Results 1 - 3 of 3
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Creation Account: Mythical or Not? | Gen 1:27 | Hank | 85170 | ||
Before we approach the book of Genesis and ask, "Are the opening chapters fact or fiction, mythical or historical?" let's define what the English word "mythical" means. Most reasonably educated people, I believe, would agree that the dictionary is a fairly good choice when one wishes to learn the standard definitions of words, so let's go to the current edition of Webster's Collegiate and look up the word "mythical." Here's what it says: "mythical or mythic 1 based on or described in a myth, esp. as contrasted with history 2 existing only in the imagination: fictitious, imaginary 3 having qualities suitable to myth: legendary. synonym: see fictitious. ..... Now let's apply the dictionary definition of "mythical" to the events described in the creation account and ask ourselves whether each event is to be interpreteted as factual or as mythical (fictional). ..... Gen. 1:1: God created the heavens and the earth. Fact or fiction? ..... Gen 1:4-31: God's creation activity spanned six days. Fact or fiction? ..... Gen 1:27: God created man in His own image. Fact or fiction? ..... Gen 2:8: The garden of Eden. Fact or fiction? .... Gen 2:9: The tree of knowledge of good and evil. Fact or fiction? ..... Gen 2:11: Havilah and its gold: Fact or fiction? ..... Gen 2:14: The Euphrates river. Fact or fiction? ..... Gen 3:1: The serpent. Fact or fiction? ..... Gen 3:6: The fruit that Eve ate: Fact or fiction? ..... Gen 3:8-19: The fall of Adam and Eve: Fact or fiction? ..... Gen 3:22-24: The expulsion from Eden: Fact or fiction? ...... Conclusion: If the events described in the opening chapters of Genesis are read as mythical, allegorical, or fictitious, we cannot be sure that God created man or anything else. We cannot know whether there was any such thing as a serpent who beguiled Eve, or that Eve even existed. We have no historical proof of Eden or the fall of Adam and Eve. Without any reliable account of the fall, therefore, the doctrine of original sin falls apart and with it the idea that we need a savior, thus making Christ's death on the cross superfluous. ..... So which is it? The account of creation is real, factual, historical, true -- or it is mythical, allegorical, fictitious. Does it make more sense to take God at His word and to believe that what He says is the way it is, or to invent ways of explaining away the things we don't understand or feel uncomfortable with or just flatly refuse to believe or accept? --Hank | ||||||
2 | Creation Account: Mythical or Not? | Gen 1:27 | Just Read Mark | 85427 | ||
Myth. Well, apparently I am the heretic in our midst. I have appreciated reading your posts. Especially Pastor Glen's --- who uses the most symbolic reading of the serpent to rebuke my mythologizing. So thanks. I am not yet convinced, but I have an open mind. Frankly, I am surprised that there is such a consensus on the forum since, as Just Me points out, many people that take the Bible seriously - and stake their lives on it as God's word - interpret the opening chapters of Genesis as mythical (but not untrue). I guess that large swath of the faithful don't use this forum? I have a "Funk and Wagnalls" dictionary in front of me. It includes a few definitions that Hank did not include. Let's remember that words can have multiple meanings -- they don't all apply in each circumstance. "A theme, motif, character type in literature that expresses significant truths about human life or human nature" "An allegory or parable used to explain or illustrate a philosophic concept." "A traditional story, usually focusing on the deeds of gods or heroes, often in explanation of some natural phenomenon, as the origin of the sun, etc. It purposts to be historical, but is uesful to historians prinicipally for what it reveals about the culture of the peoples it describes or among whom it was current." I would add that these definitions are about myths in general --- so the humanist assumptions (particularly in the 3rd I mentioned) will make us uncomfortable. My position, however, is that the creation accounts are GOD'S stories of origins. Thus, they are timeless and true. ........ There's my bit. I think I will bow out of this discussion, because I don't want to divisive -- and because apparently I have some research to do. My own devotional study, in recent months, has been Mark, Acts, and Isaiah -- and I don't feel I should be focusing on this question at this time. Peace. |
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3 | Creation Account: Mythical or Not? | Gen 1:27 | Hank | 85540 | ||
Funk and Wagnall didn't really trump Merriam Webster or further your cause in their definition of "mythical" did they? :-) ..... You call the creation accounts in Genesis God's stories. I call them God's factual revelation to man. There seems to be a slight difference in our respective perspectives. Well, cheerio and let's write "finis" to this thread for the time being. --Hank | ||||||