. We all have our own spiritual experiences and most of us probably decipher them in different ways. We can't all be right, this is a question I've been struggling with for years.

Having said that....many books and writing were left out of the bible. Why? Did they not portray Christianity in the same light that the religious powers to be wanted it shown? This tells me that in the very least, the bible has been manipulated. Perhaps the message, even if watered down is whats important. Some argue that God would not allow that the bible be corrupted. Or perhaps he left it up to man to do what he will with the information He gave them and left us to our fate.

I believe that there is a higher power, and that we are all given a fair chance to make the right choices. I also think there will be consequences for the poor decisions we make, and rewards for the correct ones. But, who am I? Who is anyone to say 100% for sure that they know the right path to follow?????

Originally posted by Field General
As a person I am very self-aware. I know my faults, my strengths, and consider myself a somewhat intelligent person. However, I am not going to pretend for one second to know what to believe and what not to believe. We all have our own spiritual experiences and most of us probably decipher them in different ways. We can't all be right, this is a question I've been struggling with for years.

"When the student is ready the teacher appears"

People/Energies/whatever - - are at different levels of understanding and acceptance.

reply to post by DarknessFollows


bible is about ETs called gods there were many god beings in the bible.They all wanted absolute authority over us so they were fighting witch each other using us as soldiers. enlil called yahwe praised as the only god by xtians and jews and his ET brother Enki the one that gave us clothes after Enlil threw us out of Eden.
we were conqured by their specie annuaki/reptilians 13 thousand years ago and since then they governing us thru their bloodline hybrids kings presidents etc so bible is mostly their work constructed or copied from egypt to enslave our thinking, CIA,CDC,MOSAD,WHO,UN,Congress are all govern by them, so swine flu and swine flu bracelets is their idea

Since the Bloodlines of the Illuminati have been screwing with the BIBLE, especially the New Testament, since the Council of NICEA in 325AD, it is no wonder we are all confused and the 3 Major Religions that worship the same GOD are at WAR with each other.

It's called "Divide and Conquer".


The greatest trick Lucifer ever pulled off was convincing us he doesn't exist.

Want to learn more about the Illuminati as depicted in "Eyes Wide Shut"?

"Conspiritus"

"America's Beginnings: The New Atlantis, Riddles in Stone", Eye of the Phoenix"

"Esoteric Agenda"

"The Arrivals"

You figure it out.

I should have added these two items,

"Timeline of the Rothschilds" and "JFK's speech on Secret Societies"

reply to post by DarknessFollows


Well like you sir I was also raised in a Christian family. Like you I had many questions about the validity of the bible. And in my family you just didn't question that. Like you said it was the "word of god". So as of about 4 years ago I have denounced the atrocity they call the bible. The bible cant be taken literally because of the standard model of god that every Christian so viciously defends. Well what is the standard model for the Christian god.

He is:
Omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, all loving, perfect, infallible and timeless.

Unfortunately his” word" doesn't match his model just like the official story doesn't match the evidence for 9/11. In Exodus I think chapter 20-21. God describes how to handle slaves if you ever had them. He describes how to treat them, and how to keep them? What "god" would promote slavery. In Mark 11:24 Jesus says ask anything in y name an ye shall receive it. But when you ask for something you never get it. Then if the prayer is answered its always shrouded in mystery. He says he created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. The earth was without form and a void. Then it says God was moving across the still waters but then later in Genesis it talks about how god made it rain to fill the lakes and the ocean. So how can god be moving across water if the water isn’t even there yet? Jesus shows his incompetence even more when he is with his disciples and they come across a fig tree. Jesus gets mad, mad now, and kills the tree because it wasn't in season to bear fruit. Wouldn't and all knowing being know when the fruit is in season? I mean really. He steals a donkey and leads a bunch of pigs to there death. He snaps at the church when the vendors were there selling their stuff. God himself in Genesis 11, talks about the tower of Bable. Ok God says look at these people they work together. This is only the beginning, Let us separates them and spread them abroad and make them speak different languages. The people of Bable were trying to be with god but instead of god encouraging them he damns them to forever be confused and never ever able to understand each other. So the mess were in now is because of god. Think about it. And on, and on, and on, and on.

This is a big one here. Christians say god today is healing the sick, helping the poor and all that good stuff. Ok since god is curing cancers and making people walk again why is that god won’t heal amputees? He can cure all these other ailments but I have never seen an amputee grow his limb back. Im not talking about some doctor coming in and placing on a prosthetic limb. I mean a real limb regeneration. Never has happened right? You know why? Because god is imaginary. Always has been.

Most Christians read the King James Version of the bible. Have any of those guys done research on this guy. He has to be the most sinful guy to ever live. Yet Christians read a bible that was totally rewritten to fit his ideal of the Right of Kings. I got a scenario fo yall.

