I am going through the book of Genesis in my own personal study these days....and there are some questions about Creation that I would like to throw out to some of you
Genesis 1 tells us that God created light before he created the sun, moon, and stars. Did He create the potential of light? Was light emanating from God Himself?
Also, if the sun was created later in the week, how were the first 3 days of Creation split into days? Since the Hebrew word for day (yom) can also mean "an age," (think of an old person saying, '...back in my day...') could it be that there were ages of the Creation process and not a calendar week? Do you think this could reconcile scientific dating of the earth (which dates the earth as much older) with the Biblical timeline (which says that the earth is roughly 6000 years old)?
And what about the gap theory? This theory posits that there is a large amount of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.
And lastly, would any of these possibilities affect your faith at all?
I'd love to have a good conversation about this one...
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On the subject of light: Did light have to come FROM anywhere? Later God wrapped light into the sun and stars, but was it in a form prior to that? What if light merely came into existence?
I don't think that days were defined by rising and setting sun or 24 hour time period. I am open to the suggestion that Genesis 1 is more of a poetic interpretation of what happened over periods of ages. On the other hand, I also don't think there's been enough evidence to disprove that the earth is only 6000 years old. Carbon dating makes assumptions that cannot be proven.
In the end, what happened in Creation is a distant second to who I am in Christ.
I'm so emergent.
One of the few things I remember from Velvet Elvis was that he challenged the reader to consider what was essential to the faith. He used the resurrection as an example, which I thought was not a great example. However, I got to thinking: what IS essential? I think the creeds of the faith do a great job of summarizing essential parts of the faith. Although, they forget about the "Do not drink alcohol" which is clearly an essential of the faith . . .
Great questions. While I definitely do not claim to have THE answers on this creation stuff, I do have my theories.
My study of OT Hebrew leads me to believe that yom means a literal 24-hour day, which is supported by the inclusion of the "morning and evening" language.
I believe the pre-sun light could have radiated from God Himself, but I don't feel a deep and compelling need to explain it scientifically.
I think the gap theory is a definite possibility, though there is no way to prove it one way or the other.
Generally speaking, I am content to allow the mystery of creation to remain just that; a miraculous and enduring testimony to the power and majesty of our God.
Thanks for visiting the interview site.
I'd say: don't dwell too much on it.
The key is that God did it. He is the creator.
Speculation on how he did it is futile. He did it. He's still doing it.
How? I don't know, nor do I think our tiny, finite brains will ever be able to comprehend God's methods.
Rest assured, however, it was intentional and is ongoing.
That means we are all still in process, too.
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