The Bible Was Never Meant To Be Taken Literally

Fresh Take On the Bible

While there have been some proponents over the past two thousand years that the Bible should be taken literally, this idea was few and far between throughout the majority of history. Most scholars and mystics over time have looked to the stories metaphorically, or to be interpreted metaphysically, with ideas that are about consciousness and unity with the Divine. Not as stories of real, historical, and accurate events.

Many people leaving the Church over the past four decades are a direct result of taking the Bible literally, and if Christianity has any intention of actually surviving over the next few generations, they need to take heed and go back to a more inspired approach.

But how did this literal approach to the Bible come about?

The answer, surprisingly, comes from business and marketing. Back around the 1850’s, several publishers realized that most households only had one Bible in their homes, and it was often a family Bible passed down for generations.  In order to sell more Bibles, they came up with the idea of telling people that the Bible is the “literal and true word of God,” prompting each person to purchase and read their own personal Bible.

The idea really took off, and by the 1880’s, many fundamentalists were completely steeped and had bought into the idea of Literalism. Publishers began to come out with a variety of Bibles, and soon afterwards an entire litany of Bibles marketed to specific groups of people – teens, wives, men – who each needed not just their own “regular” Bible, but also more Bibles specifically related to the daily challenges they would face.

The campaign became a huge success, and stands as probably the greatest marketing campaign of all time. It holds its place right up there with DeBeer’s “Diamonds are Forever” campaign that has prompted generations of men to overspend on engagement rings. Many households now have 7 or 8 Bibles, and yet most people still have not read it through from cover to cover.

Understand the Bible Industry

If you want to understand the Bible, the Church, and religion in general, it’s important to look at where the money goes. Today’s Bible industry generates between $325 million to $425 million dollars PER YEAR (depending on the year) in the United States alone. One of the largest Bible publishers was for several decades owned by a Pagan who also held a secondary publishing house that was for spiritual and metaphysical books.

The idea that the Bible is to be taken literally is merely a marketing campaign born just over 100 years ago to drive an industry and make money. It’s no different than, “Got Milk?”

Basing your beliefs on the “inerrancy” or “literal Truth” of the Bible is the result of basing your beliefs on someone’s ad and marketing campaign.

33% of Americans Now Identify As Having Religious Trauma

Millions of people now understand that the belief that the Bible is the literal truth can cause a myriad of problems. The cognitive dissonance results in CPTSD - Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

It also causes anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, and more. If you're not sure if you're one of the millions of people affected, get our Religious Trauma Checklist Here.