Genesis: Real, Reliable, Historical

ICR ^ | September 2009 | Andrew A. Snelling, Ph.D.

[GodGunsGuts]

Genesis: Real, Reliable, Historical

by Andrew A. Snelling, Ph.D.*

Introduction to (new book entitled) Earth's Catastrophic Past

Why Take Genesis Seriously?

The first eleven chapters of the Bible have been relegated by many to the category of myths, not real history. These are said to contain spiritual truth, but they cannot be taken seriously as records of real people and events. Many sincere Christians who believe the Bible do not know what their pastors believe about the historicity of Genesis. Is it safe to assume that these believe in the following truths?

1. God created everything in six 24-hour days.

2 Adam and Eve were real people.

3. God cursed a perfect world as a judgment for sin.

4. Noah constructed an Ark by which two of every kind of air-breathing, land-dwelling animal were saved along with Noah's family from a global flood.

5. The confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel produced the language groups that are found around the world today.

An alarming number of Christian leaders and teachers instead believe that God "created" through evolutionary processes over millions of years, that Adam and Eve descended from a hominid population, and that there has never been a global flood, suggesting that the account of Noah and the Ark is a story adapted from a Babylonian myth.

Mainstream Christian orthodoxy regarded the opening chapters of Genesis as just as real and reliable as the rest of the Bible until 150-200 years ago. So what has happened?...

[UCANSEE2]

When did hunting heretics get to be an exercise in political activism?

It's a tactic politicians have used for centuries. They promise to save the world, then when they can't, they must point to someone else to blame it on.

[T Minus Four]

Do you always answer a question with a question?

[tacticalogic]

My God put it in writing :-)

Then you worship the hand of men.

[itsahoot]

All because I didn’t believe the literal text of the Bible.

You really think that is the reason for the confrontation?

You are so full of self pride, you live for these types of confrontations. Time for some real inner reflection of your confrontational style of proselytizing.

[T Minus Four]

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

Revelation 1:1-3

[T Minus Four]

My God put it in writing :-)

Then you worship the hand of men.

And what do you worship my friend?

[tacticalogic]

It's a tactic politicians have used for centuries. They promise to save the world, then when they can't, they must point to someone else to blame it on.

The Founders found much justification in parting company with the established authority of the day over such abuses.

[tacticalogic]

And what do you worship my friend?

The God of Creation, who's creation is it's own testament.

[UCANSEE2]

I don’t mean to sound harsh but I think taking the Bible too literally cheapens the deep and profound lessons and wisdom that are contained in it.

If the Bible had been written by modern humans, having the benefit of modern technology, it certainly would have been a different story.

But, it wasn't. Ergo the nature of the descriptions in Genesis.

And you are exactly correct. Even with the simplicity of the narrative, most still miss the 'deep and profound lessons'.

Especially the one's where GOD ONLY is omnipotent, and omniscient, and we are not.

[Ira_Louvin]

Usually, even a non-Christian knows something about the earth, the heavens, and the other elements of this world, about the motion and orbit of the stars and even their size and relative positions, about the predictable eclipses of the sun and moon, the cycles of the years and the seasons, about the kinds of animals, shrubs, stones, and so forth, and this knowledge he hold to as being certain from reason and experience. Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn. The shame is not so much that an ignorant individual is derided, but that people outside the household of faith think our sacred writers held such opinions, and, to the great loss of those for whose salvation we toil, the writers of our Scripture are criticized and rejected as unlearned men. If they find a Christian mistaken in a field which they themselves know well and hear him maintaining his foolish opinions about our books, how are they going to believe those books in matters concerning the resurrection of the dead, the hope of eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven, when they think their pages are full of falsehoods and on facts which they themselves have learnt from experience and the light of reason? Reckless and incompetent expounders of Holy Scripture bring untold trouble and sorrow on their wiser brethren when they are caught in one of their mischievous false opinions and are taken to task by those who are not bound by the authority of our sacred books. For then, to defend their utterly foolish and obviously untrue statements, they will try to call upon Holy Scripture for proof and even recite from memory many passages which they think support their position, although they understand neither what they say nor the things about which they make assertion.”

-St. Augustine of Hippo, “On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis”, A.D. 408

[UCANSEE2]

Doesn’t mean you don’t try, but you must have enough respect to know that you never will...

At least until after you die.

[Lazamataz]

Then you worship the hand of men.

I've been known to worship my hand.

Got a problem wit dat???

[GodGunsGuts]

LOL!...St. Augusting was referring to people like you!!!:

Augustine—The City of God Against the Pagans

II Of the Falseness of the history which ascribes many thousands of years to times gone by

“Let us, then, omit the conjectures of men who know not what they say, when they speak of the nature and origin of the human race. … They are deceived, too, by those highly mendacious documents which profess to give the history of many thousand years, though, reckoning by the sacred writings, we find that not 6000 years have yet passed.”

http://books.google.com/books?id=ReU2M8cLtGcC&pg=PA511&lpg=PA511&dq=Let+us,+then,+omit+the+conjectures+of+men+who+augustine&source=web&ots=wiAokxvGEb&sig=5blUfiE5bl5szUaDhYKvswTPbUg&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#v=onepage&q=&f=false

[UCANSEE2]

If GOD had given us all the 'technical and scientifically provable evidence' about the creation of the Universe, the creation of Earth, the creation of mankind, and all life on Earth, there would be no need for 'faith'.

It would have been counter-productive, would it not?

[PapaBear3625]

Those evo-atheists who remain intolerant of the Christian Right (such as the Temple of Darwin fanatics over at Little Green Footballs) should be purged from the conservative movement IMHO. Let the liberals have them.

I'm a believer in smaller government, lower taxes, and individual liberty.

I also think that you are a fruitcake, and an embarrassment to the conservative movement.

I don't think that thinking that Genesis is allegorical rather than literal makes me less of a conservative.

[UCANSEE2]

The Founders found much justification in parting company with the established authority of the day over such abuses.

Yeah, and it's too bad that has been forgotten by most.

[itsahoot]

Do you always answer a question with a question?

Yes, and no. Why do you ask?

[itsahoot]

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy

Revelation is the only Book in the Bible that makes that promise. Strange huh? Seems to make it important to read, yet many people avoid it.

[GodGunsGuts]

You are entitled to your ignorant opinion, but if a so-called conservative demonstrates that they are one of those evo-nazis who are all about forcing taxpayers to pay for Darwood’s drivel, forcing our children to learn Darwood’s drivel, forcing public schools to exclude the main alternatives to naturalistic evolution...and if, on top of that, they want to curtail the influence of the most reliable pillar of the Reagan Coalition, without which, no conservative would ever win...then yes, I am all for marginalizing these evo-nazis from the conservative movement. It’s better that these people be cast out, and allowed to join the ranks of the dems and the independents then to have them stab the conservative movement in the back, as Little Green Footballs is doing right now.

[Ira_Louvin]

Nice try, but St. Augustine is pointing out his perceived flaws between Christianity and the pagan religions of the time. You would have seen that if you had read past your cherry picked portion. He says nothing regarding science.

However in my quote he clearly states that he does not believe in a literal interpretation of Genesis, and that to over look what science shows us only makes Christians look foolish and hinders the conversion of non-Christians.

I have advised you many times that I am a Christian, but I will discuss my personal religious beliefs with you. Have failed miserably at any attempt at an honest debate so until you decide to debate honestly your misdirection, and name-calling will no longer work.