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The myths of Genesis

Ted Evans

Active Member
Premium Member
According to some non-Bible believing Christians, this is a partial list in the first 20 chapters of Genesis that do not mean what it would seem when reading the verses. It is all metaphors, idioms, symbolism etc. and is not to be taken literally. Nothing but a story fabricated by man and God had nothing to do with it.


The Creation – a metaphor.

The Creation of Man and Woman – not true.

The Fall of Man – no such thing.

Cain and Abel – just a myth.

Descendants of Adam – made up.

The Corruption of Mankind – a fairy tale.

The Flood – what a joke.

Covenant of the Rainbow – never happened.

Descendants of Noah – a fairy tale.

Universal Language, Babel, Confusion – just a metaphor.

Abram Journeys to Egypt – never happened.

Abram and Lot – no such people.

War of the Kings – has nothing to do with scripture.

God’s Promise to Abram – did not happen.

Abram Promised a Son – a metaphor.

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision – no such thing.

Birth of Isaac Promised – a metaphor, never happened.

The Doom of Sodom – just a myth.

Abraham’s Treachery – did not happen.

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18–19, NASB95) Think about it.
 

Deidre

Well-Known Member
This is why you have faith, Ted. Some will take the stories on faith, some won't. If it were all true, you yourself wouldn't need faith. It requires faith to believe in any religious story...no matter the religion. Just because people choose to not have faith in these stories, doesn't make them wrong. It makes them in need of more than what you need, in order to believe them.
 

Rational Agnostic

Well-Known Member
According to some non-Bible believing Christians, this is a partial list in the first 20 chapters of Genesis that do not mean what it would seem when reading the verses. It is all metaphors, idioms, symbolism etc. and is not to be taken literally. Nothing but a story fabricated by man and God had nothing to do with it.


The Creation – a metaphor.

The Creation of Man and Woman – not true.

The Fall of Man – no such thing.

Cain and Abel – just a myth.

Descendants of Adam – made up.

The Corruption of Mankind – a fairy tale.

The Flood – what a joke.

Covenant of the Rainbow – never happened.

Descendants of Noah – a fairy tale.

Universal Language, Babel, Confusion – just a metaphor.

Abram Journeys to Egypt – never happened.

Abram and Lot – no such people.

War of the Kings – has nothing to do with scripture.

God’s Promise to Abram – did not happen.

Abram Promised a Son – a metaphor.

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision – no such thing.

Birth of Isaac Promised – a metaphor, never happened.

The Doom of Sodom – just a myth.

Abraham’s Treachery – did not happen.

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18–19, NASB95) Think about it.

The evidence supports that the vast majority (if not all) stories in Genesis are fictional. Also, the passage from Revelation refers to the book of Revelation itself, not to the whole Bible. Remember, the bible was not compiled until several hundred years after the book of Revelation was written. The books that were put into the bible were decided by a vote. Even today, Protestants and Catholics have different Bibles, and disagree on what books should be included. Martin Luther (a hero of many Protestants) actually wanted to remove the book of Revelation as well as the book of James. He believed that they were not influenced by the Holy Spirit.
 

Deidre

Well-Known Member
The evidence supports that the vast majority (if not all) stories in Genesis are fictional. Also, the passage from Revelation refers to the book of Revelation itself, not to the whole Bible. Remember, the bible was not compiled until several hundred years after the book of Revelation was written. The books that were put into the bible were decided by a vote. Even today, Protestants and Catholics have different Bibles, and disagree on what books should be included. Martin Luther (a hero of many Protestants) actually wanted to remove the book of Revelation as well as the book of James. He believed that they were not influenced by the Holy Spirit.
Exactly.

So if men are deciding what books to even include as part of the Bible, what does that say about the validity of 'God's word?' Men are deciding for other men, what they should know in terms of God's word?

I honestly believe that believing the Bible to be literal, requires not looking into the history of compiling it or even the actual history of how Christianity flourished. You have to decide to almost keep blinders on in order to shield yourself from anything that contradicts your perception of your religion.
 

Curious George

Veteran Member
According to some non-Bible believing Christians, this is a partial list in the first 20 chapters of Genesis that do not mean what it would seem when reading the verses. It is all metaphors, idioms, symbolism etc. and is not to be taken literally. Nothing but a story fabricated by man and God had nothing to do with it.


The Creation – a metaphor.

The Creation of Man and Woman – not true.

The Fall of Man – no such thing.

Cain and Abel – just a myth.

Descendants of Adam – made up.

The Corruption of Mankind – a fairy tale.

The Flood – what a joke.

Covenant of the Rainbow – never happened.

Descendants of Noah – a fairy tale.

Universal Language, Babel, Confusion – just a metaphor.

Abram Journeys to Egypt – never happened.

Abram and Lot – no such people.

War of the Kings – has nothing to do with scripture.

God’s Promise to Abram – did not happen.

Abram Promised a Son – a metaphor.

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision – no such thing.

Birth of Isaac Promised – a metaphor, never happened.

The Doom of Sodom – just a myth.

Abraham’s Treachery – did not happen.

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18–19, NASB95) Think about it.
Please see the difference between allegory and metaphor.
 

