Metaphors and Religion

[Viva_Daddy]

“The Lord is my shepherd”. Surely no one believes that God is literally a shepherd, do they?

Well the same is true for all the various metaphors of God found in Scripture. So why do many take so many of these metaphors literally? I don’t think they were meant to be taken literally yet, too often, that is exactly what happens.

Is God a male? Does He have genitalia? Why would a spirit (a non-corporal being) have a gender? “He” wouldn’t. Long before the “male-god” metaphor was used, many believed a Great Mother metaphor was more appropriate. Neither is true in the literal sense, but don’t tell that to the literalists. You’re liable to get killed.

And why would anyone want to worship a “god” who urged followers to murder, or whose “solution” to evil is to exterminate the majority of humans (or send them to hell to be tormented eternally)?

For that matter, why would anyone worship a “god” who demanded obedience and sacrifice? Only for fear of the consequences for not doing so.

This is insanity. Then again, most humans are insane. How else do we explain the continuing history of wars of humankind? How else do we explain why humans allow the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the earth they use to grow food to be polluted…by anybody?

[Taverner]

1. Sheep. By Pink Floyd.

Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away;
Only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air.
You'd better watch out!
There may be dogs about
I looked over Jordan, and I've seen
Things are not what they seem.

That's what you get for pretending the danger's not real.
Meek and obedient you follow the leader
Down well trodden corridors into the valley of steel.
What a surprise!
A look of terminal shock in your eyes.
Now things are really what they seem.
No, this is not a bad dream.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He makes me down to die
Through pastures green He leadeth me the silent waters by.
With bright knives He releaseth my soul.
He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places.
He converteth me to lamb cutlets,
For lo, He hath great power, and great hunger.
When cometh the day we lowly ones,
Through quiet reflection, and great dedication
Master the art of Karate,
Lo, we shall rise up,
And then we'll make the bugger's eyes water.

Bleating and babbling we fell on his neck with a scream.
Wave upon wave of demented avengers
March cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.

Have you heard the news?
The dogs are dead!
You better stay home
And do as you're told.
Get out of the road if you want to grow old.

[trotsky]

2. "Metaphor" is the euphemism.

"Cherry-picking" is what's really going on. By conservative AND liberal Christians - they just pick different parts to take literally, and different parts to call "metaphor." And you know what, neither side has presented any convincing arguments as to why their metaphors should be taken as such.

Not to mention the problems with unraveling theology once you start labeling the parts you find troublesome as "metaphor." If the story of Adam and Eve is a metaphor, whence comes original sin? Why was the sacrifice of Jesus needed at all? You basically end up doing some pretty convoluted special pleading to support Christianity once you've knocked out some of the pillars as being metaphors.

[laconicsax]

4. It works out it Jesus was a metaphor too.

Metaphorical Jesus metaphorical came to metaphorically forgive us for our metaphorical sins.

[riverbendviewgal]

3. For some people

the idea of God is like a warm comforting blanket. Sometimes to keep us warm , to hide beneath it. or a feeling of protection.