the stories make very little sense next to each other, don't they?
No they don't. But the people who compiled the stories were not stupid, they too could see the incongruities, yet they included the two mutually exclusive stories. They also placed the newer story first, the older later. The made no attempt to combine them, or make them fit together like they did with the flood myths.
So why? Why include both stories?
There are several possibilites. One is that they were important to to different sects, and so for political reasons both were included.
Another though is that they two stories illustrate two entirely different facets. In Genesis 1 we see a remote and sophisticated God, one that creates and then stands back, an overarching God, one that transcends creation. It also teaches us about the Sabbath.
The story in Genesis 2 and later we see a different facet. The God of Genesis 2 is personal, direct and hands on. Where the God of Genesis 1 is transcendant, the God of Genesis 2 is personal and intimate.
Edited by AdminPD, : Off Topic Warning
Edited by AdminPD, : Removed Warning
Aslan is not a Tame Lion