Re: Fable telling

mortongr@flash.net
Tue, 19 Oct 1999 20:27:47 +0000

At 02:23 PM 10/19/1999 -0400, Bill Hamilton wrote:
>At 10:31 AM 10/19/99 -0600, John W. Burgeson wrote:
>>Glenn wrote, about God:
>>
>>"And if he tells us a fable when he
>>could easily tell us the truth, then he is not to be trusted."
>>
>>My parents told me about Santa Claus when I was
>>very young. By your logic, my parents are not to be trusted.
>>
>
>Burgy's point is well-taken, although one could argue that human parents
>are not perfect. But Glenn, I think you are misrepresenting what George
>and Howard are saying, as well as trying to second guess what God ought to
>do. I'll let George and Howard try to clarify what they _are_ saying, but
>I suspect they will take exception to your claim that they relegate early
>Genesis to the category of fable.

My view is that God is a God of truth. If He doesn't tell the truth about
things, then how do I know that He is telling the truth about the way of
salvation? I have no satisfactory answer to that question

For my part I would say that it
>shouldn't matter if the account of an occurrence in Genesis takes some
>poetic license to make a point. After all, the author is God, whose
>decision on whether straight fact or some form of poetry or drama to is the
>most effective teaching tool is infallible. And II Tim 3:16 applies in
>either case. Secondly, I don't think the issue is what God _could easily_
>do. After all, He can do anything that doesn't violate His nature.

And my concern is that God does violate his nature by telling us false
things about nature, in spite of our collective willingness to forgive God
for this unfortunate habit of His.
glenn

Foundation, Fall and Flood
Adam, Apes and Anthropology
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