If the Bible is primarily metaphorical or allegorical, it's a work of fiction. [View all]

The Harry Potter series and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy are also works of fiction. What's the difference? Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels is also a work of allegorical and metaphorical fiction. How is the Bible better than that?

Some people who are Christians agree that the Bible is not meant to be taken as non-fiction and that it is metaphorical in nature. Other Christians claim it's "God's Own Truth." Clearly, the second group does not have evidence on its side.

So, if it's not a work of non-fiction, where is its value as a guidebook? Where does the salvation come from? What does it really mean? Both the Harry Potter series and Lord of the Rings are full of moral truths and lessons. They're pretty much the same truths and lessons as are in the Bible. In fact, a lot of fiction has those truths and lessons in it. That's because they're logical, recognizable, and about as universal as any thing is.

So, why is one work of fiction so important. Time? Well, yes, the Bible's been around a long time, in one version or another. But truth? Is fiction truth? Is metaphor reality? Is allegory equivalent to actual events?

Food for thought...