Adam and Eve - Part 1
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- Dubh_Sidhe
- LindaC_02
- Dan_Ellsworth
- LindaC_02
- The_moose
- ShirleyLBurr
- ShirleyLBurr
- BlueHue
- Aluigi
- Aluigi
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» Dubh_Sidhe - Virginia Marin - Well, some may say you have opened a can of
Virginia Marin - Well, some maysay you have opened a can of
worms here with Adam and Eve. I
will leave the critique to those
who are more gifted in debate
than I. I will only say that
there are things in the Bible
which we, as humans, can not
fully understand. It goes
against our ability, and God
given gift, to rationalize.
Christians who believe the Bible
to be the inspired Word of God
take every word on faith. This
problem of origin provokes more
violent controversy, wild
theories and disagreement than
any other. The most majestic
verse in the Bible, to me, is
"In the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth." This
is a tremendous verse! I am of
the opinion that it is the
doorway through which a person
walks into the Bible. If that
verse is questioned, there will
be questions throughout the
Book. It is not difficult for
me to believe that when God
created Adam and Eve that He
also, at some point, placed
other humans in the Land of Nod,
on the east of Eden. This is
where Cain found his wife--the
Land of Nod is where Cain dwelt
after he killed his brother,
Abel. God never condoned
incest. Since God was pleased
with Adam and Eve's creation, I
believe He simply continued in
His creation to prepare for
civilization. Well, I have
enjoyed visiting with you guys
this morning, and reading this
thought-provoking and
well-written article which I
enjoyed very much, to be sure.
Slitzweitz, from Dubh Sidhe and
all of the Little People at
"Folklore".
-- posted by Dubh_Sidhe
» LindaC_02 - Well said Virginia! A great response for those like Donna who h
Well said Virginia! A great response for those like Donna who have doubts and questions about the Adam and Eve story.Let me just say that I am in no way, shape, or form saying that this story is wrong or untrue. Indeed, for those whom this story makes up their belief system, it is very real and very true. It is their understanding of creation and that's wonderful. I deny no one their Faith.
I am merely looking at this story as I would any other story such as the Norse creation myth as it falls within the category of mythology. I want to understand how the ancient Judeo-Christians understood this story, see what it told them, what it explained for them, what it represented and meant to them. That's all.
Blessed be.
Linda Casselman - Mythology Editor
-- posted by LindaC_02
» Dan_Ellsworth - Although the most durable meaning of the story (Our whole physic
Although the most durable meaning of the story (Our whole physical universe is here because God willed it to be - specifically including humanity.) is not the literal meaning (We *do* allow Jesus to use parables, I hope.), I believe the Bible sometimes is more literally true than it has to be. Thus, in particular, there might have been a first couple made capable of moral decisions, and the "line" of full humanity spread outward (Cain's wife and all that) from that point. It might have had to do with a sort of mental "critical mass", or maybe a favored land where making a living was so easy that the humans could converse with God in a leisurely way - I'm not sure. But my "faith" in science would not be harmed by the discovery of evidence for an actual Seth or Cain or Eve. Taking (as I do) God as the underlying source of the Bible, I don't think it was intended to allow smugness for either the literalists or anti-literalists. But for many today, we need to perform a cultural translation - which raises some questions in my mind:I heard of "de-mythologizing", but that may itself be a contemporary mythology. So is it a modern task to translate into contemporary mythology? What is that? (And can we tell while living in our culture?) Can something be literally true and yet part of our cultural mythology?
Young men in a garage revolutionizing the computer industry - that has happened but I think it has the "feel" of mythology. The U.S. President with idealism undercut by lust - whether of body or for power. The automobile as "freedom machine." The nonconformist whose insight or discovery eventually sweeps the nation or the world. (Thomas Edison and Henry Ford as cranky, stubborn, brilliant innovators.) There is some literal truth to all of these, but possibly they are close to a cultural mythology, too. And it doesn't hurt if you can arrange to be born in a log cabin you made with your own hands.
One thing to watch out for is that "myth" and "mythology" are red-flag words in some religious circles. It's hard to get a sensible conversation going once you've let those words out. So some degree of de-toxifying is needed - and I'm not sure I know the way.
Dan Ellsworth (e-mail, bio), Editor, "Christianity - Protestant"
-- posted by Dan_Ellsworth
» LindaC_02 - Well stated Dan. I believe in Free Speech and I hope that my re
Well stated Dan. I believe in Free Speech and I hope that my readers do as well. Everyone is entitled to have an opinion and to voice it. And I believe that everyone is allowed to believe what is best for them. If someone argues their point of view that's good. It shows their passion for life and living.My topic is mythology so I am bound to view "life" from this stand point and express that in my articles.
Blessed be everyone.
