Can anyone point me to some protestant denominations that don't believe the Bible literally?

[raccoon]

Most of my experience in attending church is that most of the attendees at least pretend to believe the Bible literally. Admittedly I haven't visited a lot of different denominations of churches.

I know that Unitarian Universalists don't, but I've been to my local UU church and it doesn't work for me.

I recently finished a book by Rev. Oliver "Buzz" Thomas, "10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You: (But Can't, Because He Needs the Job)", which I recommend. http://www.amazon.com/Things-Your-Minister-Wants-Tell/dp/0312363796/ref=sr_1_1/185-7489629-0128044?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276782025&sr=1-1
I wish I could find a minister like him.

[DURHAM D]

1. Methodists nt

[YOY]

2. Lutherans.

n.t.

[struggle4progress]

15. YMMV. Avoid the Missouri and Wisconsin synods

[BolivarianHero]

22. It's kind of confusing here in Canada...

The Evangelical Lutherans, counterintuitively, are mainline-to-liberal Protestants whereas the Missouri Synod takes conservative-to-fundamentalist positions.

[Still Blue in PDX]

32. Missouri Synod is very conservative in the US. nt

[dipsydoodle]

3. Pastafarians

who know it can't literal in the absense of any mention of spaghetti.

[xchrom]

4. Episcopal. -- but like anything else

Some parishes can be more conservative than others.

[Ian David]

5. Unitarian Universalists, United Church of Christ, Recronstuctionist Judaism, Deists. n/t

[supernova]

6. Presbyterians, Quakers, Episcopalians, Lutherans

All of the "mainline" sort of old WASP-ish denoms, like the Methodists, are not not believers in biblical inerrancy (that the bible is literally true).

Also, there is wide variance in these denoms, there are liberal and more conservative-leaning churches, so it pays to visit with them several times.

[Critters2]

25. I know both Presbyterians and Methodists who take the Bible literally.

LOTS of Methodists.

[supernova]

26. Well, I did say there was wide variation

in individuals.

FWIW, most of the "literalists" I've met in my Presby life were *former* flavors of Baptists and pentacostals. I also knew a former Catholic in MD who was nevertheless a great fan of James Dobson and tried to bring that crap into the church as "family life counseling."

:puke:

[ZombieHorde]

27. When you say...

"are not not believers in biblical inerrancy (that the bible is literally true)," do you mean they don't believe in God and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, or do they believe some parts of the Bible are literally true and some parts are not literally true?

[supernova]

28. There is wide interpretation

on an individual level about what the resurrection means. For some, it is a literal thing, just exactly what the words say. For others, like me, it's metaphorical. Others chalk it up to "mystery." Most mainlines have that as official policy, yes.

When I say the mainline churches aren't "inerrant", I mean that as a matter of church policy at the official organizational level they don't take every word as literally true, (that the world was created literally in six days, for example). No, there is no mainline denom that supports that as official policy, though you will find individuals in these denoms who think that. Old habits die hard.

"Inerrant" is the word the fundie churches use to say that the Bible is their final authority on everything, just the way it is written. No need for literary criticism, exegesis, analysis, or historical context from their POV.

[ZombieHorde]

29. Interesting. Thanks for the reply. nt

[trotsky]

7. Well, every Christian sect believes at least *parts* of the bible are literal.

I guess the trick is to find one that thinks the same parts are literal that you do. Good luck.

[laconicsax]

14. +1

And don't forget--people who believe differently from you are poor deluded saps who might not be true Scotsmen real Christians.

[Pirate Smile]

8. I know you said Protestant but I just wanted to add that Catholics certainly don't.

[raccoon]

11. Thanks--I didn't know that. I haven't been around Catholics much. nt

[VAliberal]

12. The Roman Catholic Church

has ended its commitment to belief in a literal virgin birth and a physical resurrection of Jesus? The RCC doesn't believe in the scriptural historicity/factuality of those events? Really? The RCC has ended its commitment to a literal reading of body/blood language connected to the last supper in the Gospels? Huh. I hadn't heard that.

