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To: TChris
Yup. Also, the very term "day" is frequently used, even in modern English, in very vague ways. For example: "Back in the day of the victrola, audio recording was poor at best.", or, "The day of reckoning had arrived for this corrupt politician." I think you're ignoring the fact that it is irrelevant how the word is used in English or any other living language, vaguely or otherwise. What matters is how it is used in Hebrew. In the case of the Genesis account, when you combine it with the context of "and there was evening and morning," which is typical Hebrew literature denoting a specific period of time, the clearest meaning of the words is a normal, regular day, not an indefinite period of time. If we stop taking Scripture at its clearest meaning and viewing everything within the context, then we leave all of Scripture up to the wildest forms of interpretation. It's exactly that which leads to all forms of heresy.
17 posted on 05/05/2006 8:49:15 AM PDT by Porkandbeeny
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To: Porkandbeeny

"If we stop taking Scripture at its clearest meaning and viewing everything within the context, then we leave all of Scripture up to the wildest forms of interpretation. It's exactly that which leads to all forms of heresy."




And, it's why we have hundreds, if not thousands, of denominations of Christianity, each based on some interpretation of Scripture.

The creation story in Genesis could hardly have been written any other way, considering its audience, which had no concept of millions of years, nor could it have understood the idea of evolution in the first place.

The first chapters of Genesis are an allegory. It's that simple.

But, I suppose some folks believe it is, as written, a detailed account of how things happened. That's their privilege, as it is the privilege of other Christians and Jews to see it as allegorical.

Anyone who claims to have a full understanding of the Bible is fooling with you. That's impossible, as those hundreds or thousands of denominations of Christianity affirm.


20 posted on 05/05/2006 8:53:36 AM PDT by MineralMan (non-evangelical atheist)
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To: Porkandbeeny
In the case of the Genesis account, when you combine it with the context of "and there was evening and morning," which is typical Hebrew literature denoting a specific period of time, the clearest meaning of the words is a normal, regular day, not an indefinite period of time.

The "morning and evening" day is defined by the rotation of the earth. Does Genesis declare that the earth has always rotated at its current rate? Nope.

The length of the "days" of the creation is doctrinally irrelevant. It's hard for an idea to be a heresy when it simply doesn't matter one way or the other.

The definition of faith is not denying the truth once it is known, but believing the truth before it is known.

27 posted on 05/05/2006 9:07:03 AM PDT by TChris ("Wake up, America. This is serious." - Ben Stein)
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To: Porkandbeeny
...combine it with the context of "and there was evening and morning," which is typical Hebrew literature denoting a specific period of time, the clearest meaning of the words is a normal, regular day, not an indefinite period of time...

Good point by you.

85 posted on 05/05/2006 11:30:57 AM PDT by KMJames
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