The thing that irks me is that the question, "Do you believe the Bible should be taken literally?" is an invalid question akin to "When did you stop beating your wife?" Jesus said "I am the vine," yet obviously he did not believe that he was really a plant. Jewish civil law required stoning adulterers. But Christians do not routinely stone people.
The real question that should be asked is, "Do you believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God?" Asking if one takes the Bible literally either shows incredible spiritual, historical and literary ignorance, or a desire to skirt the real issue and entrap the person. I wish there were a candidate smart enough to see through this ruse.
Shows you things haven't much changed in the past 2,000 years. I'm not comparing the Huckster to Jesus but the alleged wisemen and religious leaders of His time tried the same thing. Trying to trip Him up with made-up scenarios. I think the ones smart enough to see through this do not get involved in politics but are more involved in hands-on helphing people.
It's usually an entrapment technique used to try to discredit Christians and creationists.
The distinction between *true* and *literal* is always being blurred in that kind of argument, being treated as the same thing. They aren't. Any reading of the definition in any reputable dictionary will demonstrate the difference.
The other tactic is to accuse that if one accepts the creation account as being literal, then one MUST accept the WHOLE Bible as *literally true* (whatever that means), and if one doesn't, one is accused of being a hypocrite or liar.
Just take the literal parts literally, and the figurative parts figuratively!
You have just insulted millions of fundimentalist Christians who DO believe that the Bible is the literal word of God and is not open to interpretation.