It doesn't take a genius to know what parts of the bible were meant to be taken literally and what parts were meant as metaphors, allegory and parables. As science evolved over the years and it's findings contradicted and challenged what were written in the bible, religious faithfuls branded the challenged passages (now proven to be wrong as you wouldn't expect from a divine inspired book) to be metaphors that have meanings different from the literary meanings. This reinterpretation is nothing but a strategy of convenience, a strategy that creats a convenient position were the religiotard can easily bend, to any degree, the erroneous conclusion and meaning of a passage to align with scientific consensus. Bible passages that are meant literally are taken literally until science contradicts it and it then becomes a metaphor or allegory whose meaning agrees with science.

When christians are confronted with the outright lies in the bible or I make it known that I think people who embrace religious beliefs are retarded, they tell me "you should ask them why and what they believe about the bible" or "people have their own interpretation". When did interpretation of a religiotard matter? Isn't it what the bible says that matters? Certain christians interpret the bible to support gender equality, does that mean the bible supports gender equality? The interpretation and metaphor escapism doesn't work. I won't be made to respect people's interpretations. What is so special about the neurology of a christian that makes him a better interpreter of the bible than an atheist? What can we atheists not see in the bible that christians can see by the virtue of being christians? No one can take the lead on me as to how the bible should be interpreted.

Why is there a problem of metaphor, allegory and reinterpretations? It's because scientific findings and ethics have created a cognitive dissonance in the mind of christians. Worse, for them, is that of the two conflicting ideas(science and Christianity) in their mind, they know that science is right on the money but since they what to keep their delusion, they reshape their beliefs, as I explained earlier, to align with science and liberal views instead of manning up to acknowledge the falsity of their beliefs. Reason and what's true is not their top priority, their delusion is. From my short life, I have realised that when humans love something and want it to be the case, they defend it and are biased and close-minded in any issue about it. It's a case of "I want to hear and see what I want to hear and see" rather than "I want to know what is actually the case". A lot of people are guilty of the former and you just can't reason with them.

Back to the issue, I insist we should at any opportunity make it known to christians that their interpretation doesn't matter rather it's what the bible says that matters and it's nobody's fault they can't interpret correctly. They shouldn't be allowed to take the lead on what the scriptures were intended to mean. Let them know that such cheap and annoying trick CANNOT work on us. None of them is a better interpreter of that written text by the virtue of being a christian. I ask again what is special about the neurology of a christian that makes him/her a better interpreter of the bible than we atheists? What can we not see in the bible that they can see by the virtue of being christians? NOTHING

HopefulLandlord, HardMirror, Sharon6 aka 1Sharon, Tozara, Ladyhippolyta88, 0temSapien, dalaman, hahn, Seun, Adepeter2027, segunojo886, CAPSLOCK, and others

Its not dumb, its dubious

hopefulLandlord:
Its not dumb, its dubious

Okay, I agree. They don't want to face the truth, they want to stick to their delusion so much hence the problem discussed in the op.

Awesome write-up. Delusional as they are, it's no surprise that they would be so dubious and extremely fraudulent just to give their fantasies the semblance of credibility in the face of myth-smashing facts and delusion-piercing truths.

The moment it is asserted that a particular Bible passage is allegorical and not literal, it becomes meaningless and pointless, and the message is automatically destroyed, because any metaphorical interpretation then becomes as good as any other, and there's no way to tell which Is correct, and which is wrong.

By what criteria are certain Bible verses declared metaphorical and others literal? It's all based on convenience. And that's remarkably dubious and dishonest.

They are all metaphorical..... Not to be taken literally.. God is not a man or human being.