This is a pretty great question, NGL.
So, the creation MYTHS (there are two) in Genesis are written from very specific perspectives to answer very, VERY specific theological questions. The first is from the exile and answers a question about when everything is chaos and darkness – note that God intervenes directly. The second is actually about the role of the king as God’s helper – note that the only problem is that God hasn’t made it rain yet and there is no one to till the land, God needs a helper on earth…
Neither of these things are terribly helpful if one has scientific questions. Thankfully God gave us minds and senses; creativity to invent tools and instruments; an inquisitive spirit and the free will necessary to explore and investigate the world around us. We know that the universe is a certain age (give or take a few thousand years, idk) and we know how old the earth is and how long there has been life and how (relatively) recently modern humans came on the scene. And we know how life has evolved and is still evolving and that we share dna not only with our cousins the apes but with bananas and mice and things…
But the Bible doesn’t actually claim to, nor even try to answer these questions. Science answers the how and the Bible answers the who and the why.
Psalm 90:4 notes that a thousand years to us are like the evening watch (3 or 4 hours) to God. So you know seven days could be billions and billions of years…
In the book of Job (highly recommend reading this one with a good progressive commentary) Job asks God, don’t I matter (paraphrasing here, but trust me). God’s answer is to take Job on a cosmic tour and say basically, ‘yes you matter, but you aren’t the only thing that matters. See that ostrich, he’s the stupidest thing I ever made and yet I love him just like I love you.’ Oh, and the bit about the wild ass is my favorite bit…
We aren’t the only things God cares about and we would be stupid and arrogant to suppose that we are, even if we are the only planet with life (so damned unlikely, nearly mathematically impossible that there isn’t more life out there) but even if earth is it, humans aren’t it there are slime molds and platypus and jellyfish and giant squid and even wild asses that matter to God.
Christians have got to start taking science seriously, stop trying to have dominion over every damn thing, and start protecting God’s shit. Because I swear God’s mothering spirit (Hosea 11) is likely to get fed up with us and choose the corvids or octopi to take over the planet.
That may be a bit disjointed and long, but it isn’t a simple question.
Hope I answered it for you, Nonny.Hugs,
Kryssie
Thoughts on evolution? How can you be a Christian and accept the overwhelming amount of scientific evidence for evolution and how can or does it fit with the bible? Also why did God make the universe so big with so so many galaxies and other planets if all he cares about is humans on one of these very tiny planets out of all the thousands?
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Mooncustafer 