Linda Casselman - Mythology Editor
-- posted by LindaC_02
» ShirleyLBurr - Re: Donna TomassoniHi, Somehow I just cannot grasp the whole Ad
In response to your question about inbreeding in the beginning with Adam and Eve, if they were real, and not a mythological lesson for us. In the beginning, Adam and Eve were formed with perfect DNA compliment to each other. With the perfect combinations to begin with, the DNA formed in the offspring were also very widely diverse, and this prevented the problem of inbreeding back then. Eve - grown up, and today I am Shirley.-- posted by ShirleyLBurr
» ShirleyLBurr - Re: Myth? Adam and Eve?
Linda:I was amazed when I put the theory of the original sin up against the Adam and Eve creation story. I heard that Adam and Eve were guilty of bringing in original sin, until I read the lies of the serpent to turn Eve and then Adam into victims. That simply added to the memory I had of the angels protecting us... keeping the serpent in the garden on Eden, or Earth. God gave us the whole world to roam as a gift for the loss of childhood due to the learning of the right and wrong concept by a nanny who just didn't do well until the 20-21st century.
-- posted by ShirleyLBurr
» BlueHue - Re: Hi Donna,Many people struggle with those ideas as well. The
DEAR Linda and all that are watching; REGARDING faith and Adam and Eve, that were "Victimized"bythe Snake! Well "de-Mythologize" is too easy. Dr Carotta wrote a book "Is Jezus Caesar" where he proved that "Christianity"is forthcomming from the"Forgotten"Divus-Cult of Julius Caesar set forward 50 years or so when another Roman Divus hated the memory of the first/previus one.ANYWAY,
Adam Is the Hyksos King:"Athamas"and Eve his Wife!
N-eve-le! they lived about 1055 bc nd were the First man and lady of their country: Atlantis or
as its Full name was:"Cadramonitae" meanig :"Land of the 4 Corners of the Earth/4 cardinal pointys of the world etc. the true Ath/d-lantis was in Eden/Aden! Finally that:"Snake" was a Symbol of the King ofEgypt(and Athamas brother)Ka-Mose whoes
Sister and daughter he married subsequently sinful
is'nt it?! Anny comments please ( try www.carotta.de)for more information. bye bye from, BlueHue
-- posted by BlueHue
» Aluigi - Adam and Eve
Let me provide a Religious and Scientific perspective here for you, I think I can help with this issue.As early as St. Augustine Christianity never took Genesis as a historical or scientific account. However, the Church has always maintained, strait up to Pope Pius XII condemnation of polygenism, that Adam and Eve must have been real people who really sinned (though the story is told with symbolism, fruit and snake and such not to be literal necessarily)
Regarding the false conclusion that Christianity is the same as the Julius Caesar cult- it is completely historically unfounded and innacurate. If you look at the Jewish roots of Christianity, they show its doctrines not to be roman-invented, but rather come out of the Jewish Tradition. And the Jewish Tradition as contained in the Torah and Talmud et cetera is not tainted by Julius Caesar worshipers. Scott Hahn has dealt with pre-Christian Christian-like religions by saying that if Christianity is True, why would not there be some similarities in ancience cultures who were seeking truth. It was a preparation for the Gospel. The dying and ressurecting gods representing the seasons, while clearly not in any way affecting the belief in Jesus' ressurection, prepared those that believed in it to accept a ressurection faith.
Our origins are most likely only one set of parents accordingd to mitochondrialrial evidence (a theory referred to as the mitochondrialrialrial eve theory) http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.co...
Regarding the incest problem: when the topic of Genesis comes up I always to Saint Augustine, a genius doctor of the Church uniting faith and reason. In regard to the incest problem, Augustine fell into the Manichaen heresy because they convinced him the old testament and new testament God were two different beings, citing specifically stuff like incest and polygamy. In his conversion to Catholic (Universal) Christianity, he resolved this conflict in noting the existing Christian thought/teaching that God in different eras binds men to the natural law differently. Now we are considered to be in the era of the New Covenant which we will be in until the end of time. Therefore, while incest is against natural law, for the propegationgation of the species God did not bind Adam and Eve's children to this requirement.
Biologically speaking, it makes perfect sense that incest back then would not have produced birth defects. When there were only few people in existence on earth, the DNA had not been multiplied and complicated through adaptations and such. Throughout the history of the propagation of the species, DNA complicated more so much so that the DNA of people who are immediately related to each other will "clash" so to speak, and that's why it is so risky for birth defects. Seems perfectly logical, God designed DNA to do this so that as the final era came in which the New Covenant is here and morality is revealed, it is also unhealthy for us to commit incest not only immoral.
sorry for the long post, I wanted to be thourough.
Pax
-- posted by Aluigi
» Aluigi - Re: Adam and Eve
In response to Adam and Eve posted by Aluigi:I apologize for the link, there was some mistake.
Mitochondrial Eve Information: http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.co...
-- posted by Aluigi
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