# Do Christians who believe in a non-literal Bible; do they believe in Jesus' resurrection? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 1, 2013, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844 "2013-06-01T05:45:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/41 "2013-06-02T03:14:29Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > \ I’m not at all super clear in my head right now. Sigh. Who ever really is? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/42 "2013-06-02T03:29:41Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Honestly, I feel like religiousity is hard wired. You either have the wiring for it or you don’t. I’m wired for it. What I can’t decide is if that wiring was entirely random, selected for by natural forces because it helped us survive and thrive as a species…or if that wiring was put in place by some Divine (of which I may be a part) fiddling with DNA to remind us that we’re more than talking sacks of meat. If it’s the latter, why wouldn’t the Divine bestow all of us with this wiring? (I shouldn’t ask this question too loudly. Don’t want hurricanes and tornados swooping down on me.) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/43 "2013-06-02T03:40:14Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > If it’s the latter, why wouldn’t the Divine bestow all of us with this wiring? Maybe you chose the Deluxe Package for this incarnation, freeing you from worrying about such matters. 😉 I don’t know. I’d love to find out, though. Why are you wired to create art, and I’m wired to heal people? Whether random or Divine, it seems we don’t all get the same gifts/burdens, and religiosity is just one more of those. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/44 "2013-06-02T15:50:15Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#): > > I imagine he has something in mind like this: [Progressing Spirit : The Resurrection](http://johnshelbyspong.com/sample-essays/the-resurrection/) > > I suppose that I am probably a little more congenial to Bp. Spong’s POV than **FriarTed** (but I don’t know that for certain, I don’t know what **FT** ’s take on him actually is). Huh, interesting stuff. Like everyone, I’ve met Christians of all varieties, from Bible literalists to viewing the Bible’s stories as parables, to everything east, west and in the middle of that, but they’ve all accepted as a matter of faith that Jesus was physically resuscitated from death. I’ve not encountered any skepticism of that or interpretations that the resurrection itself may have been symbolic. I learned something today. (This board can be informative when we’re not squabbling about politics.) ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/45 "2013-06-02T16:23:25Z")
Christians generally believe in the resurrection of Jesus, as described in the Nicene Creed: > [@](#): > > For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, > He suffered death and was buried, > and rose again on the third day > in accordance with the Scriptures. That’s the Catholic version that I know, but most Christian denominations, Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant, subscribe to this. That said, there is certainly some variation of interpretation. When I was in Catholic high school, a priest told us that we couldn’t really know what “rose again” meant, and that whatever it was, it might not necessarily have been something that would have been recorded had there been a movie camera (hey, this was in the pre-video days) set up in the corner of the tomb filming everything. This was, however, at a Jesuit school, and (as **bienville** notes above, the Jesuits can be a bit looser in their interpretations than other Catholic orders. There are Christians (and I do believe that they are Christians) who don’t necessarily believe that the resurrection was a physical event, but that there was a real resurrection of Christ in the hearts and minds of His followers. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/46 "2013-06-02T16:28:26Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#): > > I imagine he has something in mind like this: [Progressing Spirit : The Resurrection](http://johnshelbyspong.com/sample-essays/the-resurrection/) > > I suppose that I am probably a little more congenial to Bp. Spong’s POV than **FriarTed** (but I don’t know that for certain, I don’t know what **FT** ’s take on him actually is). Spong is a bit of an outlier, but the linked article does present an understanding of the Resurrection held, probably, by a significant minority of Christians. There are those who would say that lack of belief in a physical resurrection disqualifies one from being a Christian. I’m not one of them. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/47 "2013-06-02T16:46:41Z")
I’m sure Christians generally subscribe to literal resurrection, but I didn’t even know there was a competing school of thought. I thought for all varieties of Christianity and Christians, that was the one thing they all agreed on. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/48 "2013-06-02T19:36:20Z")
Well, no. IIRC there was recently in England a Bishop of Durham who expressly did not believe in the Resurrection, and I guess he called himself a Christian nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/49 "2013-06-02T19:44:30Z")
