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2PhiloVoid

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Thanks 2PhiloVoid! Yea, BioLogos has been awesome. Francis Collins’ (founder of BioLogos) book, the Language of God, was what kept me from going full agnostic or atheism. My only issue there was that there aren’t enough specifics on how Genesis really is a polemic. There are certainly some great articles by Peter Enns, etc. From the science perspective, it seems like they’ve got some really great resources. Just not as much on the Genesis interpretation side.

You're welcome, PC! I like what you're doing on your website, and I think at some point in the future, if the Lord tarries long enough, the 'Polemic' view, or something even more developed, will take hold. I'm glad it has been helpful to you. I know its been helpful to me over the years, although my backstory kind of comes from the opposite direction of yours.

Yes, Peter Enns is a very interesting scholar. There are a few other scholars similar to him, too, and for which I have additional sources which fit nicely here as well. Let me know if you'd like me to share these with you (or maybe you already know about them).

Peace
2PhiloVoid
 
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stevevw

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Yes, that is very true, Norbert, those of us in biblical scholarship do view the Genesis account very differently from that of the laity. The world of biblical studies is light years from the world of the laity. It's methods are very different and its conclusions can be very different. Often, the laity can feel very threatened by the conclusions scholarship reaches. Education alienates. Occupational hazard. For example, I hold the Genesis account of creation is actually two contradictory accounts placed back to back. These accounts were written by different authors and very different times.
But what do you say about the scholars who think that there isn't two different Genesis stories. That one is about the chronological events and the other is about a particular part of those events. So scholars can disagree as well.
 
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JaeMelo

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This is not the tread to discuss this but i fell I need to make a short remark on this opinion.

Your assertion is obviously a false statement. Not only for the obvious fact that the laws of physics does not see a difference in what direction time runs, but for a range of other reasons as well, which I wont go into.

Worth to mention is that your claim is part of a "thinking toolkit", such as the Wedge Strategy, which purpose is to undermine the trust in science:

View attachment 170428
Do you even know the definition of science?! Google it please. After that tell me if you still think Evolution or the Big Bang Theory <= lol, fit into the context used for the definition of science. Believe it or not Evolution and The Big Bang Theory are religions by definition not science.
 
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razzelflabben

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before I read the posts I haven't read yet today, I want to correct something I said previously. According to Gen. we know that God created both heavens and earth, but it is only the earth, or building materials for the earth that are talked about existing in any form other than the present form...one important aspect of this for us in the discussion of evolution is that we have absolutely no idea how long those building blocks were sitting around without form and void for the text says nothing at all about how long a period of time that really was, which totally destroys the argument of "why then does the earth look old, did God try to fool us"

so on to the posts of the day....
 
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-57

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before I read the posts I haven't read yet today, I want to correct something I said previously. According to Gen. we know that God created both heavens and earth, but it is only the earth, or building materials for the earth that are talked about existing in any form other than the present form...one important aspect of this for us in the discussion of evolution is that we have absolutely no idea how long those building blocks were sitting around without form and void for the text says nothing at all about how long a period of time that really was, which totally destroys the argument of "why then does the earth look old, did God try to fool us"

so on to the posts of the day....

Who says the earth looks old?
 
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razzelflabben

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That isn't how it works. The person making a claim provides evidence and predictions. The person denying that claim needs not provide these things. Until evidence is produced, and predictions are proved true, there is no reason for the denier to begin believing in a claim.
the claim is that there is no evidence for a creator, we cannot know whether this is true or not until we have predictions of what we should find if there is a creator. It isn't that hard of a concept. I want to explore and see the claim of no evidence for a creator is true. In order to do that, we need predictions that can be tested and falsified, which is exactly what I am asking for. What predictions can we make if a creator is true? Predictions that are testable and falsifiable.

Why so much stumbling, it's a very simple process and a simple question and could end the discussion immediately, all we need is one falsification for creator and the whole thing goes away. And yes, that is how the process works.

