Arguments against a metaphorical bible
Offline Hi everyone. Quick intro: I'm an atheist, long time lurker, and I've only recently (over the past year or so) begun to educate myself about atheism, and arguments against christianity. I didn't see any posts on this topic, and I'm too lazy to search though every forum. Sorry if this is in the wrong place, feel free to move it as needed.
So here's my question. Arguing against someone who interprets the Bible literally is easy. The Bible has plenty of contradictions and evil behavior in it. But what arguments are there against people who say the Bible is a metaphor? For example, you hit them with a verse that sounds bad, and to avoid a difficult explanation, they say that the verse is meant to be taken metaphoically. What is the best way to deal with that?
I go a souther, rural, baptist-affiliated school, so any help is greatly appreciated.
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What would they say if you asked them what determines if a passage is to be taken metaphorically?
Anyways, also if you take the creation story in Genesis as metaphorical, then it really causes problems with the rest of the story (like why did Jesus have to die on the cross)...
"What right have you to condemn a murderer if you assume him necessary to "God's plan"? What logic can command the return of stolen property, or the branding of a thief, if the Almighty decreed it?"
-- The Economic Tendency of Freethought
Hey Detritus, Generally metaphor is determined by the genre and literary elements being employed in the piece being analyzed. I think "A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible" by Leland Ryken will offer helpful insights in regards to this topic. A more general work that includes many other interpretive issues is "An Introduction to Biblical Interpretation" by Klein, Blomberg, Hubbard which deals with all the issues concerning Biblical interpretation. Hope that helps.
Spumoni