Symbols are things that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental but not intentional resemblance. So much of every religion is symbolic because there is nothing concrete to hang any item of reason upon it. Here is a picture I took a few years ago in which someone is trying very hard to stress the nature of his god's love. His god on the other hand kills relatives to win bets and punish his favorites, saves a child and lets hundreds of adults die in the same disaster - sometimes, and sends blood thirsty bears to kill mischievously mocking children. I could go on but the point here is people are in denial about nature and the supernatural. Only one truly exists and the other is a blanket explanation - all be it a very poor one - for the mysteries of life we so want explained but don't have the patience to wait for true discovery via reason and science.