Virtually everyone knows that it’s hard to square the differences between the Genesis account of creation and what we now know through science. For centuries, people believed that the earth was less than 10,000 years old, because the Bible doesn’t seem to go back any further than that. Now, geology, biology, chemistry, anthropology, archaeology, and astronomy agree that the earth (and our universe) is far, far older than that. Now, it’s certainly possible that God spoke everything into existence 10,000 years ago, but with the appearance that it had been here for billions of years. That’s what I believed when I was a Christian. Others think that the “6 days” spoken of in Genesis is figurative for simply “periods of time.” But even if one of those theories could answer some of the problems, it can’t solve them all.
The average person living at the time Genesis was written did not know that the earth is a sphere, or that the sun is a star, or that the earth is just one of at least 8 planets circling the sun. Of course, if God miraculously inspired the writing of Genesis, then it doesn’t matter what people understood at the time it was written, because God knew everything we know now, and more. But that’s the thing: Genesis has more problems than just the age of the universe. When you read Genesis carefully, you get a view of the universe much like the one depicted by these images:
Let’s look at some passages, and I think you’ll see the similarities. Take Genesis 1:6,7, for instance:
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.
What? This is probably one of the most confusing passages in this chapter if you’re trying to apply it to what we know of the cosmos. What does it mean to separate the waters from the waters? And what’s this “expanse” that it talks about? Well, verse 8 answers that for us:
And God called the expanse Heaven.
In other words, the expanse is the sky. It’s not “Heaven” in the spiritual sense, as we’ll see from some of the other verses. But how does the sky separate waters? We learn more starting with verse 9:
And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
So the waters under the expanse (sky) are oceans, rivers, etc. What are the waters above the sky? We can’t say it’s water vapor for two reasons: One, it doesn’t make sense in the context of the passage. But the second and more important reason is explained here (vs 14-18):
And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
According to this passage, the sun, moon, and stars are stuck in the sky — the same sky that keeps back the “waters above.”
Now look again at the two images I posted above. Genesis is describing a system in which the sky acts as a dome around the earth. This dome has pretty lights stuck in it to help us see, even when it’s night. The business about water being above the sky makes sense when you think about it — why else is the sky blue? And where do you think rain comes from? We see this in Genesis 7:11-12, when God decides to flood the earth:
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
For people living at the time Genesis was written, this was not a bad job of explaining things. It explained why the sky was blue, where rain came from, and why we have the sun, moon, and stars. We can easily understand why they held these beliefs. However, in today’s age, the Genesis account is absurd. Efforts to make it fit with what we now know about the universe is a bit like trying to rationally argue for the existence of Santa Claus. Why not just put an end to all the mental gymnastics and accept that like every other religious text in the world, the Bible is just the product of mankind’s imagination? It may be a difficult proposition to accept, if you’re a firm believer. But I can tell you from experience that the whole thing makes a lot more sense when you stop assuming God had anything to do with the Bible.
Finding Truth 
Marc, there are many who believe physical death is not the end of the trail. And they aren’t Christians, Catholics, or any other “religion.”
LikeLike
I never take offense, I’m accustomed by now to your dulcet tones. Besides, that’s what Freedom of Speech is all about, right Marc?
LikeLike
Ah, “Speak when spoken to!” I know your kind, you think we transitional fossils should be seen, not heard – or better yet, buried deep in some closet someplace, where our presence won’t rock the ark and confuse all of those Young-Earth Creationists out there!
LikeLike
Nan, Agreed. I am hopeful that when we get there, we will all come together in communion with our Creator.
Arch, It is good that we agree on Freedom of Speech. What are your feelings about Freedom of Religion?
LikeLike
And that’s how “After Life” religions work – nobody ever comes back, to tell you it’s all a crock.
And by that, I mean NObody.
LikeLike
The point here Marc, is that the Messiah said if you want eternal life you need to be more righteous than the Pharisees. Meaning that they keep the law in all outward appearances, but not in their hearts, and we need to do both.
Did Yeshua ever say saved by grace apart from the law, or all things are lawful?
The Jesus that Paul preaches is “a different Jesus”, and a different gospel.
LikeLike
I believe that your right to swing your fist, stops just short of my nose. Believe what you like, but stay away from my First Amendment right to keep government and religion separate.
