What can we gather from Genesis?

marco · Post by **marco** » Thu Mar 19, 2020 6:16 am

Can we extract anything good from the Genesis account of creation? God apparently told Adam, the first human: "but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." He didn't say why he had planted poisonous berries in a perfect orchard. Adam seems to have lived on, having escaped the dangerous garden.

We can extract beautiful meanings from the tales of Hans Andersen, such as the Little Mermaid who learns that pleasure comes at a great price. From the story of Orpheus and Eurydice in Greek mythology we can understand that a man can enter his dark psyche to find something precious, only to have it snatched away.

Can we learn anything useful from the Genesis creation story?

If we accept the existence of Neanderthal man do we simply throw Genesis in the bucket?

earl · Post by **earl** » Tue Mar 31, 2020 6:02 am

Thomas McDonald,
I could and the examples for this are in the Bible
However by doing so someone will instigate a debate,call me out, on them when the intent of your request is only to pass a bit of information which is not the purpose or intent for posting it to you.

Thomas123 · Post by **Thomas123** » Tue Mar 31, 2020 6:45 am

[Replying to post 61 by earl]

No problem, earl, I have my own legs with which to walk. I was reading this hypothesis, amazing ideas here which appear to be rational and considered.

http://mystery-babylon.org/birdsandbeasts.html

We must consider these things when logically presented

Zzyzx · Post by **Zzyzx** » Tue Mar 31, 2020 8:35 am

.

Thomas Mc Donald wrote: I was reading this hypothesis, amazing ideas here which appear to be rational and considered.

http://mystery-babylon.org/birdsandbeasts.html

We must consider these things when logically presented

When Bible tales don't make sense, blame translation errors and/or make up new stories to 'explain' the old stories. Do-it-yourself mythology.

Perhaps it is time to consider a whole new view of the real world based upon a knowledge level a bit beyond that of ancient writers. Of course doing so would interfere with the vested interest of religions and preachers -- and would require moving out of old comfort zones of belief in invisible, undetectable, supernatural entities.

Thomas123 · Post by **Thomas123** » Tue Mar 31, 2020 9:38 am

[Replying to post 63 by Zzyzx]

Zzyzx: Perhaps it is time to consider a whole new view of the real world based upon a knowledge level a bit beyond that of ancient writers.

Great idea!
I want to know about my species and how it came about with reference to everything around me. Where would be a path that might lead to answers?
Give me one that is better than trying to unravel the assimilations of the early compilers of the creation myths in the Bible. Better still, suggest 10 sources that will guarantee me a definite answer to my simple questions. I am not prepared to settle for not knowing, just yet.

Zzyzx · Post by **Zzyzx** » Tue Mar 31, 2020 3:29 pm

.

Thomas Mc Donald wrote:
Zzyzx wrote: Perhaps it is time to consider a whole new view of the real world based upon a knowledge level a bit beyond that of ancient writers.
Great idea!
I want to know about my species and how it came about with reference to everything around me. Where would be a path that might lead to answers?

A Ph.D in biology would be a good start.

Thomas Mc Donald wrote: Give me one that is better than trying to unravel the assimilations of the early compilers of the creation myths in the Bible. Better still, suggest 10 sources that will guarantee me a definite answer to my simple questions. I am not prepared to settle for not knowing, just yet.

Are you prepared to do the hard work of actually learning?

First step in learning: There is no guarantee of definite answers.

If you are not prepared to settle for not knowing, you have a LOT of work to do. Let us know how it turns out.

bluegreenearth · Post by **bluegreenearth** » Tue Mar 31, 2020 4:21 pm

Thomas Mc Donald wrote: [Replying to post 63 by Zzyzx]

Zzyzx: Perhaps it is time to consider a whole new view of the real world based upon a knowledge level a bit beyond that of ancient writers.

Great idea!
I want to know about my species and how it came about with reference to everything around me. Where would be a path that might lead to answers?
Give me one that is better than trying to unravel the assimilations of the early compilers of the creation myths in the Bible. Better still, suggest 10 sources that will guarantee me a definite answer to my simple questions. I am not prepared to settle for not knowing, just yet.

Please pardon my intrusion into this conversation, but I have a critical thinking question for you to consider: What evidence would you need to have in order to know if the Biblical creation story is false?

Thomas123 · Post by **Thomas123** » Tue Mar 31, 2020 5:05 pm

What evidence would you need to have in order to know if the Biblical creation story is false?

There is alot of commentary about obvious contradiction in this narrative as a pure story,example being the double account of Adam's creation.The story talks about that which still is,ie,our created world. I have discounted the possibility of such an open text being false, by definition of the word.
As far as ancient writers and the instinct of oral tradition goes , I have more trust in their intuitive offering than I have with a more modern analysis of parts within my simple enquiries.That is my critical thinking take on this. Consider the world and life experience of the cultures and intelligences that provided this offering for us.

Difflugia · Post by **Difflugia** » Tue Mar 31, 2020 5:22 pm

Thomas Mc Donald wrote:Great idea!
I want to know about my species and how it came about with reference to everything around me. Where would be a path that might lead to answers?
Give me one that is better than trying to unravel the assimilations of the early compilers of the creation myths in the Bible. Better still, suggest 10 sources that will guarantee me a definite answer to my simple questions. I am not prepared to settle for not knowing, just yet.

The HHMI Biointeractive series of resources geared toward high school students and teachers. Everything's free, including online courses.

My ten-year-old daughter absoutely loves the Great Transitions series of videos, especially the one about birds.

Thomas123 · Post by **Thomas123** » Tue Mar 31, 2020 5:49 pm

[Replying to post 68 by Difflugia]

I like birds. Why did the carrier pigeon become extinct. How do you explain that to a child. Imagine when we are telling them what a tiger used to look like. Why do we do these things when we are so well educated about the natural world. Why was such a variety of species available for human consumption in the 'wet markets ' of Wuhan Province. It is probably best to give children half the story before reality is necessary.

Post by **Tcg** » Tue Mar 31, 2020 6:19 pm

Thomas Mc Donald wrote: [Replying to post 68 by Difflugia]

I like birds. Why did the carrier pigeon become extinct.

Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

Because Yahweh didn't like carrier pigeons as much as he likes sparrows. Either that or Yahweh in his Jesus costume overstated Father Yahweh's concern for sparrows. Perhaps he doesn't like birds of any kind.

Tcg