Yes, Catholicism isn’t the only Christian view, but it is a huge and major one, which is why I referenced it (not everything I wrote concerns Catholicism). We’re not talking about a few hundred thousand believers. We’re talking about at least a billion people who believe these literal things (or profess to believe them but, for all I know, may harbor private doubts).

If many believers don’t believe in Hell as a celestial torture chamber, that’s news to me. Lots of people are always talking about the need to be saved. Oh? What am I being saved from? In tandem there’s talk about Judgment Day. Once again: Oh? Why am I being judged? It seems to me that to be judged is to indulge or entertain a binary answer: Something good or bad will happen as a result of being judged. The eschatological view of believers and theologians (of certain Christian denominations, at least) supports this.

“The book of Revelation is purely metaphorical.” Fine. But try telling that to all the “end times” folks who believe otherwise.

The end of your closing sentence hits the nail on the head: “…without recognizing its diverse literary forms.” Yes, exactly. If people were to read the Bible only for literary pleasure, as they may read The Sagas of Icelanders for literary pleasure or The Epic of Gilgamesh for literary pleasure, then I wouldn’t have written my essay.