Do You Think The Bible is Literal or Allegorical

[TheBear]

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[Bathsheba]

Bear, I usually enjoy your posts so I won't be too blunt But unfortunately I'm not finding your contributions in this thread very accessible... meaning I'm not sure this is the place to have an academic argument about Evolution and Creation. Personally it's because I, like many members, usually have to post and read in an environment of child related chaos (noise, frequent tapping on the leg requesting one thing or another, multi-tasking such as BFing and settling of babies etc). Maybe if I was in reading in total silence without sleep deprivation i might be able to do more than skim over your posts. I'm also not sure as to your spiritual status... are you a Christian? Or like FJ more a concerned parent (in which case this topic should probably be raised in the general education forum). This thread was started by a Christian who was (I assume) primarily addressing other Christians for advice. I kinda feel like the topic has been hyjacked by non-Christians who (rightly so) are concerned about what their children are learning in school. I'm up for a good discussion most days... but once again I am still feeling as though I should be in defence-mode and that's not really fair. Faith is faith and can't be logically defended.

[Heaven]

Where does it say the earth is flat? I thought the bible said the earth was round. Hmm...now let me see if I can find where it says that.

The Bible described the shape of the earth centuries before people thought that the earth was spherical.

1. Isaiah 40:22
   It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
   And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
   Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
   And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

The word translated 'circle' here is the Hebrew word chuwg which is also translated 'circuit', or 'compass' (depending on the context). That is, it indicates something spherical, rounded, or arched not something that is flat or square.
The book of Isaiah was written sometime between 740 and 680 BC. This is at least 300 years before Aristotle suggested that the earth might be a sphere in this book On the Heavens.

Anyways, that's getting off topic again and it's not really worth arguing about as my faith makes me have a different view of things. Although I do see the Bible as a great bit of historical literature, it is also the basis of my faith and I believe that it is God's word and he had a hand in writing it and deciding what would be included in it. So I wouldn't disagree with anything written in it anyway.