I can answer your question, Steve. The imagery, references, whatever you want to call them are, for many, anyway, figurative. Or one could say, "Literary, not literal." Hymns, prayers, and such like are personal expressions, written by people who were simply trying to express their own feelings and ideas in a way that others could understand them--they are exactly like non-religious poems, pop songs, and other like, in that you look for what is personally meaningful in them, and if they doesn't speak to you, you move on.

Joe doesn't find the same meaning that I do in "One of Us", and has a particular problem with the "slob" reference. I am good with that. Other people had a problem with the song because it had "God" in it. So it goes...