Does it matter whether or not it literally happened?

I was thinking this morning about literal interpretation of scripture. I was thinking about it because we were talking about the book "the Shack", a book I really enjoyed, though there were parts of it I theological disagreed with. One of those parts is the point at which the author is discussing the Adam and Eve story and says it really was a literal, historic event. But as I was thinking about the book, I realized that while the issue of whether or not parts of the Bible are literal and historical used to matter to me a great deal, it just plain doesn't anymore. "It is not an interesting question" I found myself thinking, quoting Luc in French Kiss. There is a YouTube clip from that movie that I will try to include here for your own enjoyment.



Not to put down those for whom this is still important. But I find that the only way in which it is still important to me is that when people get stuck in the literalness or historicity of a biblical story, they often miss the awesome and astonishing depth at which these stories can be understood if looked at from a metaphorical position. Otherwise, why does it matter?

For example, does it matter if Jonah really got swallowed by a large fish? Why does it matter? How does it matter? The story tells us that God calls us, and if we run from that call, God catches us and protects us but also holds us accountable to our true calling, holds us to being the people we are called to be, wants for us the wholeness that comes with following our true natures. That is just one layer of understanding in this story. There are many, many others as well. But if we get caught up in the details and the "did this really happen or not?" question, we will miss these depths. We will miss trying to see how this applies to our lives. We will miss reading it for the layers and the new insights that can come with repeated and in depth looks at the mythology behind these stories. The story becomes just an historic account (or not) - a strange tale about an unhappy prophet. The debate about its historicity becomes a cause for arguments and dissensions. The story becomes a battle ground for theological differences, rather than a place of wisdom and insights that apply to our lives today.

It just doesn't matter whether or not it really happened. "That is a question of a little girl who believes in fairy tales" to quote the movie, again. What matters is whether or not you will listen for the story's wisdom. What matters is if there is insight in the story that speaks to you. What matters is if you can hear God's voice speaking through these mythologies in a way that will change you. What matters is that you are open in your journey to learning, to living, to loving, with God by your side.