A fire is bearing down on a neighborhood of 25 homes. All the residence has to flee. One guy is at his daughter house and sees his house in the line of fire on TV. So he sends a fax to his house with a prayer to save his home. The fire destroys all the homes except his. Now why didn't god save the other homes? What if all the people prayed to have their homes saved? How’s does god measure devotion? The bible is a book that requires extreme discernment to read. And most people fail that test. It can be used for philosophy and its good story. I know that upsets fundamentalist but hey it is what is is. My dad told me something when I was a child.

He said son, if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, guess what? It’s a damn duck. I challenge any Christian to really read your bible and set aside your rationalizations.

Much Love ATS fam

How literally do you actually take the bible?

absolutley literal, without question.

now, having said that, there is only one way it is all literally true. your way.

would you accept it any other way?

do you know what is at the core of your observations ??

do know what comprises your opinion ??


friends, fear ends
it takes courage to cure rage
few tour the future

You can't take anything in the Bible literally obviously! Plenty of symbolism in Revelation. Plenty of allegories and parables. Even Jesus himself told his disciples he was going to speak to them in a parable format in some cases. They asked him why, and he said so they can better understand it in more simplistic terms. I kind of think Genesis was written this way. Mostly in a symbolic and parable type of format. Have to read between the lines. Lots of esoteric hidden meaning in the Bible as well. Isaac Newton was fascinated with this esoteric side of the Bible along with many other well-known people. Da Vinci!

reply to post by DarknessFollows


Well I understand where you are coming from on having the feeling that something wasn't quite right, I felt the same. The problem is not the Bible it is most organized religion. The Bible is literal. But many religions twist and pervert the Bible to the point of confusion. Instead of running I embrassed the word. I threw out all pre conceptions that I had and started reading and studying the Bible threw child like eyes and I seen the truth. It is all there, there is no contridiction and it all makes since. I hope you turn from the darkness and seek light. I have been there done that and trust me it is way better on this side.

reply to post by Melissa101

The Bible is literal. But many religions twist and pervert the Bible to the point of confusion. Instead of running I embrassed the word. I threw out all pre conceptions that I had and started reading and studying the Bible threw child like eyes and I seen the truth. It is all there, there is no contridiction and it all makes since

So a man lived inside a fish and the earth is flat with windows in the sky to let the rain in ?

I have been there done that and trust me it is way better on this side.

Been there, done that, didn't like it. And Satanism is not the dark side. That is a christian view.

Nice thread!


IMHO, the bible is a bunch of things. To say it is just one thing, for example; "the word of God"is to miss the point and intent of why it was written. Many things in the bible can only be taken literally if taken in the subjective way. "Moses parting the waters so his people could cross" is a good example. As is the so called temple of God is another. Lots of luck if you try to find it in the objective, You won't. But if you were to look for this temple inside as it being a place inside your mind, then it becomes believable.

if you take the bible literally then atleast you are consistent, but the bible is full of contridictions. If you choose parts of the bible to belive, then why believe at all?

Christianity, Islam, Judaism and all the other established religion is NOTHING BUT SCRAPBOOK to truly enlightened people because we understood that what the normal people read is the EXOTERIC VERSION, but we understood it that it has an ESOTORIC foundation and history because it is from the esoteric.

If you truly wish to unlock the secrets within these religious texts then you must study SPIRITUALITY, PSYCHOLOGY (To determine the many personalities within these texts to point out what is real spiritualism, what is manmade), Quantum Theories, Astrology, Astronomy, Alchemy, UFOlogy, Shamanism. Get a very very old dictionary.
Word of wisdom

Just a little hint about this great war between good and evil is simply this...According to the Gnostics the one people call YAWEH his real name is ARCHON he is the jealous god, he was created out of ignorance by Sophia, you figure out the rest their is like 3pages and more of information that i need to decode and stuff here is a snippet

I honestly don't believe it's credible at all.

When I read the bible, with the exception of psalms, I get the impression that It could've been written by anyone, ANYONE.

I mean, a group of old men sitting around a campfire eating shrooms, for example.

I dont think that is the case...if you think about its the Nobilities and the Priesthood who were highly educated and they were the ones wrote it...and the simple low class being slimply took it at face value if he or she questioned it...Death is emanent, they know something that you dont know. What the normal people read on christianity, islam, judaism is NOTHING MORE THAN A SCRAPBOOK it is the EXOTERIC...but only a few enlightened people would know its true ESOTERIC meaning...

“GNOSTIC- GOSPEL OF THOMAS” Verse 48
Jesus said, “If two make peace with each other in this house, they will say to the mountain, ‘Move away,’ and it will move away”

What do you think this actually means?