I believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God, but not nessisarily (oh forget it I typed it out 3 times and it still isn't right) literal. Remember it is an infinite God trying to speak to finite man in terms that finite man can grasp. I too think the creation story is figurative, but that does not change the fact that God created the universe.
A Harris parable:
There once was a 2 dimemsional creature sitting at home and before his very 2 dim. eyes a piece of 2 dim. matter appears and starts to grow. the 2 dim. creaure freaks then he hears this voice that tells him it is ok, and he is actually seeing a 3 dim. creature pass thru his 2 dim. world. Since he is only 2 dim. he can not grasp that there is another dimemsion. So the voice ( the 3 dim. creature) tells the 2 dim. creature "I'll try to explain it to you". "Draw a circle", Now drawing a circle in 3 dim. is easy, but it is tough in 2 dim. it can be done using some mathamatical formulas. So the 3 dim creature paitently (sp?) waits while the 2 dim does the math.
The 2 dim. gets the circle drawn, and the 3 dim. tells him to rotate the circle and he will be able to grasp the 3rd Dim. So the 2 dim. rotates the circle clockwise.
"No" says the 3 dim. "rotate it the other way".
So the 2 dim. rotates the circle counter-clockwise.
Again the 3 dim. say "no I mean the other way"
Now the 2 dim. only knows of two ways. so the 3 dim. says "I'll show you".
And he rotates the circle in the 3rd dim.
The 2 dim. only sees a circle turn into an oval then a line then back to an oval then to a circle once again. Because of his limitations ( the 2 dim. can not grasp how it is done) yet it is done, Matter appears and changes before his eyes.
God has a simular (sp?) problem with us, how does He explain to us about the infinite, we are finite. We can't grasp how to turn the circle in the other direction.
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"the memories of a man in his old age,
are deeds of a man in his prime"