In my research about Christian Fundamentalism, I have come to believe that without Darwin’s theories, CF would never have reared its ugly head. It is not a coincidence that the two emerged at roughly the same time, and that the teaching of his theories is still a controversy in America. The battle over whether the accounts in Genesis are literally true continues to confound thinking people, and the end for this problem seems nowhere in sight. The literal 6 days of Genesis 2 (or 1 day, according to Genesis 1) is a belief that has no conclusive basis in Scripture, since, for example, as 2 Peter 3 tells us, “With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.” I know – there I go again, quoting Scripture.
If you were to put Genesis 1 and 2 side by side, you would see that they are very different stories. Genesis 1 is clearly a story about evolution, while Genesis 2 is about human order of authority and original sin. The reason for this is complicated, and this blog does not allow for that discussion. Suffice it to say, just read them, and you might see what I mean. For today, though, I will look at the 1st chapter; tomorrow will be chapter 2.
Genesis 1 tells us that creation was a void, and in the day (1 day) God created day and night (1), then bodies of water (with some water being held back by a dome) (2), then plants (3), then the moon, sun, and stars (4), than animals of the air and water (5), then land animals (which included the man and woman being made at the same time) (6); six days, not seven. The next day, God took a rest. All of this shows me that creation evolved over time; what amount of time it took, we have no idea. Science, which some religious people have been at odds with since humans have walked the earth, tells us that the process of creation happened over billions of years. Darwin saw how species changed and adapted to their environment. Creationists think God “poofed!” us into existence, like some kind of heavenly magic trick.
For me, though, there is no conflict; since no human was alive to see the beginning of creation, it is obvious that individual communities all over the world and throughout time told stories that tried to explain how everything came to be. Those who created Genesis 1 had a different take on how it all began than the writers of Genesis 2 and, interestingly, while the Apostle Paul used the 2nd chapter, Jesus is only quoted using the 1st. As always, when there is conflict in the Scriptures, I take the words of Jesus over the words of Paul. That just makes sense. Creation has and is in process, and no human can know its intricacies. I can live with the mystery.
Prayer – Help us, God of many words and many worlds, to use our common sense as we approach Scripture can help us live together in peace. Help us to use our God-given brains to find harmony. Amen.
Today’s art is “God’s Creation” by Lois Viguier.