You know, I was 'taught' much the same...that some of those concepts and numbers were only metaphors, or were poor translations form an ancient language, etc., and were not to be taken literally.

But if that is the way of it, it does get interesting, hmmm? If it wasn't REALLY 4004 B.C., and Methuselah didn't REALLY live 969 years...and Lot didn't REALLY offer his virgin daughters to an angry crowd, then did the Red Sea really part? And was Jesus really born to a virgin? And did Jesus really feed all those people with a few loaves & fishes?...etc....

In many ways, some of the smaller, very fundamentalist churches, who claim to believe in the Bible as the literal **Word of God** have it a bit easier, whereas some modern congregations who do much interpretation are constantly re-assessing what 'exactly' they can be sure of.

The deal is, we acknowlege in the very structure of the language that it IS a matter of 'belief'. If each morning the clouds were to open up and a loud voice were to re-iterate the 'rules' in a thunderous voice in all languages and transgressors were to be smited (smitten?) in proportion to their sins, there wouldn't be many non-'believers', I suspect. Lacking that, we have to pick & choose & guess & hope ....and rely on VERY complex rules of prayer/confession/absolution/repenting/sacrificing/offering...etc....and IF we guess right and follow enough rules, we 'may' get to go to....ummmmm...another dimly understood metaphor called 'heaven' in an 'afterlife', which is also not clearly understood as to how it works.

There was a little news article just the other day, about a couple of Jewish congreations who meet and share and keep the 'customs', but do NOT talk about God. I know several other groups which do similar things. There seems to be a trend that way, though in some areas, there are 'revivals' and other resurgences of traditional ways and worship patterns.

As one who DID grow up in Kansas as a Methodist, then as a Unitarian, then as an apprentice philosopher with NO affiliation.. and has seen a lot of variety since, I guess I can only comment from the sidelines as I am doing now. These matters ARE important, no matter WHAT you believe or don't believe, as they affect behavior all over the world. All I ask is for those who are guided by religion to try to understand those of us who are NOT. I will try to do the same in return.