Oh, and for the record, I am not asking anyone to change their beliefs, nor am I asking for evidence, what I am asking for is very simply what predictions are "you" basing your claim that there is no evidence of a creator on? See, in order for the claim to be made, there has to be evidence that falsified the predictions, I asked for the predictions, not the evidence, not the conclusions, not a change in belief, simply what predictions are "you" basing this claim on. That is on the shoulder of the one making the claim, no one else.
You can't flip things and make the denial of a claim a claim itself that needs disproven. That's where flying spaghetti monsters come from.
But, that is to twist what I am asking for into something I didn't ask for or say. Let's put this in simpler terms and see if that helps.....
Let's say that one claims that there is no evidence that the water in the sink is hot. (see, I even worded the analogy to more closely show the claim that was made) I say, I don't think I agree, so let's look at it, what would evidence of the temperature of the water in the sink look like, what predictions can we make as to the temperature of the water in the sink.

Now a reasonable person would say something like, we can test for the rise of mercury in a thermometer, we can touch it and compare it to the temperature of our skin, we can see if there is steam coming off it, we can place an ide cube in the water and see if it melts, etc. etc. etc. But when ask for the same here, we are told that they can't or won't give anything that would support the claim, iow's it would be like the person saying....sorry, we can't test for the temperature of the water because my claim doesn't support the idea that there is such a thing as a prediction of what would happen if we do any of those things. Nonsense...if you claim there is no evidence, then predications must exist because that is how the scientific method works. I am asking for the predications that the claim says are falsified.
 
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throughfiierytrial

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before I read the posts I haven't read yet today, I want to correct something I said previously. According to Gen. we know that God created both heavens and earth, but it is only the earth, or building materials for the earth that are talked about existing in any form other than the present form...one important aspect of this for us in the discussion of evolution is that we have absolutely no idea how long those building blocks were sitting around without form and void for the text says nothing at all about how long a period of time that really was, which totally destroys the argument of "why then does the earth look old, did God try to fool us"

so on to the posts of the day....

Building Blocks while the earth was "without form and void"????? Quite contradictory phrases I'd say and building blocks are not mentioned in the Bible. Rather Scripture declares:
Psalm 148:1-6:
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.

Psalm 33:6-9:
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the people of the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

Hebrews 11:3:
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
 
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razzelflabben

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I hold that where the Gen. account is NOT a scientific treatise, and is a well crafted polemic, that does not mean that it is wrong about origins.

There are two important issues here, 1. understanding what the text intends for us to know, aka polemic and 2. understanding what it does say about creation...for example, we don't have a measure for time before the sun, moon and stars according to the account. Therefore the length of day is not specified before the creation of the sun, moon and stars.
 
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razzelflabben

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Building Blocks while the earth was "without form and void"????? Quite contradictory phrases I'd say and building blocks are not mentioned in the Bible. Rather Scripture declares:
Psalm 148:1-6:
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.

Psalm 33:6-9:
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the people of the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

Hebrews 11:3:
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
???????? what are you talking about...seriously, I don't have a clue what I said that you are reading wrong if you are taking exception to what I said about God, more specifically being the word or command of God being the mechanism for creation.
 
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-57

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I hold that where the Gen. account is NOT a scientific treatise, and is a well crafted polemic, that does not mean that it is wrong about origins.

There are two important issues here, 1. understanding what the text intends for us to know, aka polemic and 2. understanding what it does say about creation...for example, we don't have a measure for time before the sun, moon and stars according to the account. Therefore the length of day is not specified before the creation of the sun, moon and stars.

Was there not a source of light before the sun?
 
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razzelflabben

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Was there not a source of light before the sun?
WEll, the general thinking here is that God is that light and given that scripture says multiple times that God is light and that He is such a great light that there is no need for sun in heaven, it would appear that God is both literal and figurative light according to the scriptural account, which is btw, the point of the discussion...
 
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-57

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WEll, the general thinking here is that God is that light and given that scripture says multiple times that God is light and that He is such a great light that there is no need for sun in heaven, it would appear that God is both literal and figurative light according to the scriptural account, which is btw, the point of the discussion...

Then we agree...that light could have illuminated a rotating sphere that use to be void and formless.
 
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