As someone who has attended church since before I could walk, in a family comprised entirely of devout Christians, and having read the Bible cover to cover it has become increasingly clear to me that these holy scriptures were meant to be taken symbolically, not literally or historically. Things like talking snakes and bushes, virgins giving birth, eating the body of Christ, staffs turning into serpents, and many other biblical “miracles” are all actually ancient spiritual symbolisms, found in many cultures/traditions around the world, thousands of years older than the Bible, referring to psychological phenomena, not historical events. Of course snakes and bushes cannot talk, of course virgins cannot give birth, Christ isn’t a cannibal, wooden staffs cannot turn into living serpents, water cannot magically turn into wine, breads/fish cannot magically manifest from the aether, and humans cannot survive for days inside whale’s bellies.
2 Corinthians 3:6 clearly says the scriptures should NOT be read literally. Matthew 13:34 says Jesus never spoke unless it was in parables. He said people who took the word literally were like those who looked but could not see! Modern fundamentalist Christians who read the Bible literally with their over-active left-brains are missing the whole point. The reason Jesus cast nets to the right side, sits on the right side of God, and builds the door to the temple on the right side, is because he is leading us out of our lower left brains and into our holistic, symbolic, higher brain on the right.
The following full-length documentary featuring Eric Dubay, Pastor Bill Donahue, Pastor Ray Hagins, and John St. Julien explores the many esoteric symbolic hidden meanings in the Bible and sheds light on the deeper and more personal and practical wisdom hiding behind the church's literal interpretations.
http://www.EricDubay.com
http://www.AtlanteanConspiracy.com
http://www.IFERS.123.st
▶️ DTube
▶️ IPFS
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You're completely and totally wrong. The Bible is meant to be taken literally unless it's clear from the context that you can't. What's the symbolic meaning of "Thou shalt not murder"?
The Bible is at least as figurative as it is literal. I interpret it more literally than the OP does, but also realise that things like the creation story are parables of the actual events.
https://bibleevidences.com/archaeological-evidence/
"It would be extremely difficult for the honest skeptic to dispute the overwhelming archaeological support for the historical accuracy of both the Old and New Testaments. Numerous items discussed in the Bible such as nations, important people, customary practices, etc. have been verified by archaeological evidence."
So obviously, the Bible is partly an historical work. That's undeniable.