What I've never understood is...

[Tikkin]

..why both evolution and the Bibles version of creation can't both be right. In the translation of any language into another there are certain words were a compromise is used. The word originaly translated into "day" has now been realised to also mean "a period of time".

So if you then read the story of the creation it could also tie in with what we now know as evolution. It doesn't say iterally anywhere that, for instance, a cow appeared out of the blue just as we know it today. But that He created the birds of the air and beasts of the field. It doesn't say what form they were in. And even evolution can't answer how the first cells sparked into life. And that's where I see the hand of God.

I choose to accept this. What do you think?

 

[Sopharos]

..why both evolution and the Bibles version of creation can't both be right. In the translation of any language into another there are certain words were a compromise is used. The word originaly translated into "day" has now been realised to also mean "a period of time".

So if you then read the story of the creation it could also tie in with what we now know as evolution. It doesn't say iterally anywhere that, for instance, a cow appeared out of the blue just as we know it today. But that He created the birds of the air and beasts of the field. It doesn't say what form they were in. And even evolution can't answer how the first cells sparked into life. And that's where I see the hand of God.

I choose to accept this. What do you think?

An open-minded approach. I think Genesis was never meant to be taken literally, considering the circumstances at which it was written. I think the general ideas Genesis was simply trying to get across were that:

1. God created.
2. Man sinned.

One thing about your post which I must correct, however, is this:

"And even evolution can't answer how the first cells sparked into life."

Never meant to.

 

[Jet Black]

long time no see sopharos. hows things?

 

[Sopharos]

long time no see sopharos. hows things?

Been busy, travelling again.

 

[Tikkin]

When I was a small child at Sunday School, I remember telling my teacher that I felt that the first books of the Bible were put there as a starting point, because it had to have a beginning, and they wrote it in a way that the people of that time would understand, sort of like the parables of Jesus, the people in his stories didn't exist, they were a general example of the situation.

I still feel that way about the Garden of Eden story, but feel the over all building of the earth can be accepted as I previously said.

Strange child wasn't I? The teacher was interested, and wanted to talk more about it to me, but it was going home time, and by the next week my mind would have been on other things.

 

[Jet Black]

Been busy, travelling again.

not enjoyable?

 

[tocis]

I think the general ideas Genesis was simply trying to get across were that:

1. God created.
2. Man sinned.

Could also be seen as a metaphor about becoming adult... leaving the safety of childhood and facing the hard but responsible life of an adult.

 

[Jet Black]

When I was a small child at Sunday School, I remember telling my teacher that I felt that the first books of the Bible were put there as a starting point, because it had to have a beginning, and they wrote it in a way that the people of that time would understand, sort of like the parables of Jesus, the people in his stories didn't exist, they were a general example of the situation.

I still feel that way about the Garden of Eden story, but feel the over all building of the earth can be accepted as I previously said.

Strange child wasn't I? The teacher was interested, and wanted to talk more about it to me, but it was going home time, and by the next week my mind would have been on other things.

it doesn't really do it in the right order though. It puts grass before animals for example. An interesting thing though is that it follows the same order as some older religions, but in those each element is a god of some sort. In that, Genesis seems to be deconstructing the elements as gods, and makes them all natural objects created by God. that is what I could envisage the purpose of genesis as being. the order and timeline is not so critical.

 

[Silent Bob]

The common answer amongst people in my church was that Genesis is a symbolic story not to be taken literaly, its main purpose was to explain a couple of things to ancient minds and mistakes are found because altough it's inspired by god it is writen by men.

 

[JohnR7]

they wrote it in a way that the people of that time would understand,

Sounds like you had a good sunday school teacher. You were able to learn one of the first things they teach in Bible school. That we have to look at who the Bible was written to, in order to understand it's message for us today.

 

[JohnR7]

The word originaly translated into "day" has now been realised to also mean "a period of time".

That is why you have about 1/3 of the people that believe in theistic evolution. The Bible says God created Adam and put him in the garden of eden. They just believe it took God millions or billions of years to create Adam.