That means keep your religious icons off of my courthouse property, your “In God We Trust” off of my money, your “Under God,” out of my Pledge of Allegiance, your invocations out of my public meetings and your hallucinations out of my schools – that’s what your homes and churches are for.
LikeLike
AND … don’t tell a woman how to manage her body!
LikeLike
Arch, if it bothers you so much, why not use your mensa brain to build a time machine and go back and change it;-)
LikeLike
I think we answered his question – do you think we left anything out?
LikeLike
Marc, do you believe the 12 apostles were pillars of the church?
LikeLike
First of all, Laurie Love, Einstein – you remember Einstein, don’t you —
Has mathematically demonstrated that a journey back in time is physically impossible.
However time travel into the future is not only possible, we’re doing it as we speak, and there are rational, superstition-free, secular people right this moment, that are working to scour our government of all of it’s religions trappings, and in time, they will be successful – Britain is a shining example, in which religion is at an all-time low.
LikeLike
Arch, I would like you to ask permission before you speak from now on please.;)
LikeLike
Laurie,
Jesus taught that all the laws are fulfilled in loving God and our neighbor. The Church is Apostolic in that it has been led by the eleven original disciples, Matthias, Paul, the seventy sent, and all the bishops they consecrated in a succession down to today. The leadership of the Church is conciliar. The Church council has the ultimate authority, not a single bishop or pope.
LikeLike
Jericho has inspired me to write my own blog. His story is near identical to mine, only we had different outcomes. I wish I could cut and paste the part where he talks about his research phase, cause it was so close to my experience it almost sounded like he read my mind. My study was of a different subject, or took a different turn anyways, and I was much less motivated. I started a 5 part document on Paul (shut up arch!) and when I finished part one, I gave it to my pastor. Needless to say, that was a very bad idea. I have lost friends, family, and my church. But….. I can safely say, it doesn’t bother me anymore. I never completely finished my document, because it only seemed to have a negative effect on people, but I am going to finish it now!
LikeLike
The first part is 30 pages Marc, and it will be the first thing I put on my blog.
LikeLike
Until then… What is the first and greatest commandment? Love the lord your good with all your heart mind and soul, this is the first and great commandment, the second is like unto it, love your neighbor as your self. Upon these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. If you love me keep my commandments, any man that sys he knows me yet keepeth not my commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him.
LikeLike
I KNOW you’re plan – you want me to die laughing!
LikeLike
Arch! You did not request permission to speak! What did you do in the military, with that Mensa brain of your anyways?
LikeLike
So, you’re saying all of those people, even RELIGIOUS people, share my opinion of your – how can I put this delicately? – idiosyncracies, and yet you think I have a problem?
When you start your own blog, I’m sure you’ll invite me over – won’t you?
LikeLike
In case you missed it Marc, that post about the commandments was straight from the mouth of Messiah, not from me. But it doesn’t really insinuate that all things are lawful. Further more, the real apostles told Paul that it was not okay to eat meat sacrificed to idols and even sent it in a letter, with escort, to make sure there was no confusion. But later he says that Peter, James, and John only seemed to be pillars, and that it was okay to eat meat sacrificed to idols. You either follow Messiah and his twelve apostles of you follow Paul
LikeLike
Not a chance in the world arch 😉
LikeLike
I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to reading those, so I won’t.
I hope you plan on more references for your assertions than you’ve supplied me – I’m still waiting on your evidence Moses little water-walk, his desert camping trip, and that whole lost-ark-found thing. Oh, and the 3,000-year old T-Rex.
LikeLike
“Be good to yourself, and each other.”
~ Jerry Springer ~
LikeLike
Honest answer? I used that Mensa brain of mine to manipulate the Army into letting me do pretty much anything I wanted to do.
During pre-induction testing, I was given an IQ test – since I didn’t want to go, I deliberately failed the test, getting only one answer correct. They took me anyway. The coded numeric classification on my dog tag indicated that I was mentally deficient. Then someone had a brainstorm, they concluded that by the law of averages, a blind man should have at least gotten a certain percentage – certainly higher than one – correct, even by accident, so they tested me again and I was off the scale – I figured since I was already in, what did it matter? None of us had any business being there anyway.
LikeLike