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In The Gospel According To Christ; What Is…


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In the “Gospel according to Christ”; what is…literal, metaphorical and allegorical? Also what is your formula for determining which is which?

Example of desired formula to answer…

Literal…

Matthew 7: 21

¶Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Certainly not!

Matthew 5: 29

And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Metaphorical…

Matthew 5: 29

And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Allegorical…

Any parable…

Not just formula, but your favorites.

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Interesting question and one impossible to answer for anyone but myself. I will say that everyone is different based on experience and world view. There are some who feel that all prophecy is fulfilled and we are actually in some kind of extended millennium. I am a futurist so I don't think that is accurate at all. But both views come from the dividing line of literal and allegorical. If you take most of scripture and make it allegorical then it can become many things. Now some will say that a literal interpretation can do that same thing. It just depends on how you define each word.

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Interesting question and one impossible to answer for anyone but myself. I will say that everyone is different based on experience and world view. There are some who feel that all prophecy is fulfilled and we are actually in some kind of extended millennium. I am a futurist so I don't think that is accurate at all. But both views come from the dividing line of literal and allegorical. If you take most of scripture and make it allegorical then it can become many things. Now some will say that a literal interpretation can do that same thing. It just depends on how you define each word.

So is the determining factor common sense or spiritual discernment?

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In the “Gospel according to Christ”; what is…literal, metaphorical and allegorical?

All of it, since the answer to the question "what part" is unknowable to anyone.

(Key word here is "know") That's why we take it all on "faith".

But we can still "know" what kind of value those beliefs have in our lives, as well as we can know anything. (Alma 32)

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The Holy Ghost can lead to all truth but does not. Many people pray to have the Holy Ghost tell the truth of doctrine and scripture. Many say they have received the message but I have heard many versions of the same verses in scripture. I have even heard people say that they heard from the Holy Ghost that Mormon doctrine is false. And others say they heard is was true. What this means is that men are liars, no big surprise there. It also means to me that the Holy Ghost is silent on some issues. I think we are left on our own. But we do have some help in our attempt to interpret scripture. We know that God is not a liar so scripture will never contradict itself. So what ever interpretation we have must not allow any scripture to contradict other scripture. This is way more difficult than one would think. We also know the character of God. He is love and seeks the best for us.

Even prophets are silent on many things. This is expected in my view. We are to make mistakes and correct them. We are to overreach and then suffer the consequences of that overreaching. Even John the beloved of God worshiped two angels in heaven and had to be corrected by the angels. So in the mist of a teaching moment by the Spirit of God John got some of it wrong. So how can we expect to be better than John?

There are many things I believe and few things I know. Many people turn that around to their own destruction.

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Everything in the scriptures is allegorical in the sense that there is a pattern, and it is meant to show a pattern for us to follow. For example, while I would say that the atonement is literal, as far as the events recorded (crucifixion, Gethsemane, etc), if that is all I get from the story, is it's literalness, then I am going to miss some truth I could have if I learned the pattern.

I also do not believe you can have a metaphor without being attached to some reality. Metaphor does not mean 'fiction' to me. In fact, I'm not sure what the difference between metaphor and allegory would be for me in terms of truth (as a grammatical structure, maybe different). Both show a pattern.

I also don't think what is literal (or factual) necessarily holds truth and light, although one would hope this from what is literal in the scriptures.

You are focusing on what Jesus taught, and I think that makes this an even cooler question, and I think most of what Christ taught is allegorical in some way . . . men lighting a candle under a bushel, etc . . . but then again he said Be baptized, and that isn't allegorical . . . or is it? (also)?

Come to think of it, the very act of participating in baptism is HIGHLY allegorical, which is why we need to do it because of the multiple sets of information and truth regarding a human being's progression that are located in the token of baptism.

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I think an example is in order. Let us take the following verses.

John 8:3-10

King James Version (KJV)

3And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

4They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

5Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

6This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

8And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

So what is going on here? Is this a demonstration that Christ could outsmart the Pharisees? I don't think that is the message. Is it saying that you can shame people to get away with adultery. I don't think so. Is the message that Christ can wrote on our hearts and change our behavior. He can but that is not the message. Is He demonstrating that He has the power over the Law of Moses? No way that is true. Did He violate the Law of Moses? No He did not. When there are no witnesses then punishment can't be given out. He used the Law. So what is the message? In my mind Christ showed how the Law was supposed to be carried out. But that view is based on another verse.

Galatians 5:14

King James Version (KJV)

14For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

If all people loved each other then people would reconcile their differences and not bring each other to the judge. Now many will say that I have gone too far. But have I?

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If all people loved each other then people would reconcile their differences and not bring each other to the judge. Now many will say that I have gone too far. But have I?

No. This is one of the meanings of the law of Moses, as you say. And very few people see it. For example, in the matter of stoning someone to death, we forget to call out the clothe-less emperor, and no one quite realizes that you cannot have a stoning of someone to death for their violations of law unless everyone picks up a stone to throw. In other words, the law of Moses is not as much about those who have violated the law . . . it is about those who are willing to condemn. As long as there are those willing to stone their brother and sister, there will be a law of Moses. When there becomes no one willing, then God can say, "Good. I'm glad you are finally over that. Now let's move on to what I really want to teach you."

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The more I learn of the Gospel, the more I see the teachings as metaphorical. There are some exceptions, but my list is growing shorter yearly. Certainly, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked are still on my 'literal' list.

Great comments!

HiJolly

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The more I learn of the Gospel, the more I see the teachings as metaphorical. There are some exceptions, but my list is growing shorter yearly. Certainly, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked are still on my 'literal' list.

I agree!

In Luke 17, Jesus was asked, when the kingdom of God would come & he replied, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."

Scriptures, & all else are filtered through that miraculous noggen on the top of our bodies. :acute: You know, our brains & minds.

The bible has been through so much... The council of Nisaea for starters.

Yet the wonderful thing about so many scriptures is that they are written so that we all can relate to them, according to our unique understanding... along with the spirit within us.

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No. This is one of the meanings of the law of Moses, as you say. And very few people see it. For example, in the matter of stoning someone to death, we forget to call out the clothe-less emperor, and no one quite realizes that you cannot have a stoning of someone to death for their violations of law unless everyone picks up a stone to throw. In other words, the law of Moses is not as much about those who have violated the law . . . it is about those who are willing to condemn. As long as there are those willing to stone their brother and sister, there will be a law of Moses. When there becomes no one willing, then God can say, "Good. I'm glad you are finally over that. Now let's move on to what I really want to teach you."

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Bless you, you see it. The Law of Moses is the Gospel. People see injustice in the Law but it comes from the injustice of men. There should never be a stoning. And if people miss that message He gave another:

Luke 12:57-59

King James Version (KJV)

57Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

58When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

59I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.

This is a picture of our judgment.

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The more I learn of the Gospel, the more I see the teachings as metaphorical. There are some exceptions, but my list is growing shorter yearly. Certainly, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked are still on my 'literal' list.

Great comments!

HiJolly

Could you give a couple of examples as to what has changed from the literal to the metaphorical?

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I don't take anything the Gospels say that Jesus Christ said as anything more than third person accounts, far removed from the time and setting of those sayings. Anything, therefore, that I find disagreeable I leave out.

And I do not believe in literal fulfillment of prophesy. Any millennial epoch will have to be created by us cooperating sufficiently to transform our planet via the powers that have been "revealed" and developed. God knows, we literally have the power to destroy this world: and with that same power and even greater powers to come we can and will transform Earth into the paradise we all desire to inhabit....

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