(July 12, 2015 at 1:41 pm)Redbeard The Pink Wrote: If we're just ignoring what the text says and extrapolating hidden meanings from it, then it's no different from other literature and should be held in no higher regard.[/color]
We're not ignoring what the text says, we're considering what the author intended to convey.
If I say, "It is raining cats and dogs.", what am I trying to convey? That there are a lot of dead animals out on the lawn or that it is raining heavily?
And if the scriptures are inspired by God, then it IS different from other literature and held in higher regard even if the literary forms used to convey God's message is indistinguishable from other literary works.
Authorship matters.
