Starry Wisdom

Starting a series on the above topic.

No outline of yet. Will go with the flow.

I hope you find it thought provoking… encouraging… interesting… and if offensive you really need to stop and think… and if you have something to refute what I say, I will stop and think too.

Begin and the beginning: Genesis.

So much of it all is tied up in the idea/”Truth” that the bible is flawless, complete, accurate, true, “inerrant” in matters of history and science … the totally reliable “foundation” on which Christianity (the “religion” in question here). Again and again I was told a version of the following as taken from “Keep Believing Ministries”. I have heard it over and over and over again… this is a good version. “

The question before us in this message is really quite simple: Can we take Genesis 1 literally and believe what it says about earth history? Was the world really created in six days? And if so, what does that mean and what difference does it make?

Let’s tackle the last question first. Regardless of how you answer the other questions, you need to get the question of significance settled in your mind. If Genesis is not true, then the whole Bible is suspect. If what is written in the early chapters cannot be trusted, then everything is up for grabs. That includes every miracle, every story, every psalm, and every prayer. If when the Bible talks about the Garden of Eden, there was no Garden of Eden, how can you be sure there was a Moses or a Joshua or a David? If Adam and Eve never really existed, what makes you so sure that Daniel ever spent the night in a lion’s den? If there was no Noah, then how can you take seriously the words of Jesus when he says, “As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37 ESV)? But we can go ever further. The Apostle Paul tells us that “as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (I Corinthians 15:22 ESV). He calls Adam the “first Adam” and Christ “the last Adam” (I Corinthians 15:45). But if Adam is only a myth or a legend, how can you be sure that Christ is real? Perhaps he is a myth, too. The story of the Bible is like one of those interlocking puzzles where every piece eventually connects to every other piece. If one piece of the Bible story can’t be trusted, how can you be sure about anything else?

The story of creation leads to Adam and Eve which leads to the Serpent who tempts them and they fall. When they fall, sin enters the human DNA and ends up corrupting the whole human race. God’s solution to sin is to come to earth in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died in our place, bearing our sins, taking our punishment, that we might be forgiven, declared righteous, given new life, and promised a home in heaven. There is a very direct line that stretches from the Garden to the Cross. Take away the Garden and there is no need for the Cross of Christ. Take that away and Christianity ceases to exist as a religion of salvation. We are left with a few hymns, good advice, and a church supper on Wednesday night. That’s about it. Everything else is gone.”

Read, they said. Study. The more I did the clearer and more obvious it became … this is indeed the case… and more. “If Genesis is not true, then the whole Bible is suspect.” The whole bible is not suspect… it is not “reliable”… not “infallible” … not “without error or contradiction”.

Some examples… right there … in plain and simple language… no mystery … no interpretation required (from tcaict.blogspot):

Scientific Errors in Genesis

The Earth is older than the stars in the sky.  Genesis 1:6-10 & 14-19.

Plants existed on Earth before the Sun existed. Genesis 1:11-19.

All of the different kinds of land animals began existing on the Earth at about the same time, including human beings. Genesis 1:24-31.

The first humans were created by God and did NOT evolve from other animals. Genesis 1:24-31.

There was no death on the planet Earth until human beings came into existence.  Genesis 3:17-20 (see also: Romans 5:12 & 1 Corinthians 15:21). 

Humans have only existed for about 6,500 (5,700 to 7,600) years. 2,008 years from Adam’s creation to Abraham’s birth (Genesis 5:3-32 & Genesis 11:10-26). Abraham’s birth was between 2166 BCE and 1755 BCE. 

Plants have only existed for about 6,500 (5,700 to 7,600) years.

Animals living in the oceans have only existed for about 6,500 (5,700 to 7,600) years.

Land animals have only existed for about 6,500 (5,700 to 7,600) years.

The planet Earth has only existed for about 6,500 (5,700 to 7,600) years.

The Sun has only existed for about 6,500 (5,700 to 7,600) years.

There was a worldwide flood about 5,000 years ago.  Noah was born about 1,056 years after Adam was created, and the flood happened when Noah was 600 years old. Genesis 5:3-32 & 7:6. Adam was created about 6,500 (5,700 to 7,600) years ago.

And so on. So… religion tells me that if Genesis is not “reliable” then “none of it is reliable”.

None of it is reliable. And this is just a few of the problems at the start. There is a lot more to come.

So tell me…. I was told again and again and again and again that the bible was absolute truth … the foundation of the faith. But the foundation is not true.

And so it began.

More to follow. Thanks for checking in.

14. All human beings now alive descended from one man who lived about 5,000 years ago (Noah). Genesis 6:1 to 9:1.