Was Genesis God's way of writing : Creation for Dummies?

Question

I wrote this in another answer and thought it was a good question.

I believe in God and that He created the Universe -- but He wrote the creation story very simple and left out all the hard DNA/plate tectonics info. and went for more spiritual content instead of scienctific clarity.

what do you think?

Answer 1

What I think, if you care, is that simple systems tend to evolve into complex systems. An intelligent "being" or whatever capable of creating an entire universe would have to be a very complex system indeed. This does not jive with everything else we know about entropy and evolution. Some will argue that God is outside of the laws of our universe and is therefore not bounded by them. That is just way too convenient and it has no basis in the evidence that is all around us. You may say that it is absurd to claim that the whole universe came from nothing, but I would submit that it is even more absurd to claim the universe came from a complex entity that has existed for an eternity before time zero (estimated to be 13.7 billion years ago). What was He doing in the infinte amount of time before that? Creating other universes? An infinite number of them? Multiverse Theory? Well, now you're talking. However, that doesn't really tend to prove how man could possibly be the paragon of creation, what with an infinite number of preceding universes.

Answer 2

Do you think that Moses, who penned the book of Genesis, or his contemporaries, knew anything about DNA or plate tectonics? He wrote it for the people and the culture he was living in.

Having said that, let me add that there are many scientific facts in the Bible that were verified by scientists 100s of years after they were recorded in Scripture. These include facts about the earth being round, the seemingly infinite number of stars, and the sea currents.

Answer 3

It was explained to me that the story of creation is in fact a song that the Hebrews sang while they journeyed through the desert. It was NEVER intended to be seen as some kind of explanation as to how God created everything, but that it was meant to give acknowledgment that it was one and only one God who had created it all. If you recall at the time the Hebrews were making this trip, they were very likely the ONLY group of people who believed in only one God.

Answer 4

maybe. i doubt it though. you've still got the flood, dinosaurs, the tower of babel. that book (genesis) is a myth. and it's obvious. if it were vague and said something to the effect of:
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. our of the earth came all the creatures under the sun. and god poured his spirit out upon one species which was in his image."

that opens the possibility for evolution and such..... anywhoo. science sort of kind of refutes that book of the bible. don't forget the dinosaurs. and if you've got moving tectonic plates, the earth is older than 6000 years old. :(

Answer 5

He does tell us that His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. How much of life could you actually get across to a two year old by sitting them down and speaking plainly to them?

BTW, genetics are in the writings in Genesis if you look at it.
Man was meant to live forever. After the fall death entered. (cells did not replicate perfectly) At first the defect left life expectancies at around 1000 years. As inbreeding took place the life expectancies slowly decreased until you see God place the cap of maximum age at 120 years.
He also then placed a prohibition against marrying cousins or closer because of this.

Answer 6

Are you joking? Advanced concepts about our biology or the geology of the earth were NOT on the minds of the people in those times. They had simpler thoughts. Besides, GOD put plenty of info to suggest many things. For example,

Isaiah 40:22  It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

The "circle of the earth" is a clear indication that Isaiah the prophet knew that the earth was round!!! This was hundreds of years before JESUS was born.

GOD bless

Answer 7

A lot of you people make very good points and answers. This question is really perfection to me.

Maybe if God gave scientific proof, then people would reject God, since he gave us all the answers. I would like to thank "dancers" for sparking my faith back with the Lord again. I love intelligent people on Yahoo! answers, thank you all for sharing such great ideas.

Answer 8

My thoughts exactly! Being of a scientific mind, I always wondered why it wasn't more logical or scientific. I think it is written that way for a specific reason that only He knows. I think very intelligent people have figured out certain scientific implications from the simplicity.

Answer 9

I believe the Bible is myth, but for the sake of argument let me set aside that belief.

Do you believe that God chose to dummy it down to exactly the form that was transcribed, or do you think that the humans who transcribed it could only write what they could comprehend, so therefore they themselves are responsible for much of the dummying down?

Answer 10

Of course!! The actual creation account would have filled countless millions of volumes the size of the Bible, and all of that information would have been 'WAY beyond the unscientific and barely civilized people of 3,500 years ago, for whom the ALLEGORICAL "Garden of Eden" story was therefore written instead.