some questions on the book of genesis

by evergreen 15 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  restrangled

  Gopher :

  I hope you're open to all possibilities, including the possibility that Genesis contains mythology and assertions inconsistent with science that the Bible writers couldn't have known about.

  With that in mind, I submit the following answers for your consideration.

  1/ In Genesis 1 it says God created the earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th. In fact in vs 31 of chapter 1- with refernece to the 6th day the bible writer even refers to the evening and the morning of that paticular day. Is this to be taken literally rather than figuratively? The reason I am asking this question, is because if God can accomplish anything, why shouldnt we take this as being literal, just as the writer was inspired to write it? Please enlighten me with your views on this.

  If Genesis were literal, then the earth would only be thousands of years old. Scientists doing an impartial study went to Antarctica and did some ice core drilling. Much like rings of trees, you can read layers of ice to determine the age of an ice sheet. This one in Antarctica proved to be 1.5 million years old. So earth would have to be AT LEAST that old. Here's the link for that: http://www.pages-igbp.org/science/initiatives/ipics/data/ipics_oldaa.pdf

  The only problem is Genesis 1:1and 2 states (NWT version)

  In [the] beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2. Now the earth proved to be formless and waste and there was darkness upon the surface of [the] watery deep. and God's active force was moving to and fro over the surface of the waters.

  This is no way states how long the heavens and the earth existed before God started working on the earth. So it could have been hundreds of thousands of years if not more in our terms.

  Gopher than stated:

  If Genesis were literal, then the earth would only be thousands of years old. Scientists doing an impartial study went to Antarctica and did some ice core drilling. Much like rings of trees, you can read layers of ice to determine the age of an ice sheet. This one in Antarctica proved to be 1.5 million years old. So earth would have to be AT LEAST that old. Here's the link for that: http://www.pages-igbp.org/science/initiatives/ipics/data/ipics_oldaa.pdf

  It was after the division of day and night that there came to be a first day.

  just a thought.

  r.
• 

  stevenyc

  Nark,
  
  Your use of the English language is outstanding, and your usage of "literal" is correct. That is, context, non-metaphorical.
  
  steve
• 

  evergreen

  Good point restrangled; I was kind of thinking along those lines myself. Verse 1 says that God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. It does not say how long ago this was; or how long it took God to do so. The earth could have been without form and void for millions of years! Who knows?

  It is only in verses 3-5 of Genesis chapter 1, when God divided the light from the darkness, that the first evening and morning is mentioned, thus becoming the first day. This to me would make more sense of this portion of scripture.
• 

  Gopher

  The Skeptics Annotated Bible brings forth a few more questions for those who believe the Genesis account is scientific and to be taken as truth. http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/gen/1.html

  Note these points:

  In Genesis 1:1, the earth and "heaven" are created together "in the beginning," whereas according to current estimates, the earth and universe are about 4.6 and 13.7 billion years old, respectively.

  In Genesis, the earth is created (1:1) before light (1:3), sun and stars (1:16). That's backwards. The earth came later.

  In Genesis, birds and whales (1:21) came before reptiles and insects (1:24). That's in backwards order.

  (1:3-5, 14-19) God creates light and separates light from darkness, and day from night, on the first day. Yet he didn't make the light producing objects (the sun and the stars) until the fourth day (1:14-19).

  (1:11-13) Plants are made on the third day before there was a sun to drive their photosynthetic processes (1:14-19). Notice, though, that God lets "the earth bring forth" the plants, rather than creating them directly. Maybe Genesis is not so anti-evolution after all.

  (1:16) "The greater light [the sun] to rule the day, and the lesser light [the moon] to rule the night." But the moon is not a light; it only reflects light from the sun.

  "He made the stars also." God spends a day making light (before making the sun and stars) and separating light from darkness; then, at the end of a hard day's work, and almost as an afterthought, he makes the trillions of stars.

  (1:17) "And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth."
  Then why is only a tiny fraction of stars visible from earth? Under the best conditions, no more than a few thousand stars are visible with the unaided eye, yet there are hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy and a hundred billion or so galaxies. Were they all created "to give light upon the earth"?

  (1:20-21) "Let the waters bring forth ... fowl."
  From what were the fowls created?

  (1:24) "Let the earth bring forth the living creature"
  Does the Bible teach evolution?

  (1:29)
  "I have given you every herb ... and every tree ... for meat."
  May Adam eat from any tree?
  What should we eat?
  Is it okay to smoke marijuana?

  (1:31)
  "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."

  In Genesis 1 the entire creation takes 6 days, but the universe is about 13.7 billion years old, with new stars constantly being formed.
• 

  VoidEater

  Maybe Genesis is not so anti-evolution after all.

  <grin!>
• 

  evergreen

  In Genesis 1:1, the earth and "heaven" are created together "in the beginning," whereas according to current estimates, the earth and universe are about 4.6 and 13.7 billion years old, respectively.

  Hi Gopher, some good points , but genesis doesnt say how long the beginning was? so yes it could have been what 'current estimates' are!

  In Genesis, the earth is created (1:1) before light (1:3), sun and stars (1:16). That's backwards. The earth came later.

  In Genesis, birds and whales (1:21) came before reptiles and insects (1:24). That's in backwards order.

  Can this be proved beyond all doubt?

  (1:3-5, 14-19) God creates light and separates light from darkness, and day from night, on the first day. Yet he didn't make the light producing objects (the sun and the stars) until the fourth day (1:14-19).

  Man created the light bulb and separated light from darkness, so why couldnt God produce some form of temporary light untill creating the two luminaries? just a thought!

  (1:16) "The greater light [the sun] to rule the day, and the lesser light [the moon] to rule the night." But the moon is not a light; it only reflects light from the sun.

  Yes the moon reflects light from the sun, but in a rounabout way undeniably illuminates/lights the earth to a lesser degree during the night!

  (1:17) "And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth."
  Then why is only a tiny fraction of stars visible from earth? Under the best conditions, no more than a few thousand stars are visible with the unaided eye, yet there are hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy and a hundred billion or so galaxies. Were they all created "to give light upon the earth"?

  Who is to say that God had not already made trillions of stars, but simply added more visible to the eye. No one can prove/disprove this. Yet is it not within Gods power?

  (1:20-21) "Let the waters bring forth ... fowl."

  According to my bible, it says' let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens.

  It doesnt actually say the birds literally came form the waters?

  (1:24) "Let the earth bring forth the living creature"

  Adam came from the dust (Gen 2:7)

  (1:29 ) 'I have given you every herb ... and every tree .. for meat.'

  In my bible NKJV it says.. for food, rather than meat.

  My point in doing this Gopher, is that with every argument, there is a counter argument. Much of what we read in the bible is hard to comprehend. We simply dont have the knowledge to prove or disprove many of these things and people will continue to raise questions. At the end of the day however it is up to each individual to decide whether they will put their trust and faith in God and his inspired word.