Did God write Genesis?

doubtingmerle

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Some claim that God wrote Genesis, but I think not. After all, Genesis tells us that plants were created before the sun, and birds were created before land animals. One would think the God of the universe would know it was the opposite.

And Genesis says it was all done in six days, or at least it can easily be interpreted as saying that. One would think the God of the universe would be more clear about the billions of years he spent on creation.

So no, I don't think God wrote Genesis. Do you?
 

JackRT

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We know that Moses did not write the Torah. At least five authors (J,E,P,D and R) have been tentatively identified based on their quite different writing styles and use of vocabulary. "J" used Jehovah exclusively for God and may have been a person in the court of Solomon about 950 BC. "E" used Elohim for God and wrote in the Northern Kingdom about 200 years later. "P" was concerned primarily with ritual and were probably priests writing during the Exile. "D" wrote the entire book of Deuteronomy about 600 BC. "R" were the redactors or editors who cobbled it all together. This whole process took place over some 500 years.

Beyond that, Rabbi Maimonides has commented that a great deal of Genesis is "mythology and borrowed folklore".
 
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Kenny'sID

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Some claim that God wrote Genesis, but I think not. After all, Genesis tells us that plants were created before the sun, and birds were created before land animals. One would think the God of the universe would know it was the opposite.

And Genesis says it was all done in six days, or at least it can easily be interpreted as saying that. One would think the God of the universe would be more clear about the billions of years he spent on creation.

So no, I don't think God wrote Genesis. Do you?

As far as I know, the only thing God wrote personally was the ten commandments, but I'll be happy to stand corrected on that. I think he casued the rest of the bible to be written, at least that is the overall idea I get.

Why be clear about billions of years? Or the better question, what makes you think there were billoins of years involved?
 
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SkyWriting

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Some claim that God wrote Genesis, but I think not. After all, Genesis tells us that plants were created before the sun, and birds were created before land animals. One would think the God of the universe would know it was the opposite. And Genesis says it was all done in six days, or at least it can easily be interpreted as saying that. One would think the God of the universe would be more clear about the billions of years he spent on creation. So no, I don't think God wrote Genesis. Do you?

History is always a matter of faith.
It's dumb for Science to suggest
that any theory provides anything
more Science Fiction.

The Science Fiction formula is take
what we see, then propose "what-if".

41GIMdnaHXL._SX297_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
 
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Nihilist Virus

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Genesis makes so many preposterous claims that the idea of a talking snake does not even crack the top ten. If an extant deity composed the book, and did so with full sincerity, then I would expect every scientist on earth to go mad.
 
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SkyWriting

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SkyWriting

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Genesis makes so many preposterous claims that the idea of a talking snake does not even crack the top ten. If an extant deity composed the book, and did so with full sincerity, then I would expect every scientist on earth to go mad.

Likely it is describing perceptions. And reality is only what we imagine it is.
My dad has dementia with a reality where the birds listen to what he says and they tell others.

It sounded crazy until he showed me them repeating his whistle from our driveway.
 
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ViaCrucis

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Some claim that God wrote Genesis, but I think not. After all, Genesis tells us that plants were created before the sun, and birds were created before land animals. One would think the God of the universe would know it was the opposite.

And Genesis says it was all done in six days, or at least it can easily be interpreted as saying that. One would think the God of the universe would be more clear about the billions of years he spent on creation.

So no, I don't think God wrote Genesis. Do you?

God didn't write any of the Bible, so no, God didn't write Genesis.

Genesis, like most of the Pentateuch, seems to be the result of redaction from several authors (c.f. the Documentary Hypothesis).

-CryptoLutheran
 
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JackRT

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The Science Fiction formula is take
what we see, then propose "what-if".

OK, that may be the "Science Fiction Formula" but "Science" goes on to say "test it, test it and test it again" and then if it doesn't fit to "change it or discard it" and keep on testing. Repeat if necessary.
 
