Is the way that the Bible interpreted dependent upon the numbers of people who interpret a certain issue a certain way? Slave holders in the past used to interpret Colossians 3:22 (Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye are on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart.) literally when it was to their advantage, a huge issue of the times.

Today, many scriptures condemning weight problems such as Philippians 3:19 (“their god is their belly”), Proverbs 23:20 (“be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat”), Proverbs 23:2 (“put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite”) are not interpreted so literally.

I do not believe in sola scriptura or interpret the Bible literally. I use the Bible as a tool to learn about God’s teachings in conjunction with historic knowledge and traditions that we have gained through the Catholic Church. Therefore, when my curiosity is peaked and I learn about it. However, I wonder how much changing times and numbers of people who interpret it literally influences how the population as a whole interprets the Bible.