Metaphor and Genesis 1:28

A big part of the problem with the Judeo/Christian religious tradition has its origins in this verse from Genesis. While some people claim that the Bible is just metaphor, a large percentage of people in that tradition take this verse very, very literally. I'll start with the last half of it, and then work back.

"subdue it (the earth): and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth"

People take this as freedom do lay waste to the planet and its creatures, if they wish. God said, they proclaim, that they have "dominion" over it. They own it, and can do what they like to it and everything on it. Screw you if you don't agree. We see the result of that on a daily basis and as we look to the future.

Then, there's the first part of the verse: "God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply..." And boy, do a lot of religious people take that seriously. They take it to mean make as many babies as you possibly can. The Roman Catholic Church takes it to mean that no contraception or termination of pregnancies is allowed, because it violates this command from God. Nothing can interfere with reproduction on a wholesale basis. God said, "Make lots of babies," and the church agrees. A helluva lot of evangelical Protestant churches agree with those sentiments. There's even a movement called "quiver-full" that advocates that women have as many babies as possible, for pete's sake.

What to do with all those babies? Well, God didn't say anything about that, He just said, go make babies, as fast as ever you can. And so, we have done that. In spades. It's our duty, they say. Nothing should ever interfere with that duty, except, you know, priests and nuns aren't allowed to make babies, because "reasons".

The Judeo/Christian deity didn't put any conditions on that verse. He just said, go make lots of babies and do whatever you want with the planet and its creatures. And so we have taken that literally, on the whole, and are being fruitful and multiplying, even if it kills us all and everything else to boot.

So, tell me again how the Bible is all metaphorical and shouldn't be taken literally. I've seen it being taken literally by its followers, and it's killing us all slowly but surely, along with other species. The largest denomination of Christianity insists on it, in fact, as do many Protestant denominations.

That's the trouble with blindly following rules generated by bronze age nomadic goatherds. They couldn't see what it would all lead to.

Feh!