However, religionists point to them, even those who claim not to be Bible literalists. There was no Adam and Eve, no Garden of Eden, no Cain and Abel, and no freaking talking serpent. None of that. Such ideas are clearly nonsense and pure mythology.
That creates a real conflict for Bible enthusiasts. They know it's mythology, but can't say so. That creates a shitstorm generated by the "true believers" who take it all literally. So, they hedge and dissemble, referring to Adam and Eve only when necessary, but in total confusion, since they have to take it sort of literally or the entire story falls apart.
Meanwhile, Science has a very, very good handle on the evolution of the human species. It understands how humans came to be what they are now. Who was Eve? Well, mitochondrial DNA offers some clues, but they don't match up with the whole Eden story and all the mythology. So, the fundamentalists have to claim that science is wrong, and the metaphorists have to do their delicate tap dance to preserve any semblance of belief in Genesis as a true story at all.
In some cases, they've reduced it all to some sort of amorphous "Creator," who set the entire metaphorical creation into action. Then, they have to try to fit that "Creator" somehow into the mythology. The process is comical and entertaining, but that's all it is.
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