2) figurative / symbolic / allegorical interpretation. 3) a mixture of both. Does either the Bible or Catholicism require, for example, the serpent in Genesis to be taken absolutely literally in all ...

Adventurers in Europe’s great age of exploration sometimes denied the humanity of newly discovered tribes on the grounds that their remote locations — inaccessible from the Middle East — meant they ...

The speed of the digital world helps fuel the spread of "fake news", the Pope has said Pope Francis has denounced the "snake tactics" of those who spread fake news, saying the first case of ...

Chinese Christians understand Jesus’ seemingly contradictory directive. The Bible seems to give snakes a bad rap from the outset. Scripture depicts the serpent as evil and deceptive, from tempting ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

The Bible shows little curiosity about subjects we normally place under the rubric of science, such as the origin, age, structure and diversity of the physical world. Aside from a stray verse in 1 ...