Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site psivax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!psivax!friesen From: friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley Friesen) Newsgroups: net.origins Subject: Re: Origin of life Message-ID: <364@psivax.UUCP> Date: Wed, 13-Mar-85 12:32:04 EST Article-I.D.: psivax.364 Posted: Wed Mar 13 12:32:04 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 16-Mar-85 01:04:59 EST References: <14600002@hpfcrs.UUCP> <1074@utastro.UUCP> <1392@hao.UUCP> Reply-To: friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley friesen) Organization: Pacesetter Systems Inc., Sylmar, CA Lines: 38 Summary: In article <1392@hao.UUCP> ward@hao.UUCP (Mike Ward) writes: > >Genesis does not have anything to say about gravity, so there >can be no conflict. Genesis has too much to say about the origin >of life. If any theory of evolution is correct, then Genesis >is wrong. This means that the Bible is wrong. If the Bible >cannot be wrong then either science is wrong, or evolution is >not science, and/or the Biblical account of creation is science. > >This is a kind of dilemma I hope I never have to resolve. This depends on how you interperate the Genisis account. Your "literal history" interpretation is far from universal among theologans. This approach causes many problems. the Bible talks about the sun setting and rising, and at one place it "stops in the sky", all of whichj imply a geocentric cosmology. Or how about the passages which talk about a "firmament" above the earth, and the "ends" of the earth - or do you seriously propose accepting a flat Earth covered a bowl-shaped heaven, with stars poked in it? This *is* the cosmology of the Bible writers. Much of the Bible is allegory and metaphor, or do you believe that the events in Jesus' parables *really* occured? The Bible is not a uniform piece of literature, it is a composite of many different sorts of literature, each of which must be taken on its own terms. I prefer to see the Genisis account as an allegory of God's creative power in the universe, and his absolute rulership thereof. P.S Did you know that the Genesis creation account is a *direct* adaption of the Babylonian(or maybe Chaldean) creation myth, with all references to the pagan pantheon replaced by references to God. -- Sarima (Stanley Friesen) {trwrb|allegra|cbosgd|hplabs|ihnp4|aero!uscvax!akgua}!sdcrdcf!psivax!friesen or {ttdica|quad1|bellcore|scgvaxd}!psivax!friesen