I do NOT take the Bible literally, although I very much take the philosophy behind it as literal.
So PB, according to my dictionary as to the meaning of
literal are we to assume you don't take such things as the following literally?
The virgin birth, physical resurrection of Jesus, healings, water to wine, raising of the dead, parting of the sea and plagues of Exodus, Lot's wife to salt, actual places in the universe called Heaven and Hell, death of Ananias and Saphira, walking on the water, feeding of the five thousand, et al.