Jim
New Member
This is my first post (Sort of). Greetings.
Although I was born and raised a Christian, I became an Atheist after studying the Bible revealed a number of things which (I thought) didn't add up.
Here are some things I found which need to be looked at.
Adam and Eve:
The story logic behind the Adam and Eve theory of creation is, in my opinion, flawed.
Let us consider that the story is true. Mankind was created directly by God, and through His work, the Earth was created in seven days.
Science has already speculated that the Earth began as a ball of hot gas and toxic fumes and was a lavascape before global cooling caused water to condense and begin the formation of life. This can be considered, since beneath the top layers of soil, sedimentary layers of cooled lava rock and geodes can be found. But nowhere in Genesis was this kind of beginning mentioned.
Let us consider the implications of God's curse. Eve was tempted by the snake and, convinced he was truthful (God frequently reminds us that Satan is adept at lies) offers the fruit to Adam. If this were the case, and the disobedience of God's one rule due to naivete on the part of Eve resulted in such a severe rebuke, then why does God not punish with such severity those who commit murder? Those who steal? Those who break the Sabbath? This makes no sense, and I am inclined to believe that God figured what Man had gained (Knowledge of Good and Evil) was more worthy of punishment than the breaking of His Law.
But what if the story of Adam and Eve was not true? How does this affect things?
Many modern Christians claim they have faith, but that Adam and Eve was a 'poetic' story, not to be taken literally.
But if this is the case, shall we consider that without Original Sin (As commited by Adam and Eve) there is no basis for the 'curse' God has placed upon us?
Within the three main modern faiths (Jewish, Christian and Moslem), this story is the cornerstone on which the basis for their explantions of evil are based. Some claim God punishes us because we departed from God's Way in the commiting of the Original Sin. Without Original Sin, Man had not wronged God in such a way that warrants our curse. Without Adam and Eve, the evolutionist theory means that Man was created and evolved with free will, therefore God made us imperfect Himself. If this is true, why does God blame us when His own creations commit sins because that is the way He made us?
Next, consider Cain and Abel.
According to creationist theory, Cain and Abel were born of Adam and Eve. I'm pretty sure you all know how that story turned out. Upon learning of Abel's murder, Cain is condemned by God:
So cursed, Cain pleads with God, saying:
I ask: WHO would slay him? Assuming Creationism is true, who else would exist that would slay him? This still confuses me. Any concise arguments would help.
There is also the question where Cain finds his wife:
Where did this wife come from? Why did she not have a name? Could she have been one of Adam and Eve's many daughters?
I also find it hard to believe that Adam or Seth or any of his decendants could live for the nine-hundred and thirty years and the nine hundred and twelve years (respectively) the Bible professes. No mammal has this life span, and the current oldest man alive is a mere hundred and thirteen. It is rare for giant tortoises to reach that age, much less humans.
Noah's Ark & the Flood.
I am aware this one is perhaps quite controversial among pro/anti creationists, but let me highlight a few discrepancies I feel I need to point out.
This seems very exaggerated. It is a black-and white point of view, since Man is so diverse in his imaginings and dreams, that not EVERY man, woman and child could be of such unspeakable evil as to warrant their annihilation.
The notion of how so many animals from across the globe were rounded up, a pair of each species is debated: How did Noah bring them together? The answer, according to the Bible, was that God made them come to Noah.
From here, everything gets to sophisticated to argue fully, but needless to say, this might be an area worth arguing.
One final note: How did ancient civilisations appear in the americas and Australia (Mayan, Aztec, Native Indian, Aborigine) when all such life was undoubtedly quenched in the Flood?
More may come later. I hope this has provided food for thought and I welcome arguments against these theories. I would rather have an neutral but accurate outlook, than a passionate but flawed belief, whether an atheist view or religious view.
Although I was born and raised a Christian, I became an Atheist after studying the Bible revealed a number of things which (I thought) didn't add up.
Here are some things I found which need to be looked at.
Adam and Eve:
The story logic behind the Adam and Eve theory of creation is, in my opinion, flawed.
Let us consider that the story is true. Mankind was created directly by God, and through His work, the Earth was created in seven days.
[b said:
Science has already speculated that the Earth began as a ball of hot gas and toxic fumes and was a lavascape before global cooling caused water to condense and begin the formation of life. This can be considered, since beneath the top layers of soil, sedimentary layers of cooled lava rock and geodes can be found. But nowhere in Genesis was this kind of beginning mentioned.
Let us consider the implications of God's curse. Eve was tempted by the snake and, convinced he was truthful (God frequently reminds us that Satan is adept at lies) offers the fruit to Adam. If this were the case, and the disobedience of God's one rule due to naivete on the part of Eve resulted in such a severe rebuke, then why does God not punish with such severity those who commit murder? Those who steal? Those who break the Sabbath? This makes no sense, and I am inclined to believe that God figured what Man had gained (Knowledge of Good and Evil) was more worthy of punishment than the breaking of His Law.
But what if the story of Adam and Eve was not true? How does this affect things?
Many modern Christians claim they have faith, but that Adam and Eve was a 'poetic' story, not to be taken literally.
But if this is the case, shall we consider that without Original Sin (As commited by Adam and Eve) there is no basis for the 'curse' God has placed upon us?
Within the three main modern faiths (Jewish, Christian and Moslem), this story is the cornerstone on which the basis for their explantions of evil are based. Some claim God punishes us because we departed from God's Way in the commiting of the Original Sin. Without Original Sin, Man had not wronged God in such a way that warrants our curse. Without Adam and Eve, the evolutionist theory means that Man was created and evolved with free will, therefore God made us imperfect Himself. If this is true, why does God blame us when His own creations commit sins because that is the way He made us?
Next, consider Cain and Abel.
According to creationist theory, Cain and Abel were born of Adam and Eve. I'm pretty sure you all know how that story turned out. Upon learning of Abel's murder, Cain is condemned by God:
[b said:
So cursed, Cain pleads with God, saying:
[b said:
I ask: WHO would slay him? Assuming Creationism is true, who else would exist that would slay him? This still confuses me. Any concise arguments would help.
There is also the question where Cain finds his wife:
[b said:
Where did this wife come from? Why did she not have a name? Could she have been one of Adam and Eve's many daughters?
I also find it hard to believe that Adam or Seth or any of his decendants could live for the nine-hundred and thirty years and the nine hundred and twelve years (respectively) the Bible professes. No mammal has this life span, and the current oldest man alive is a mere hundred and thirteen. It is rare for giant tortoises to reach that age, much less humans.
Noah's Ark & the Flood.
I am aware this one is perhaps quite controversial among pro/anti creationists, but let me highlight a few discrepancies I feel I need to point out.
[b said:
This seems very exaggerated. It is a black-and white point of view, since Man is so diverse in his imaginings and dreams, that not EVERY man, woman and child could be of such unspeakable evil as to warrant their annihilation.
The notion of how so many animals from across the globe were rounded up, a pair of each species is debated: How did Noah bring them together? The answer, according to the Bible, was that God made them come to Noah.
From here, everything gets to sophisticated to argue fully, but needless to say, this might be an area worth arguing.
One final note: How did ancient civilisations appear in the americas and Australia (Mayan, Aztec, Native Indian, Aborigine) when all such life was undoubtedly quenched in the Flood?
More may come later. I hope this has provided food for thought and I welcome arguments against these theories. I would rather have an neutral but accurate outlook, than a passionate but flawed belief, whether an atheist view or religious view.