Altfish

Veteran Member
Why couldn't god write a book that was clear and unambiguous?
I'm reading a detective book at the moment, by Val Dermid, it is clear, unambiguous and a good read. God is not an author what ever else you claim she is.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
According to some non-Bible believing Christians, this is a partial list in the first 20 chapters of Genesis that do not mean what it would seem when reading the verses. It is all metaphors, idioms, symbolism etc. and is not to be taken literally. Nothing but a story fabricated by man and God had nothing to do with it.


The Creation – a metaphor.

The Creation of Man and Woman – not true.

The Fall of Man – no such thing.

Cain and Abel – just a myth.

Descendants of Adam – made up.

The Corruption of Mankind – a fairy tale.

The Flood – what a joke.

Covenant of the Rainbow – never happened.

Descendants of Noah – a fairy tale.

Universal Language, Babel, Confusion – just a metaphor.

Abram Journeys to Egypt – never happened.

Abram and Lot – no such people.

War of the Kings – has nothing to do with scripture.

God’s Promise to Abram – did not happen.

Abram Promised a Son – a metaphor.

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision – no such thing.

Birth of Isaac Promised – a metaphor, never happened.

The Doom of Sodom – just a myth.

Abraham’s Treachery – did not happen.

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18–19, NASB95) Think about it.

What's wrong with myths and fairy tales?

A lot of the stories are written for meaning and understanding morality rather than deciding if god created something.

If god is life, life creates itself. Some say the universe others say god. If there were no creation, life would not exist. Creation is unto itself as a creator. It's a cycle.

There were such things as first humans. We didn't all come here in groups of thousands. Everything starts small and builds itself up.

Real wars happened overseas in the east and parts of europe. Whether it's in the bible or history book doesn't invalidate that it happened.

Corruption of mankind is just a human's phrase of people causing problems with each other and the world. Although I don't see myself as corrupted, try putting five or six different politicians in the room or five christian denominations in one room. There is corruption-it's all surface level.

Basically, just because it's in the bible, does not mean it did not happen. The problem is, say, in Plato the Myth of the Cave was a political and religious moral focused story of human nature and the human condition. We don't second guess that but put that same story in the bible, all of the sudden there are debates.

What is it about "it the bible" that brings up these debates of the validity of something?
 

Ted Evans

Active Member
Premium Member
Why couldn't god write a book that was clear and unambiguous?

In my opinion, it is only ambiguous because folks want it to be and refuse to expend the effort to study it with an open mind accepting what is actually written rather than what they want to be written. Do that and there is a small percentage that is ambiguous.
 

shmogie

Well-Known Member
This is why you have faith, Ted. Some will take the stories on faith, some won't. If it were all true, you yourself wouldn't need faith. It requires faith to believe in any religious story...no matter the religion. Just because people choose to not have faith in these stories, doesn't make them wrong. It makes them in need of more than what you need, in order to believe them.
Interesting. What do you believe outside your own experience that you know is true ? If you accept, say, that an unknown sea creature left the ocean, and walked out onto land, that in 1066 William conquered Britain, how do you determine they are true ? You weren't there, these stories have been conveyed by men/women, you believe them based upon faith in what you were told. He has total faith in the records he has examined, that is the ONLY thing he CAN have. They are all true, he and I believe they are. We weren't there, our belief is based upon faith in what the records show.
 

Altfish

Veteran Member
In my opinion, it is only ambiguous because folks want it to be and refuse to expend the effort to study it with an open mind accepting what is actually written rather than what they want to be written. Do that and there is a small percentage that is ambiguous.
But as you say, that is YOUR opinion.
 

Ted Evans

Active Member
Premium Member
They are all true
Well stated. A substantial amount of scripture can be corroborated with historical records, archaeology, and scripture itself. Talk about the hundreds of prophecies that have been fulfilled exactly as they were prophesied hundreds of years in advance and they are ignored. Or, you get the old, scriptures were written by men after the fact and cannot be proven, to which I say hogwash.
 

Terrywoodenpic

Oldest Heretic
The Bible as a whole has a great deal to tell us about human nature.
It tells us remarkably little about God.
Such faith as we can muster should be to God,
It should not need to be reinforced by ancient and largely mythical stories.
The new testament provides us with most of what we know about the life, times and teachings of Jesus.
It alo tells us how the early Christians spread the gospel, and how they suffered under Rome and were martyred.
The Bible books were assembled from what the leaders thought at that time were the most authoritative and revealing available. Those writings that supported other views on worship and faith were discarded.
They declared that this was done with the authority of God.

To day we still have authority figures whe define what we should believe. They also have competitive teachers who take Christianity along new paths.

Christianity continues however much it is divided amongst it self. Faith has never depended on details.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
In my opinion, it is only ambiguous because folks want it to be and refuse to expend the effort to study it with an open mind accepting what is actually written rather than what they want to be written. Do that and there is a small percentage that is ambiguous.

The trick is accepting what can be proven with evidence and not accepting that which can't.
 

Ted Evans

Active Member
Premium Member
That is not a claim.

Three verses out of perhaps a couple dozen that corroborates that claim. If you wish to refute what I have written, I will be happy to give you that opportunity and I will answer every question that you ask me, IF, you will agree to do the same.

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4, NASB95)

Is there anything in there about only believing the verses that you want to be true?

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”” (Exodus 34:27, NASB95)

Specific instructions to Moses to write down the words given to him by God, which includes Genesis 1.

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11, NASB95)

It does not say everyone will accept it but for those who do, it succeeds in the matter for which it was sent.
 
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