Book Of Genesis Qustions

last SG · 2007-01-30T12:41:50+00:00

the question is: why didnt adam and eve eat the serpent Answer: they werent chinese!!

Icemoon SG

har .. then according to chin eng .. who is the 1st human? Laughing

Icemoon SG

There are many assumptions here.

1. Any event is only recorded in the bible.

2. the event is very impt so must be recorded.

In my view, it goes back to what you *think* Genesis is trying to convey. What do you think is the message? What is God trying to tell us?

mhcampboy SG

He is trying to tell us what He did in the beginning. Its a sacred word of God.

I do not think God would want to trouble us by making us deciphering his Words.

Icemoon SG

I don't think He is merely trying to give us an account of creation. Surely there must be a message behind.

If you talk about deciphering His Words, isn't Protestant Christianity the worst? Islam, Judaism and Catholics all have their respective Oral Tradition to help "decipher" the Word. Protestants leh?

So let's not have double standard. If reading the New Testament is not easy, then reading Genesis should not be easy too.

mhcampboy SG

haha alright.

but from your understanding, what do you think its trying to tell us? That God has other humans kept in heaven as well?

Icemoon SG

A word of note .. Catholics actually have pretty good understanding of Genesis. I have this impression from the exchange with Catholics here.

Anyway the Catholic understanding of Genesis has always been allegorical. Which is why you don't see the Pope rallying against evolution and big bang.

In fact, the theory of evolution wasn't exactly new in 1859 (publication of Origin of Species). The Catholic Church actually tolerated evolutionistic thinking before Darwin.

Icemoon SG

The message is more important. Whereas Christians see it as Original Sin, Jews see it differently. Not very different lah, they also admit Adam did sin, but the consequence is different.

Based on the Hebrew reading, Jews can accept that Adam was evolved, as in God did not mould Adam from the ground like some plasticine figure. This insight did not even come from modern bible translation - it was from some ancient bible translation.

The whether-got-other-human-beings is not important. Perhaps God trusts us to make a judgement based on modern science. Interestingly, before the advent of modern science, Jews already have the idea that there are other generations before Adam.

mhcampboy SG

Im afraid i cannot accept that theory. Bible has proof that Adam was the first human created in heaven then exiled to earth.

If u talking abt beings apart from humans which exist b4 adam...maybe yes.. such as angels or demons...

stupidissmart SG

Then why does god have to punish everyone in the world for wat 2 individual did ? Does tat means female is already made before eve and is not formed by the ribcage of adam ? Doesn’t tat means the other human know nothing about good and evil ? Why do we inherit original sin ?

Blue Stardust SG

Well, if you have read chapter 5 of genesis, you will know that they lived very long and have produced many sons and daughters.
So if every year they produce one, by the time Adam died, he will have few hundreds of sons and daughters....and each of these sons and daughters produced more children....there must have at least few thousands of them.

And one thing, most likely they inter marry each other.....

But one thing i don't understand is that on Chapter 6 of genesis is that "sons of God went to daughters of men and have children with them"?

Icemoon SG

First human created in Heaven? Where did you read that?

He was the first human, certainly. Jews also think that way, no issue. Mr. Green

I was glad to read the Jewish commentary/exegesis on Genesis and was somehow humbled. I was like .. wow Christianity never taught me that.

Other beings need not be angels and demons. Every being is a creation of God, even the baddie you call Satan.

Icemoon SG

Original sin is a Christian thinking, Jews don't believe in that. Wink

I read the Jewish exegesis/commentary on Genesis. The author challenges the reader to answer the question:

1. What exactly is good and evil?

2. How different is it from "correct" and "wrong"?

Reference verse Genesis 2:9 - And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the groundtrees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

PS: Judaism constantly challenges the reader with questions. In fact, rabbis are famous for answering a question with a question. Mr. Green

stupidissmart SG

About the Eve, do u have any answer to it ? Does tis means the part where eve was formed from adam rib is actually redundant since females r already present in abundance before.

Wat is good end evil ? Good means doing things tat benefit more parties and hurt less people in the end while evil is the opposite.

