How much of the bible is literal?

[realpatience]

Hi,
It has been my understanding and experience that the Church does not use the Bible for teaching. As a matter of fact I spent 12 years in Catholic school and never once opened the Bible. I read that the official doctrine is the Church or the Pope super-cedes all teachings over the Bible. As far as the Bible being true - Jesus said of His Father - Your word is truth - concerning the existing Hebrew scriptures because the scriptures pointed to identifying Jesus as the Messiah. Also Jesus made many references to the scriptures including the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Adam and Eve. If these were just “allegories” then what Jesus taught could not have been - truth - an effective illustration - a method to reach the heart of the people. I firmly believe the accounts in the Bible are true and historical accounts written for people then and now to come to know who God is and his purpose for man. If the Bible was not true than why even use it?

I have the same experience with the 2 Catholic schools I attended (grade school to college). We had a Bible at home (I was raised Catholic) but I don’t remember anyone in the family ever opening, much less reading it. I’m with you about the historicity of the Bible stories. I can’t understand why these have to be treated as allegories. Frankly, if I for one minute doubt the historicity of the biblical accounts, I’d throw my Bible away for it could not be the Word of God.

 

[adrift]

I have the same experience with the 2 Catholic schools I attended (grade school to college). We had a Bible at home (I was raised Catholic) but I don’t remember anyone in the family ever opening, much less reading it. I’m with you about the historicity of the Bible stories. I can’t understand why these have to be treated as allegories. Frankly, if I for one minute doubt the historicity of the biblical accounts, I’d throw my Bible away for it could not be the Word of God.

My experience in two Catholic grade school and High School is that the bible was taught and used. It is funny though when I talk to some fellow students is that they don’t remember it. They will make statement like yours until I remind them. Then they will say oh yeah I forgot that. It was such a part of the school experience. Integrated in many ways into the everyday class. My Mother-in-Law gave me the book they used in class which turned out to be an earlier edition of one we used. It was Bible History. Are you sure you didn’t have that in school. I remember the Bible being used in my sisters house. My dad used a book with scripture in it but it was not the Bible.

 

[grannymh]

Is that the official teaching of the Catholic Church, from its Magisterium? Are you saying that in the first 3 chapters of Genesis, the real characters/events are only Adam and Eve, and original sin, while the rest are not real or did not actually happen as narrated?

I can understand how in our world of either-or someone might assume an “only”

Nonetheless, in post 5 above, I did not use “only” in reference to Adam and Eve and original sin and was careful to say that “While some of the first three chapters in Genesis use figurative language, it is essential to know that Adam and Eve are our first real parents and that original sin was a real event.”

This was followed by the citation: Basic Catholic teaching regarding Adam and Human Nature,Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition,
ISBN: 1-57455-109-4. Paragraphs 355-421. Yes, these paragraphs are the official teaching of the Catholic Church. One can check the footnotes for the sources.

It would have been better to say that while some of the verses in the first three chapters in Genesis use figurative language…

Blessings,
granny

Our first parent Adam was the apple of God’s eye.
(example of reality and figurative language)