The Genesis 1 Creation Myth was written during the Babylonian Exile and has very obvious ties to Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation myth. In Genesis 1, God creates all the Babylonian gods thereby showing that He is the true Supreme Being. I don't know about Genesis 2, except that it was probably written earlier than Genesis 1 and served as a "source" for the priestly writers of the first Creation Myth.
However, the fact that Genesis 1-11 are myths and should not be taken literally is pretty obvious. Like all ancient people, the Israelites created stories in order to explain the world around them, and those stories were rooted in the myths associated with Egypt and Babylon, their two powerful neighbors. That isn't to say that God's existence isn't real, but just that the Israelites way of explaining that existence was through allegory, instead of historical fact.
"The Genesis 1 Creation Myth was written during the Babylonian Exile and has very obvious ties to Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation myth. In Genesis 1, God creates all the Babylonian gods thereby showing that He is the true Supreme Being. I don't know about Genesis 2, except that it was probably written earlier than Genesis 1 and served as a "source" for the priestly writers of the first Creation Myth. However, the fact that Genesis 1-11 are myths and should not be taken literally is pretty obvious. Like all ancient people, the Israelites created stories in order to explain the world around them, and those stories were rooted in the myths associated with Egypt and Babylon, their two powerful neighbors. That isn't to say that God's existence isn't real, but just that the Israelites way of explaining that existence was through allegory, instead of historical fact."the point being missed i beleive is that Genesis as well as all other books of the Bible were were written by man.....but...."Inspired by God". Genisis says exactly what God intended it to say......being God, he could have spelled it out in terms no man would misunderstand or be able to deny.....
God's whole premise for salvation is based on FAITH....not full and complete understanding of how each and every little detail was brought about.
It is man's nature to search for absolute answers.....a nature he gave us by the way.....it is his desire and command that we overcome this and just believe, thru faith.....that's all it takes to enter his kingdom.
becoming bogged down in argueing the details....is it literal?.....is it an anolgy?....is counter productive to his "mission statement" to man.
For me i could care less how he did it......7 literal days.....or 7 million years of evolution....makes no difference...he designed it and put it in place and here we are.
with that said.....for me, if "evolution" is a part/process of creation, it is an even more impressive act by God than his just snapping his fingers and saying....let there be light....
either way.....makes no difference to me.....he said he created us.....period.....how he did it will be an interesting revelation one day when i join him.