So how do you explain Genesis? I'm really curious - why do you attack someone who grapples with the apparent contradiction in Genesis. How do you handle the two different versions of Creation?
by calling everyone who disagrees with him an idiot, natch
Easily. They are both equally valid, or, more technically, both accounts have equal validity quotients. Mind you, it is not stated that these quotients are above zero.
L
One way to understand the bible is to take a study course that helps you understand the launguage and context, like a Precepts course. Genesis is VERY important to understand, since it is the foundation of the entire Bible. Genesis is also one of the hardest books to understand (except Revelations) so people often just skip it and say that it's not to be taken literally. Precept studies make it so clear and understandable, that even a 12 year old can grasp it.
One must understand Moses's writing style to understand why there seems to be different accounts. Moses gives an overview of events in one chapter, then fills in the details in the next. This is a common theme throughout Genesis. In chapter 1, Moses gives us an overview of Creation, and in chapter 2 he fills in the details. He does this again in chapters 10 and 11. In chapter 10 Moses gives us an overview of the separation of nations and the tower of Babel, and in chapter 11, he fills in the details.
If I wrote a story about 9/11 using Moses's style, I would tell that Hijackers crashed planes into American landmarks, killing thousands in Chapter one. Then, in chapter 2 I would go back and describe from the beginning how it happened in great detail. Most writers set up the account in the first paragraph, then give supporting information in the subsequent paragraphs.
The Old Testament was in existence at the time of Christ. He studied from it and taught from it. If there were any errors in it, He would have made it known. Christ accepted it as the perfect written word of God.
I didn't understand most of what I read in the past, and I had so many questions. I relied on what people told me. After doing the Genesis study through Precepts, it all makes perfect sense. The study doesn't tell you what to think or believe, it helps you gather the information and learn for yourself.
Never accept what someone tells you is the truth without studying it for yourself. It's like listening to the MSM for ALL of your news and believing it!
Obviously according to csense they are both true for the Bible tells him so. Some people lost their ability to think in Sunday School.