Wat is correct or wrong ? Correct means making the right decision which may not be good or evil. It can be something silly like walking the right way which doesn't benefit or harm anybody

So wat is your interpretation ?

Icemoon SG

Actually I am here to ask questions, not to answer them. Laughing

Do you know why I asked the question about good/evil and correct/wrong? Because before Eve ate that fruit, does she have knowledge of good and evil or not?

And also the question what is so bad about knowing good and evil.

stupidissmart SG

Actually I am here to ask questions, not to answer them.

Do you know why I asked the question about good/evil and correct/wrong? Because before Eve ate that fruit, does she have knowledge of good and evil or not?

And also the question what is so bad about knowing good and evil.

If u ask me, the whole story simply doesn't make sense to me and truthfully, I don't know why do god wanna prevent adam and eve from knowing wat is good and evil. Why is knowledge ever a bad thing ?

Icemoon SG

When something doesn't make sense, do we give up? No, we should try to make sense. Hopefully we can arrive at something that makes sense.

Actually I'm not sure whether knowledge is a good or bad thing.

But it is quite clear that after eating the fruit, their actions were displeasing to God. It is not the act alone that is displeasing, but how they handle the situation afterwards that is displeasing.

Point to note, the biblical description for some of their actions is quite strange, i.e. doesn't make much sense. Indeed, there is always a deeper meaning to things that don't make sense or sound strange.

I give you an example. Remember after eating the fruit, Adam was hiding from God? Notice the bible describes that:

1. God was asking the whereabouts of Adam. Haha .. you mean God dunno where is Adam?

2. When asked the reason for his hiding, what did Adam say? Don't flip the bible yet! Ask yourself - if you were in Adam's shoe, what would you have said? After that you flip the bible. Viola .. Adam's reply was not what you have expected!

sillyme SG

It may be a bad thing perhaps when you cannot manage and apply it properly?

stupidissmart SG

When something doesn't make sense, do we give up? No, we should try to make sense. Hopefully we can arrive at something that makes sense.

Your theory is good only if we know it is definitely right in the first place such as observing a natural phenomenon. In the first place, the bible is not definitely correct and it is impossible to make something not correct become correct. It is like making fairytales or fiction to be truth, which is impossible

But it is quite clear that after eating the fruit, their actions were displeasing to God. It is not the act alone that is displeasing, but how they handle the situation afterwards that is displeasing.

Point to note, the biblical description for some of their actions is quite strange, i.e. doesn't make much sense. Indeed, there is always a deeper meaning to things that don't make sense or sound strange.

Frankly sometimes the "deeper meanings" all sounds more like excuses than fact... one example is on one book someone say judas hang himself and on another it say he buy a field and then suddenly die. The "deeper meaning" from catholic website is he hang himself but did not die so he buy a field and suddenly die. It is not wrong but it sounds forced and unnatural. Furthermore sometimes trying to make sense to one portion will ultimately make other portion senseless

I give you an example. Remember after eating the fruit, Adam was hiding from God? Notice the bible describes that:

1. God was asking the whereabouts of Adam. Haha .. you mean God dunno where is Adam?

2. When asked the reason for his hiding, what did Adam say? Don't flip the bible yet! Ask yourself - if you were in Adam's shoe, what would you have said? After that you flip the bible. Viola .. Adam's reply was not what you have expected!

.... I don't know wat is your point here...

It may be a bad thing perhaps when you cannot manage and apply it properly?

Isn't that where free will come to play here ? Without giving knowledge u r really not giving free will on tat subject but practise censorship. I just think of an example of "gun" and "nuclear science" and I feel that mankind is still better off having these knowledge so tat they can protect themselves from beast and also make use of it to develop nuclear power.

Icemoon SG

Bible is not definitely correct? Neutral

You already form your conclusion liao .. what do you want me to say?

stupidissmart SG

Bible is not definitely correct?

You already form your conclusion liao .. what do you want me to say?

I don't think tat is a wrong conclusion. I did not say it is definitely wrong, but treat it as though u treat any new story u hear by labeling as "maybe right or wrong" first. Don't tell me u immediately jump to the conclusion tat it is right without even reading it ?

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