tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391589105125862189.post4498452674989651636..comments2023-05-31T04:03:39.724-07:00Comments on THE PEDESTRIAN: IN THE BEGINNING. Genesis 1Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11303081827664223429noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391589105125862189.post-35603727270810439052014-01-31T13:10:04.720-08:002014-01-31T13:10:04.720-08:00Agreed.
Trying to avoid a tome. But your point is...Agreed. <br />Trying to avoid a tome. But your point is well taken. I didn't mention the assumptions at all. One thing that sounds like snark, but I think should give us all pause: the vast, VAST majority of folks who I've known who adhere to a strict "Bible says it, I believe it" literalism do not speak Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek. What they take as perfect, they often don't realize requires unknown translators to be inspired in a way that makes the various translations and interpretations puzzling to say the least. But, we live in a world where a news pipeline can feed you their slant on politics, and we walk away feeling as if we understand the issue enough to argue about with others who get their feed from the other channel, so this arrangement seems reasonable. <br />What we must be careful about on the "other end of the spectrum" is not doing so much negating of others' certainty that we begin to revel in cynicism and nihilism. Making it either immovable concrete ("it's literally true!"), or meaninglessly abstract ("it's just another Mediterranean creation myth!") abuses the text. Like most things, we're called to the middle. See yesterday's "and".<br />Thanks Jeff.<br />Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11303081827664223429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391589105125862189.post-43336548446671172002014-01-31T12:47:27.902-08:002014-01-31T12:47:27.902-08:00First of all - awesome, awesome post.
> Some s...First of all - awesome, awesome post.<br /><br />> Some say in response to this, “I take Genesis exactly as it is. Word for word.” <br />Your points, well made indeed, however don't even include the fact that 'word for word' is in fact a translation, and the words we read in English aren't necessarily the same words, meanings, or inflections of the original author. That statement also complete overlooks their context and worldview also. One of the most important things for me personally in my faith journey was a youtube video of a Scandanavian fellow explaining this, and that there was the possibility that the typical 'day' translation might actually be 'age' in the original Hebrew, which totally changes the concept of the literal 7-day creation. The point is - does it really matter to us as Christ followers, as God-believers, whether the Almighty executed his creation in 7 calendar days as we now know them? If your entire belief system hinges on that answer being an absolute, inflexible 'yes', then I have to really wonder what your belief system is all about in the first place.jbeardsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05271405859177594476noreply@blogger.com