LogFAQs > #978898845

The dogmatic teaching to have a literal interpretation of the Bible is a relatively modern phenomenon, ironically. As others have noted here, it's important to conservative Christian evangelical groups. To most groups of Christians in the world, it does not matter if you take Genesis as literal history and most typically don't.

Growing up in Southern Baptist type communities, it was very interesting to learn how my understanding of Christianity was limited to a pretty specific subset that emerged in the US less than 100 years ago. If the Christian community around me was not so radical, it could very well be that I wouldn't be an atheist today. But the vehement denial of obvious truths is likely permanently entangled with Christianity, and it would be very difficult to convince me of any afterlife.