"John Carruthers" wrote in message
...
Compare the
book of Genesis to those and see what fits the evidence best, then
come
back and compare the winner to what science currently thinks.

look closely at Gebesis for what it is, and not just some whacky
creationist
view point.

The opening words of Genesis tell us: "In the beginning God created
the
heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1) Do these words of Genesis say
that
this happened about ten thousand years ago? No, it gives no time
period.

I've asked this before but had no answer;
Who wrote/recorded/witnessed Genesis ?
Is it a myth or the words of one of the many Gods, if so to whom was
it dictated ?
In what language ?
When ?

It is a "myth", not in the common use sense of a totally fabricated story,
but in the philosphical sense of a story which may not be literally true but
which contains vital truths within it.

The book of Genesis was written about 3000 years ago, in the Bronze Age.
Even if we grant that the Universe as revealed by scientific enquiry and
modern technology is "true", how would it be possible to communicate these
mind-blowing times and distances to Bronze Age tribesmen. The answer is,
you could not.

So I (as well as many Christians who are also educated scientifically) do
not read Genesis as a scientific textbook. Not too long ago, the Roman
Catholic branch of the Church made a public apology for attempting to do so
in the Middle Ages, with the unfortunate consequences that followed (and
which were also at variance with Jesus' teachings about respect and love for
others, but that is another story!). What Genesis does state (and which I
believe, together with nearly all other Christians, together with the Jews
and Moslems who also share these scriptures) is that God is responsible for
the creation and life of all that is in the "Universe". It says a lot more
beside but, as another poster has pointed out, this is not the time and
place to go there.

There is no incompatibility of modern scientific knowledge with Christian
(or many other) religions. Many scientists actually find that the
awe-inspiring wonder of the world they study leads them to religious
experience. To the religious bigots who cannot accept this, I would direct
you to my second paragraph and invite you to have a long hard think about
the nature of the Bible you read, starting (as I was taught in my Lay
Preaching training) with the orginal authors, their audiences and their
situations before moving on to its message for today. To the scientific
bigots who cannot accept this, I would draw your attention to the following:

1) It can be shown (I believe a chap called Lorenz famously started off
the modern study of this) that there are many situations about which we
cannot possibly attain enough knowledge for science to fully and accurately
predict and describe. I am reminded of this every time I wring out my
clothes after a cycle ride in the rain or watch the eddies and swirls in a
flowing river.

2) The laws of the quantum world state that although many things are very
unlikely, nothing is actually impossible. Has God left himself room to work
miracles without violating the principles of the Universe he has made?

Science and religion answer different questions. Both are gifts of God, to
be used wisely and with discernment to enrich our lives, not spoil them.
This enriching of individual and community life is the final test of both
true religion and good science.
--
- Yokel -
oo oo
OOO OOO
OO 0 OO
) ( I ) (
) ( /\ ) (

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