Reza Aslan argues the Bible was not meant to be as literal as it is inconsistent. Instead of Biblical Literalism, Christians should believe the story of Jesus.
A Biblical scholar called Reza Aslan has attracted many critics as he discusses the theme of biblical literalism. Biblical literalism theory of the Bible that believes that absolutely everything that is written within the Bible is completely true, and must therefore be followed as it is the direct Word of God. Reza Aslan, on the other hand, does not believe that Biblical literalism is the best way to read the Bible, as he argues that there are certain contradictions and historical errors within the text.
Giving a direct example from the Gospels, Reza Aslan points out that in the Gospel of Luke, it is stated that Jesus was born in the year 4 BCE; and that in the Gospel of Matthew, it is stated that Jesus was born in the year 10 CE. That is a full ten years difference, and it is clear that both dates cannot be correct at the same time. Reza Aslan has reiterated, however, that he is not doubting the spiritual messages within the Bible at all, and believes them to be powerful and holy; he just believes that as the Bible was written by people, there are naturally going to be some statistical errors that creep in.
Reza Aslan also believes, though, that literalism was never the goal of the early Christian Church that formed the Bible. The Gospels were less to be a historical record and more designed to be explain who Jesus was as a person and son of God.
However, Biblical literalists have taken Reza Aslan’s words as a direct attack on the veracity and sanctity of the Scriptures. They argue that the dating system that we use now was only created in the 600s CE, and therefore it is possible that later translators of the Bible misunderstood the dates. They also believe that quibbling over minutiae such as dating within the Bible can draw away people’s attention from the key messages of the Bible which is love of all people, acceptance, and divine forgiveness.