Literalism and Relevancy

In a recent discussion with a good friend and supporter of my research, it became obvious to the two of us that the metaphorical and poetic nature of religious revelations was also directly related to its continued relevancy, in that it gave the articulation point to map the insights into the present as the time of revelation receded farther into the past.

That would mean that, potentially, both the diminishing importance of the Book of Mormon and the need for ongoing revelations within the context of the Latter Day Saints movements could be due to the Biblical primitivism and revelatory literalism, which impedes the religious reuse of the revelations, other than would have been the case for metaphoric and poetic readings.

As a result, it might make sense to look back at Maimonides, who took great advantage of the metaphoric and poetic contents of the Old Testament during the rescue of that scripture for the Aristotelian philosophy of the Middle Ages.