Define literal vs non-literal.

A non-literal reading of the Bible works like this: you read the Bible and then say it means what you thought it means before you started.A literal reading of the Bible works likes this: you read the Bible and then say it means what you thought it means before you started.The only difference between the two methods is that one of them claims it reads the Bible "literally". Seriously, have a look at any apologetics site or any of the handwavy explanations of why contradictions in the Bible aren't. There are no actual literalists, only people who claim to be literalists while actually introducing masses of their inventions into the Bible and ignoring anything that they don't like.