Allegories and God

(I’ve read and heard from many Christians that the Bible is full of stories and myths. Adam and Eve are only one example. And so I thought of that accusation in light of what the apostles clearly believed.)

Only an Allegory?

See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to human tradition, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily (Colossians 2:8-9).

If Adam and Eve were not real people
rooted in history,
If they are simply a story to illustrate
humanity’s turn from God,
Then for whom did God kill the animal
to cover their sin with blood,
and their bodies with clothing*
which foreshadowed the Lamb of God,
whose blood on a cross
would cover our sins?

If Adam and Eve are only a fable,
Then from whom do we inherit original sin?
And what could St. Paul have meant when he wrote:
“For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life?**
If our first parents were simply an allegory,
Then what could the Apostle have meant when he wrote:
“Through one person sin entered the world,
and through sin death,”*** ?

If Adam and Eve are not historic individuals,
can we be certain Jesus’ resurrection is not also an allegory,
a fable to illustrate life’s triumph over death?
Can we be sure the changing of bread and wine during Mass
into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ
is not also an allegory to illustrate God's presence with us?

Yet perhaps more germane than all these questions
is the question:
If Adam and Eve did not exist as
special and unique creations of God,
then perhaps He who is called “God”
is also not really historical –
but only an allegory.

*Genesis 3:21

** 1 Corinthians 15:22

*** Romans 5:12

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