Let's tackle this one: "If you want history and FACTS from the bible you’re pretty screwed. Take the book of genesis for example. In the FIRST chapter, god creates Adam & Eve at the same time. In the second chapter of genesis, god creates Adam, Adam carries on by himself for a while naming the things in gods’ creation...the animals, invents pizza, etc. Then one day Adam gets lonely and comes to god about it. God then says to Adam basically, ok I’ll provide you with a mate, plucks one of Adams’ ribs sprinkles some magic dust over it and suddenly there’s Eve. Two separate stories in the same book of the bible? Hmm. Is this a case of two different people telling two different stories of the same idea in the holy book? Word of god vs. word of man. I’ve actually asked a pastor about this conflicting story situation here. He basically said something like “oh well that’s just two different versions of the same event.” Ok, I’ll play along. But don’t go and tell me in your next breath that I should take the bible literally word for word....or when it says such and such happened, it really happened."
First the Bible does have history and facts; lots of history and lots of facts. Just depends on what history you want and what facts you want. To make a statement that you are screwed if you want facts and history from the Bible says you are throwing it all out and nothing is fact. Truth is, it is an accurate book. You don’t just make a statement that the bible is all wrong. The history of Israel is recorded in the various books of the bible. The History of Israel can be verified to be accurate and compared to the bible it is the same. If you want me to make examples, I can and will.
The first chapter of Genesis this is what is recorded: Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis chapter two records the specifics of creation recorded in Chapter 1. Chapter 1 gives the overview and chapter two gives the specifics. Of course it is not two different people telling two different stories. Don’t make it hard. The problem with reading the bible with a closed mind is you don’t try and find honest answers. Chapter two is details. Made man of the dust of the ground; but didn’t make his helpmate until later. Adam was given the responsibility to name the animals. That does away with evolution that makes early man a grunting and ignorant ape. Gen 2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
Now he finds that there is a male and female of all the animals etc, and no female for him. So, God makes a “helpmate” for him. The word helpmate means completer and he is now complete. That is God’s plan.
SWM, “Two separate stories in the same book of the bible” why not? One is more detail. You will find many accounts of the same thing in the bible. One tells it from one side, the other might tell it from a different angle so you get a better or different picture. Why is that so hard to understand or accept? The pastor that told you “He basically said something like “oh well that’s just two different versions of the same event.” He was right to a degree but not exactly. One is the account, one is the detail.
Why do you have such a problem with taking the bible literally…word for word? If it says it happened, it did. That is not blind faith either. Blind faith is believing something with no evidence.
When the bible talks of spiritual things it gives proof for them. The resurrection is one of those areas. Jesus rose from the dead. There is proof for the resurrection. You might not accept it but it was accepted by the early church. Jesus was seen by his disciples and over 500 others, many of who were alive at the time when many of the new testament books were written. They didn’t contest it because they knew it was true.
So much of the things that are leveled against Christianity are valid. In earlier posts men are shown to be wicked and call themselves Christians. They are not Christians as shown by their works/deeds. Yet people see this and the name of Christianity is smeared. There are bad people who claim to be Christians that are not, their actions and deeds are detestable, that is unfortunate. But it is a fact of life and true in every occupation or job as well. There are people who do right and live right and follow the Lord and bible principles. We are glad for them. Look at them and not at the hypocrites.
GS