I realize one thing, there are no literialists - the more we know about the human body, the world, and the universe, the less people can read the bible literially. Being that you have to willfully ignore things that show what the bible says is factually wrong. so instead you have to interpret it to mean something else or say its not really saying it
a. interpret (change the meaning)
b. say it's not really saying that (change the meaning)
you forgot:
c. just accept that it's wrong and get the hell over it.
see, there ARE literalists. i happen to be. i think the bible should be read literally, and that all good interpretion is based firmly on a literal understanding, not an attempt to correct what it literally says. i think there is more to the bible than just the literal, but that it's the place to start.
i think that the people who call themselves literalists, but have to distort the text for it to be literally
true are also distorting the meaning of "literal."