Should the Bible be Taken Literally?
The question of whether or not the Bible should be taken literally or metaphorically has been going on for centuries, largely because people aren't fond of the answer - it depends on which passage you're referencing.You see, the Bible isn't one big work like a novel. Instead, it's a compilation of many different works, each of which was meant for a specific audience and written for a specific purpose. Saying that they should all be read the exact same way just doesn't make sense.
This is one of the main reasons we need to study the Bible. In order to properly understand a passage, you need to know how it was written, who it was written for, and how the audience lived. Without that context, a passage could mean anything - and a lot of problems have been caused by people picking a random verse and saying it supports their agenda.
Fortunately, it's easier than ever to get access to this sort of information. You can often find it included in the footnotes or appendix of a printed Bible, and most online Bibles place it somewhere else on the same page.
If there's a passage you'd like to know more about, try looking it up using the resources I've listed over on this page.