Catholic here. Yes, physical resurrection is essential to being a Christian. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/50 "2013-06-02T19:47:17Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Progressive Quakers can believe just about anything they want. But there is an expectation that everyone believe that there was something special about Jesus. This doesn’t necessarily mean you believe he performed miracles and rose from the dead. But you do have think to believe Jesus was more than just an awesome guy. Not in my experience. I have never known a Committee for Clearness to probe a prospective member’s beliefs re: Jesus, and that’s among several yearly meetings. Given how non-creedal Quakers are, it’s not like we can just check the instruction manual, but the closest I see in PYM’s Faith and Practice are: > [@](#): > > For generations of Friends, membership has been an outward sign of an inward experience of Christ, the “true light which gives light to everyone” (John 1:9) and > [@](#): > > From the Christian tradition, Friends have taken as a standard the life and teaching of Jesus, not only as recorded in the New Testament, but even more importantly as revealed inwardly, as we seek God’s truth and its expression through our lives today. There’s an acknowledgement of the historical relevance of Christian tradition. As for the resurrection, Jesus’ divinity or lack thereof, blood sacrifice cleansing us of sins we never committed, Mary’s status, etc., it’s my experience that most folks in these meetings don’t give a fuck. I don’t. My religion, to me, as about my relationship with God. The rest is window dressing for schlubs who need that flavor of woo (I need a different flavor). If they need it, fine, but it really doesn’t concern me. I don’t reject it. It just doesn’t matter. The Nicene Creed has never been mentioned in any meeting I’ve participated in. Here’s a Ph.D thesis from a few years back exploring British Quaker beliefs: [PDF](http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/682/1/Mellor10MPhil.pdf). It’s not the most amazing work, but it’s a quick read. \>70% of respondents consider themselves Christian, and \>70% would describe Quakerism as a Christian faith. Note that 66% answered “No” to “Do you believe Jesus died for Atonement (in other words to save your soul)?” The study did not address the resurrection, but I’m guessing most would find it irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/51 "2013-06-03T01:08:44Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > Catholic here. > Yes, physical resurrection is essential to being a Christian. Except for those who don’t and yet are. I think it’s a mystery. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/52 "2013-06-03T01:45:46Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > I’m sure Christians generally subscribe to literal resurrection, but I didn’t even know there was a competing school of thought. I thought for all varieties of Christianity and Christians, that was the one thing they all agreed on. For anyone who’s really interested in investigating the issue further, I happened upon this discussion: [The Importance and Nature of the Resurrection](http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/jeff_lowder/jesus_resurrection/chap2.html) > [@](#): > > while Christians may agree on the importance of the resurrection, they do not agree on the meaning of the resurrection. For example, was the resurrection an event in space and time? Could it have been captured on videotape? Was it bodily in nature? Must it be a bodily, physical resurrection in order to retain its importance? The Christian community is divided. This article quotes Marcus Borg, a leading liberal Christian scholar whom I find interesting and helpful but don’t always agree with. More on Borg’s perspective on the resurrection (as an example of the liberal approach) can be found [here](http://www.marcusjborg.com/2011/05/16/the-resurrection-of-jesus/), and a discussion/critique of his views can be found [here](http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/too-generous-orthodoxy). ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/53 "2013-06-03T04:30:20Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > There are Christians (and I do believe that they are Christians) who don’t necessarily believe that the resurrection was a physical event, but that there was a real resurrection of Christ in the hearts and minds of His followers. I think this is pretty true for a lot of us, I call myself a cultural Christian and am pretty closely aligned with Bishop Spong has to say in regards to this. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/54 "2013-06-04T10:17:30Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Except for those who don’t and yet are. I think it’s a mystery. Yes, and some people beat their wives and claim to love them. It’s a mistery. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/55 "2013-06-04T13:20:24Z")
Even the most militant atheists take some stuff in the Bible literally, for instance its account of Palestine as full of Jews but ruled by Romans in the decades around 1CE. Taking it literally is not an all or nothing matter for anybody. It is a matter of how much, and what in particular. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/56 "2013-06-04T13:51:41Z")
Another liberal (not literal) Christian who believes in the resurrection of Christ. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/57 "2013-06-04T14:57:10Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Even the most militant atheists take some stuff in the Bible literally, for instance its account of Palestine as full of Jews but ruled by Romans in the decades around 1CE. > > Taking it literally is not an all or nothing matter for anybody. It is a matter of how much, and what in particular. As a dictionary definition of literal that is true, but in the actual context of biblical exegesis saying “literal” has the specific meaning of “all the Bible, always”. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/58 "2013-06-04T15:01:18Z")
So Paul at one point literally transformed himself into a tinkling cymbal? Now there’s an image… ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/59 "2013-06-04T15:39:37Z")
You can tell the people who take the Bible literally, because so many of them are [missing their right hand](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5:30&version=NIV). ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844/60 "2013-06-04T16:08:56Z")
I guess the question has been pretty well answered, but I think it’s worth mentioning that Jesus himself may not have taken a lot of the Old Testament literally - at least, plenty of Jews at that time did not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-christians-who-believe-in-a-non-literal-bible-do-they-believe-in-jesus-resurrection/659844.md?page=4)