I will agree that God didn't create a place on Earth called "Garden of Eden", and didn't create a physical white male named Adam, didn't physically extract a physical rib from him and didn't physically turned that physical rib into a physical Caucasian female with physical long blond locks.

I will agree that God created all this in a meta-physical world. Now if you can think outside of the box, and beyond the Earth, you can ask yourself some profound metaphysical questions: Are Adam and Eve representative of the people of the Earth, or of any other planets bearing intelligent life? Is the Original Sin limited to the Earth, or is it universal? Does the sacrifice of Jesus only saves us human, or does it save people from other planets as well? If so, why did Jesus came specifically to Earth? Is he visiting the other worlds as well?

Taking the Bible to the letter, whether you're an atheist or a fundamentalist evangelical, kind of restrict the thought process. One group will read the Bible and declare it a bunch of hogwash. The other group will say it's the unquestionable Word of God transcribed in its magnificent purity.

The rest of us will read it, close the book, and start will thinking: What's the real meaning? How does that fit with my understanding of the world? How do I reconcile the notion of a universe created in 6 days, while living in a planet that was formed 4.5 billions years ago?

That's some serious paradoxes that are so fascinating to resolve if one keeps an open mind. If you are a fundamentalist evangelical, it's easy: Ignore the physical reality, and the paradox is resolved: God is everything. If you're an atheist: Easy also. Remove God and the paradox is resolved too.

Personally, I choose the hard way. By definition, it's not always easy. But I do believe I the learning, questioning, yearning, praying, make me a better man.

(PS) For an example of a man of God who believed strongly in evolution, check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Ch ardin