What would it take?

[Neo-Scholastic]

More than 90% of your fellow Christians disagree with that. You're just an exception. The problem is that it isn't so clear when one should read it plainly or dig deeper for meaning.

I'd put it at more like 30% by official denomination doctrine (Southern Baptists, Evangelicals, etc.) and a little less by personal conviction. I think many individual Christians are more likely take prophecies with a grain of salt, kind of like JairCrowford, relying on the "no one knows...not even the Son of Man", etc. It's sometimes a bit of a cop-out.

Being in my early 50's, I remember the adults rounding us up to show us the movie "A Thief in the Night" and other scary bible stories. That was all before the "Left Behind" series. Back then everyone was all worked up about "The Late, Great Planet Earth." That's the thing about Evangelicals, they're always jumping on the latest trends. You'd think by now they'd have figured out that there's a whole publishing (and music) industry geared to exploiting Christian audiences. But I can't say I blame them. It's a lot easier to pop in a DVD of "God's Not Dead" than reading "The Cloud of Unknowing."

Would you agree, Neo, that one who reads the bible as if it were an authority, yet misunderstands it, is obedient to the wrong authority? If this is the case, you ought to have as many problems with Christianity as anti-theists do.

Yes and no. I personally believe Scripture operates on several levels. There's quite a bit of value in a plain reading. Life lessons, like don't stand on the roof peeping at bathing princesses, words of comfort and hope in the Psalms, and everyday guides from Proverbs, etc. I enjoy the symbols and allusions - particularly from a Swendorgian perspective. Personally, it seems obvious to me that some books and passages are clearly meant to be read poetically, like Job, or symbolically like Revelation. Genesis is kind of a special case. IMHO as long as people don't use it as a science book, their generally safe. Likewise for the NT, it's safe to read it like its contemporary literature, such as Plutarch's Lives.

Personally, I consider the Bible authoritative. I would say that a misinterpretation is more like misunderstanding the directions your boss gives you at work. Maybe you didn't get it exactly right, as long as you have a good working relationship with him and are trying to do what's best for the company, you should be fine. People that use the Bible to justify their own agendas are going to be in very hot water (literally).

Yes, it reads a lot like a strange work of fiction.

I'll grant you that.