The forgotten verses

From: Debbie Mann (deborahjmann@insightbb.com)
Date: Mon Jun 16 2003 - 15:18:50 EDT

  • Next message: Jim Armstrong: "Re: The forgotten verses"

    Reply to Vernon's reply to Dave:

    Dave,

    You make the point "Genesis 1 is in no way a schedule or engineer's log of
    creation events."

    Pray tell us what you believe it to be.

    This has been answered many times in many ways. But, I'll try one more time,
    just for the fun of it.

    We take 11 or 12 years of English in school, followed by at least one more
    year in college for most of us. During that time we read a great number of
    books encompassing a variety of styles, philosophies and cultures. This
    literature is intended to teach us wisdom. We learn about prejudice through
    Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird and other books. We learn poetry and
    the beauty of language. A good teacher will instruct on how fictional works
    still tell a great deal about history and the wisdom of that age. During
    those classes, we read almost entirely fictional works. We learn about Helen
    of Troy and the way the Greeks thought and lived, about King Henry the
    Eighth and Elizabeth I and the stark contrast between the lives of the rich
    and the poor. I was shocked by the total lack of personal freedom during
    those times, the lack of hygiene, the disease - and yet there was all that
    pomp and surface beauty. In reading fiction, I learned how people thought
    and lived.
    "King Arthur", "Kim", "War and Peace" all taught me about politics, people
    and moral values. (Maybe not 'Kim", but I did other reading of works set in
    the British occupation of India.)

    Why was this literature written? Not for the same reasons as the Bible. The
    Bible tells you why it was written:

    Romans 15:4

    For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning,
    that we through patience and comfort of the scritpures might have hope.

    II Timothy 3:16 &17

    All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine,
    for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
    That the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works.

    The purpose of the scripture is for us to learn patience, be comforted, have
    hope; learn about the important things pertaining to life and godliness,
    develop moral values, be corrected when we don't live up to them, understand
    what righteousness is and be perfected by this learning so that we do good.

    Great literature is not "true" or "false". If it were, we'd throw out all of
    Shakespeare and most of the other great masters. People keep wanting to
    grade the Bible on that scale.

    Archeology has shown that it is true to its times for periods stretching
    thousands of years into the past. It is true to God. It is more than great
    literature - it is inspired teaching from God on how to live our lives,
    and - more importantly - how to grow spiritually.

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