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Likely it is describing perceptions. And reality is only what we imagine it is.
My dad has dementia with a reality where the birds listen to what he says and they tell others.

It sounded crazy until he showed me them repeating his whistle from our driveway.

If it is only describing perceptions, then are you saying that you would classify it as fiction? Recall you said this:

Unless you feel it is complete and perfect, then it must be fiction.
 
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Moral Orel

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Unless you feel it is complete and perfect, then it must be fiction.
Currently we can't explain what or why atomic forces are.
Four basic forces, strong, weak, electromagnetic and gravitational
All we know is where to find the few we know of.
Oh man, the irony of a theory being honest enough to say, "I don't know" about parts of it, and then you calling it fiction...

You're using the word "fiction" incorrectly. Fiction means false. It doesn't mean incomplete.
 
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SkyWriting

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Oh man, the irony of a theory being honest enough to say, "I don't know" about parts of it, and then you calling it fiction...You're using the word "fiction" incorrectly. Fiction means false. It doesn't mean incomplete.

So you feel that the description of the first 1 millionths of a second
of the big bang are based on first hand knowledge?
Or is somebody spinning a yarn based on tidbits of information.
But I'll used my tired ol' example:

1. What was the temperature at your front door 30 seconds ago?

Provide me with a non-fiction answer and show your work.
 
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Moral Orel

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So you feel that the description of the first 1 millionths of a second
of the big bang are based on first hand knowledge?
Or is somebody spinning a yarn based on tidbits of information.
But I'll used my tired ol' example:
1. What was the temperature at your front door 30 seconds ago?

Provide me with a non-fiction answer and show your work.
No no no... We're not switching topics to Big Bang theory. You made a claim about all science, not one specific theory. And atomic theory, the one I picked at random, doesn't have anything to do with past events, so your questions are completely irrelevant.
 
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SkyWriting

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No no no... We're not switching topics to Big Bang theory. You made a claim about all science, not one specific theory. And atomic theory, the one I picked at random, doesn't have anything to do with past events, so your questions are completely irrelevant.

Atomic theory has been shown to be wrong... and an invented Science-fiction.
Got better?

a·tom·ic the·o·ry
noun
  1. the theory that all matter is made up of tiny indivisible particles (atoms). According to the modern version, the atoms of each element are effectively identical, but differ from those of other elements, and unite to form compounds in fixed proportions
See: Can You Turn Iron into Gold?
 
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Moral Orel

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Atomic theory has been shown to be wrong... and an invented Science-fiction.
Got better?
a·tom·ic the·o·ry
noun
  1. the theory that all matter is made up of tiny indivisible particles (atoms). According to the modern version, the atoms of each element are effectively identical, but differ from those of other elements, and unite to form compounds in fixed proportions
My guess is that you mean Dalton's atomic theory has been shown to be wrong because he thought atoms were the smallest thing, but then we discovered there were smaller parts. But you didn't back anything up except with the Google definition, so I can't be sure. Is there some reason you think that atoms have been proven to not exist?
 
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JackRT

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Atomic theory has been shown to be wrong... and an invented Science-fiction.

I am a retired scientist, mathematician and educator and this is the first time I have heard of this. Can you refer me to the journals where this major breakthrough was announced? Thank you.
 
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Kenny'sID

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Some claim that God wrote Genesis, but I think not. After all, Genesis tells us that plants were created before the sun, and birds were created before land animals. One would think the God of the universe would know it was the opposite.

And Genesis says it was all done in six days, or at least it can easily be interpreted as saying that. One would think the God of the universe would be more clear about the billions of years he spent on creation.

So no, I don't think God wrote Genesis. Do you?

As a humanists, do you believe there is a God?

If not, wouldn't it stand to reason we already know your views on anything that may be claimed God did?
 
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JackRT

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As a humanists, do you believe there is a God?

I am both a Christian and a humanist but, having said that, my conception of the divine likely is quite different from yours.

If not, wouldn't it stand to reason we already know your views on anything that may be claimed God did?

No, I think not.
 
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