Why Scriptural Symbolism?

"Symbolism...stretches the capacity of both expression and comprehension and becomes the medium through which some of the most universal, elemental, and intangible concepts of man are conveyed." ~ Funk and Wagnalls company Dictionary

"Why?"
It's my favourite question. (When I ask it, not my 4 yr old).  Why use trees as symbols? Why are certain colours or numbers mentioned more than others? Why use the same symbol but convey opposing meanings at different times?

If I understand it correctly, the easterners, those who wrote the bible, wrote more in a painting style. The details aren't important as long as the message gets across. We westerners, write more in a architectural style, where all the details have to be perfect. So, we "architects" are reading a book written by "painters" expecting every detail to be perfect and literal. We are looking at a painting and expecting it to be a blue print. Seeing it as such is a very big mistake. Now don't get me wrong, I believe the bible is an inspired work. I believe it is the word of God. But the authors wrote in a way as to paint a picture in our minds, not give us a blue print. Hence the dilemma in the world of whose interpretation is correct? A lot of what was written is symbolic, and I love searching it out and finding the true meaning behind it.

My interest in scriptural symbols began on my mission. I served for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints* in Connecticut U.S.A. I can't remember when I first got a fascination with symbols, but I do remember the first book I bought. "Symbols in Stone" by Brown and Smith. It talks about some of the symbols and images on our Temples. Since that book I have had a new way of approaching scripture. It opened my eyes and mind to different possibilities. I find it very interesting that a simple image, a tree or a snake for example, can send different messages to different people. That the same symbol or image can be used for different purposes in the same book. Whole cultures can see a symbol one way and another culture can see the same symbol in a complete opposite way. The swastika is a great example of that. (no, the swastika is not in the scriptures).

That brings up a good point. Many of the symbols I talk about wont be based in the scriptures. I mentioned in my first post, "Welcome", that I may be changing things around in my blog while I get more comfortable with certain names and titles for my topics. This one may change to just "Symbolism". We will see.

I also ran into Freemasonry* on my mission. I will talk about this in more detail later. Freemasonry is an organization based around using symbols to teach biblical principles. It is fascinating seeing what symbols they choose and the meanings they have behind them.

Symbols are a way for us to communicate entire messages in a single image. It is our responsibility to discover the meanings of these symbols and what hidden messages lie within.

*DISCLAIMER*

I want to mention a couple things about this subject. I am coming at this from the perspective of an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and an active Freemason. The purpose of this blog is NOT to persuade anyone to believe the same as me, it is merely a study journal for my studies and a spot where I can share my thoughts with others who are interested. I am always open to your point of view of symbols and what they mean to you. 
Also, I am not going to do an exposé on Freemasonry. I will only be giving examples of masonic symbols and their meanings. 
I hope you can enjoy my insights.