iceage writes:
The message that humans, or self-aware intelligent life, are to bring into manifestation the full creation is an interesting one. That we are partners in the flowering of the universe.
On
the sixth yom (Hebrew word for period of daylight activity) God created man in His own image, gave mankind rule over every living thing on all the earth, then ...
God, thru Moses writes:
God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Genesis 1 verse 31 NASB
I cite the NASB because if you read the references to each of the six yom that is the only version which clearly preserves the meaning of the original Hebrew scriptures regarding how specific each yom is.
For example, God lets the daily light cycle reach the earth's surface on "one day" (not "the first"), separates the thick cloud layer from the seas on "a second" yom (not "the second"), and God completed His purpose for the sun, moon, and stars in the time represented as "a fourth" yom, not "the fourth".
This means "
the sixth" yom indeed culminates the entire process of completing the creation, after which all His work of completing the creation was "very good".
I realize of course that the NASB is using "day" where I assert "yom" is more appropriate. Every translation process has to decide the most obvious rendering of the text into a very different language for contemporary men, and I am no expert, just an amateur lover of God's Word.
As iceage comments this is a pro-science theology. The Bible has no issues with evolution, but only Darwin's unproven assertion that evolution occurs due to random chance over very long periods. In fact the prototype for the scientific method can be found in God's instructions about how to determine a false prophet to be stoned from a true prophet to be obeyed (Deuteronomy 18) - if the claim is consistent with past truth, and demonstrates power to predict truth then it is valid.
As for:
Let’s say for the sake of argument, Evidence is found that proves Darwin wrong. How do you know that the Biblical account of creation is the true story, and not the accounts told by the Shinto and Hindus (Both of which are living faiths) for example?
Citing the Bible is really invalidated by the other sagas (The Bible by itself is no more valid the others). What empirical evidence is there that proves the biblical creation story true and/or the other stories false.
Christianity is unique in the way it spread in the face of persecution. Much of the nation of Israel was in Jerusalem, saw Christ put to death by suffocation on the cross (what kills is the extreme effort to breath very visibly). That cannot be mistaken. When he was dead many other people rose from the dead (Mattew 27:52-53). Finally many saw Christ alive in the flesh afterward.
The standard for Christian behavior (which no one can actually fulfill) is unique. What other religion commands that we love our enemies (Matthew 5:43)? That lusting for a woman is adultery (Matthew 5:28)? That one should not trust humans who call themselves special masters or teachers (Matthew 23)? That the human source of the religion is God in the flesh (
John 1:1,
Colossians 1:15-17,
Daniel 7:13-14,
Isaiah 9:6)?
As for the validity of the Biblical creation story, one must be careful not to mistake the interpretations of human YEC's for what God's Scripture actually teaches. There are no verses of the Bible which say God "created" the earth during those six periods. This needs to be a whole thread. Instead every reference to those six periods refers to it as when God completed the making of heaven and earth, which in the original Hebrew is the final part of the process. The creation of heaven and earth is during "the beginning" which may preceed the so-called "first day" - the first appearance of sunlight at the surface of the earth. Each of the last five yoms begins with "And God said" or "Then God said", so there is every reason to believe that the day in which daylight first reached the earth's surface actually begins with
Genesis 1, verse 3.
I believe the scientific evidence is that:
- the stars and sun existed before the earth (Gen 1:1),
- the surface of the earth was completely covered by the seas and darkened by thick clouds before daylight would have been apparent at the surface (Gen 1:2-5),
- that land vegetation was produced before land animals (Gen 1:11-12),
- the sun, moon, and stars would have been apparent before air-breathing sea and land animals (Gen 1:14-18),
- sea and land air-breathing creatures existed before mankind (Gen 1:20-24).
Yes there remain other issues about how to interpret Genesis regarding what science has learned. Those are matters for later discussion.
PS: If you are a Young Earth Creationist, consider the following and respond in love, please.
Every word of God proves true.
He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.
Do not add to his words,
or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar.
Proverbs 30:5-6, NLT
Edited by MacCullock, : Getting back to the topic.
Edited by MacCullock, : No reason given.
My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.
Proverbs 4:20-22, NLT
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