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Why cannot Christians accept that not everything in the Bible is cast-iron fact, yet still maintain their faith in God?
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and I know people who successfully reconcile their careers as scientists with sincere Christian beliefs which would be hard to do if they took the bible literally.
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This discussion has been circling around a subject that I have been contemplating. The theology of the author and the works are the subject of many essays, books, and this thread, but as I read all of this (great article, Beth), I become more and more appreciative of the author, and his serious treatment of the actual, literal history of Britain (or western Europe), with the conscious acknowledgement (and historical implications) of Christianity. Incoporating themes that are universal, Christian, and humanity oriented, that are as subtle as they are - is really quite impressive. Especially being Catholic, when one regards the history involved in the early years of the church through the middle ages and into recent history.
It's a subject of reconciliation of our past, a validation - perhaps even a justification, yet still within the realm of the canon of Catholisism, and Christianity. One can debate the flood, literal interpretation, and etc, I think that the real gem is the ability of the author to fold in our ancestor's pre-Christ reality in to the historical context that the dimension Christianity brings to our history. The inhabitants of Europe that lived and struggled and died all those many years before Christ had a place in the Plan (if one subcribes to the idea), or a movement in the Song. Or, the concepts of forgiveness and salvation for an entire culture and people who had not yet heard the word of Christ. That subject very few people are compelled to approach.