Really - the RCC is just as committed to fairy tales and games of religious pretend as Protestant denominations - they are all in it together.

Here and there one may find a particular congregation or minister in the Presbyterian Church USA, Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America or United Methodist Church, among other mainline denominations, that deals honestly with the scriptures as something other than literal history or metaphysical fact; but on paper they all affirm something like a doctrine of inspiration regarding scripture. None of those denominations has openly abandoned the idea of revelation, of a God's revealing information otherwise unknowable or unattainable by human beings whether in a book, a person, an institution, etc.

[rug]

17. Are you indeed a Presbyterian minister?

[ChadwickHenryWard]

19. Sometimes it seems that Catholics wish the Bible went away altogether. n/t

[dipsydoodle]

9. It is an incomplete fairy story

not meant to be taken literally - simply to illustrate points.

[safeinOhio]

10. I don't think any of them do.

In fact the more conservative they are the more likely they are to only literally interpret less and less of it.

[Taverner]

13. Well...

Some United Methodists (not Free Methodists)
Evangelical Lutheran Free Church
Unitarian Universalists
Congregationalists (some)/UCC

There are more, but these are the ones that come off the top of my head

[Critters2]

30. Do you mean Congregationalist or UCC?

Not all Congregationalists are UCC and not all UCCs are Congregationalist. I'm UCC but not Congregationalist. I really wish people would stop using the terms interchangeably.

But I know of no one in the UCC who reads the Bible literally...many who've left the UCC, but no one still in the UCC.

I take a Girardian reading of scripture. I see large parts of scripture as ascribing violence and sacrifice to God as a way of hiding human violence, as well as parts that reveal that violence and anti-dotes to it, such as imitation of non-violent figures like Jesus. So, no I don't take the Bible literally.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

16. Very few Episcopalians believe in Biblical literalism

There are a few dioceses that are run by hard-ass conservatives and a couple of parishes in each diocese that are that way (although many of the worst ones left over the questions of women's ordination or gay ordination). However, the overall tone of the denomination is liberal.

You have to check out several parishes to see which one is the best fit.

[JerseygirlCT]

18. Episcopal church

And, to my knowledge most other mainline denominations.

[ZombieHorde]

20. Are you looking for a Christian denomination which denies the resurrection of Christ?

Does such a Christian church exist?

[TreasonousBastard]

21. Amazingly enough, many Baptists don't believe in a literal Bible...

it's just those annoying Southern Baptists, and there are so many of them.

[BolivarianHero]

23. Yep...

There are non-fundamentalist denominations within the various evangelical traditions. There are even evangelical denominations and political parties in Europe that are NOTHING evangelical Christianity as it is understood in North America.

The Southern Baptists are the worst of all though. How can any decent human being remain a member of an organisation that was founded for the sole purpose of defending the enslavement of an entire race?

[BrianDude]

24. Liberal Catholic Church

I grew up Episcopalian and had a very positive experience in the church. My mom exposed me to other faiths such as Zoroastrianism. When being confirmed I told my priest that I believed in their prophet also and he was supportive.

But Episcopalians still suffer from the Adam and Eve thing though not as literal. Might I suggest the "Liberal Catholic Church". I was formally a member of a parish in NYC until the priest left. They have however split into three or four rival groups world wide for stupid reasons.

Anyway they are opposite the UU in that they love ritual. The mass is high with bells and smells all year round. The difference is they believe in reincarnation, universal salvation and that we are all sparks of the Divine.

If the ritual thing is not for you I understand the "American Baptist Convention" is fairly liberal. They are not to be confused with the Southern Baptists. Also the Disciples of Christ.

Finally there is even a Mormon off shoot that has its Headquarters in Missouri that is liberal. I believe they are called the "Reformed Church of Latter Day Saints". They have parishes worldwide. I know about them as my college was run by them when the Presbyterians couldn't afford to finance them.

Other interesting groups are Unity School Of Practical Christianity, Divine Science and Religious Science! These groups believe in a God of Miracles but not fundamentalism!

[Deep13]

31. High Episcopal.

That is, parishes that observe Catholic rituals.