Genesis interpretation question

James D. · #1 7th July 2002, 10:30 PM

I've heard some people say that the evolution can't be right because the bible says that God created mankind. My question is this: If God simply created the laws of nature and these just happened by chance to result in humans, can't you still say that god created mankind?
Is this interpretation inconsistent with any other part of the bible?

Thanks for help.

npetreley · #2 8th July 2002, 01:45 AM

Originally posted by James D.
I've heard some people say that the evolution can't be right because the bible says that God created mankind. My question is this: If God simply created the laws of nature and these just happened by chance to result in humans, can't you still say that god created mankind?
Is this interpretation inconsistent with any other part of the bible?

Thanks for help.

"Is this interpretation inconsistent with any other part of the bible?"

It's only inconsistent with part of it. The part after "In the beginning."

Didaskomenos · #3 8th July 2002, 02:21 AM

James D.,

npetreley's sarcasm notwithstanding, a chance development of our race doesn't fit the Bible very well.

1) This sounds a lot like deism - and the Bible's insistence on God's direct and personal intervention into the affairs of humankind doesn't give any room for deism.

2) Whether the creation story/stories in Genesis is literal or mythical, the Bible teaches that God made man, implying an active and intentional role that God took.

The creation story/stories taken in whole and God's intervention into humankind's affairs since human consciousness appeared seem to preclude our arrival as an afterthought. God may very well have used evolution to accomplish his ends, but we should find no reason to doubt that our existence is due to God's rolling the die by setting into effect the laws of nature (which he would have foreknown would result in us, thereby removing the possibility of mere chance). In short, if evolution is the way it happened, it was not by chance.

Are you simply asking if God could have used evolution? The answer is yes.

James D. · #4 8th July 2002, 02:39 AM

Originally posted by npetreley

"Is this interpretation inconsistent with any other part of the bible?"

It's only inconsistent with part of it. The part after "In the beginning."

I suppose you could answer that by saying it was referring to "the beginning" in a general sense of an early time before the history of human societies.

James D. · #5 8th July 2002, 02:48 AM

Originally posted by Didaskomenos
James D.,

npetreley's sarcasm notwithstanding, a chance development of our race doesn't fit the Bible very well.

1) This sounds a lot like deism - and the Bible's insistence on God's direct and personal intervention into the affairs of humankind doesn't give any room for deism.

2) Whether the creation story/stories in Genesis is literal or mythical, the Bible teaches that God made man, implying an active and intentional role that God took.

The creation story/stories taken in whole and God's intervention into humankind's affairs since human consciousness appeared seem to preclude our arrival as an afterthought. God may very well have used evolution to accomplish his ends, but we should find no reason to doubt that our existence is due to God's rolling the die by setting into effect the laws of nature (which he would have foreknown would result in us, thereby removing the possibility of mere chance). In short, if evolution is the way it happened, it was not by chance.

Are you simply asking if God could have used evolution? The answer is yes.

I see your point. Although some people believe that real chaos can actually happen (chaos theory). As far as I know, we haven't verified that chaos actually exists, just that certain things can be so extremely complex as to be impossible to predict the outcomes. But that's not surprising. If we had ways to predict all outcomes there'd be no disasters and everyone could know lotto results beforehand.
But even if chaos did exist, an omnipototent being, by definition would still have control over it. Although, that path of thought might be ignoring occham's razor.

npetreley · #6 8th July 2002, 04:28 AM

Originally posted by James D.

I suppose you could answer that by saying it was referring to "the beginning" in a general sense of an early time before the history of human societies.

I must admit that's a very creative misinterpretation of scripture, no pun intended.

Shimon · #7 8th July 2002, 05:43 AM

The scriptures tell us that death did not enter into the world until after Adam and Eve sinned.  If G-d had used evolution to create the world, and the world is "billions of years old" as evolutionists claim, then it would logically follow that every living organism that "evolved" would've had to have lived for millions of years, because there was no death until after Adam and Eve sinned.

 

Shimon

Jerry Smith · #8 8th July 2002, 08:21 AM

Originally posted by Shimon
The scriptures tell us that death did not enter into the world until after Adam and Eve sinned

I'd be interested to know whether the Bible does in fact say this. I am familiar with the doctrine, but I have never seen its scriptural source. Could you cite the passage?

James D. · #9 8th July 2002, 10:46 AM

Originally posted by Jerry Smith

I'd be interested to know whether the Bible does in fact say this. I am familiar with the doctrine, but I have never seen its scriptural source. Could you cite the passage?

Genesis 3: 19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.

22 And the Lord God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."

James D. · #10 8th July 2002, 10:48 AM

Originally posted by Shimon
The scriptures tell us that death did not enter into the world until after Adam and Eve sinned.  If G-d had used evolution to create the world, and the world is "billions of years old" as evolutionists claim, then it would logically follow that every living organism that "evolved" would've had to have lived for millions of years, because there was no death until after Adam and Eve sinned.

 

Shimon

Why do you write God as "G-d"?