Curious on your thoughts about this. I promise no arguments from me - just want to see how people view human origins when taking into account the Genesis creation stories and the scientific discoveries made when studying human origins. Some questions may be:

• Where in Africa was the Garden of Eden?
• Were Adam and Eve homo sapiens, or were they an ancestor species like Homo Habilis or Homo Erectus?
• Could the Neanderthals be the Nephalim?
  

I'll politely decline to respond in too much detail myself. A) although I'm not ignorant on either subject, I'm also not an expert in either. b) somewhat in alignment with that, I don't think we have the history of man OR the will of God 100% correct.

The best response I could give is that I believe that the Bible was written for someone of the 1st century with their understanding of man, the earth, the cosmos, evolution and time.... so literally ANYTHING is possible.

God's central message wasn't to give man a complete understanding of the Cosmos, but to explain that there was a higher power.

ETA... What I mean by that is that God creating 'the cosmos' in 7 days isn't intended to be a measure of how long it takes for a cosmos to be built, but to imply that it happened very quickly.

There was no place in Africa that was the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve didn't exist, and the Neanderthals were nothing that was in the bible.

That's my .02.

(10-06-2015 03:19 PM)miko33 Wrote:  Curious on your thoughts about this. I promise no arguments from me - just want to see how people view human origins when taking into account the Genesis creation stories and the scientific discoveries made when studying human origins. Some questions may be:

• Where in Africa was the Garden of Eden?
• Were Adam and Eve homo sapiens, or were they an ancestor species like Homo Habilis or Homo Erectus?
• Could the Neanderthals be the Nephalim?
  

I'm not going to get into this any further than pointing out it's unlikely that the Garden of Eden was not in Africa.

Genesis 2:10–14 lists four rivers in association with the garden of Eden: Pishon, Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates. It also refers to the land of Cush - translated/interpreted as Ethiopia, but thought by some to equate to Cossaea, a Greek name for the land of the Kassites.[9] These lands lie north of Elam, immediately to the east of ancient Babylon, which, unlike Ethiopia, does lie within the region being described.[10] In Antiquities of the Jews, the first-century Jewish historian Josephus identifies the Pishon as what "the Greeks called Ganges" and the Geon (Gehon) as the Nile.[11]

-- Wiki

(10-06-2015 03:19 PM)miko33 Wrote:  Curious on your thoughts about this. I promise no arguments from me - just want to see how people view human origins when taking into account the Genesis creation stories and the scientific discoveries made when studying human origins. Some questions may be:

• Where in Africa was the Garden of Eden?
• Were Adam and Eve homo sapiens, or were they an ancestor species like Homo Habilis or Homo Erectus?
• Could the Neanderthals be the Nephalim?
  

Jesus constantly spoke in parables. I see no reason to view Genesis as something other than a parable. Its truth, but that doesn't mean its literal.

At some point God directed evolution to give humans the spark of intelligence and a soul. Since all non-Africans are part Neanderthal and many are part Denosivan, it doesn't seem unreasonable to think it might have been before Homo Sapiens Sapiens. But then again, maybe not.

What about Exodus??

Myself, I don't believe that much of the Pentateuch is literal history. I don't believe that there ever was an Adam or Eve or a garden of Eden. If there was an incident where man ran afoul of God, it was something else that was lost to antiquity.

(10-06-2015 03:39 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  There was no place in Africa that was the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve didn't exist, and the Neanderthals were nothing that was in the bible.

That's my .02.

You magnificent bastard.

(10-06-2015 03:19 PM)miko33 Wrote:  Curious on your thoughts about this. I promise no arguments from me - just want to see how people view human origins when taking into account the Genesis creation stories and the scientific discoveries made when studying human origins. Some questions may be:

• Where in Africa was the Garden of Eden?
• Were Adam and Eve homo sapiens, or were they an ancestor species like Homo Habilis or Homo Erectus?
• Could the Neanderthals be the Nephalim?
  

As I said in the other thread, you guys take this schit way too literally.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

I view the Bible as less a history book and more an instruction manual.

(10-06-2015 04:14 PM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(10-06-2015 03:19 PM)miko33 Wrote:  Curious on your thoughts about this. I promise no arguments from me - just want to see how people view human origins when taking into account the Genesis creation stories and the scientific discoveries made when studying human origins. Some questions may be:

• Where in Africa was the Garden of Eden?
• Were Adam and Eve homo sapiens, or were they an ancestor species like Homo Habilis or Homo Erectus?
• Could the Neanderthals be the Nephalim?
  

I'm not going to get into this any further than pointing out it's unlikely that the Garden of Eden was not in Africa.

Genesis 2:10–14 lists four rivers in association with the garden of Eden: Pishon, Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates. It also refers to the land of Cush - translated/interpreted as Ethiopia, but thought by some to equate to Cossaea, a Greek name for the land of the Kassites.[9] These lands lie north of Elam, immediately to the east of ancient Babylon, which, unlike Ethiopia, does lie within the region being described.[10] In Antiquities of the Jews, the first-century Jewish historian Josephus identifies the Pishon as what "the Greeks called Ganges" and the Geon (Gehon) as the Nile.[11]

-- Wiki

agreed.

Eden doesn't seem to be the name of the garden, but the name of the land. The Garden was planted "eastward in Eden".

How much is .02 worth? See, not even you take any stock to what you say. Tsk, pity.

(10-06-2015 08:49 PM)Smaug Wrote:  I view the Bible as less a history book and more an instruction manual.

Same here.

I'm going through RCIA classes and was at a 5 week bible study last night centering on the Catholic mass. I'm a walking contradiction, Doubting Thomas at this point and I said that out loud. It was our second meeting. All that I know is life is truly a mystery. I think therefore I am. God made me this way with all of my contradictions. I do know that there is a God. I do know that there is a Mother Mary that visited my daughter a couple of times 3 months ago. I'm in a spiritual place but I also believe with my whole heart that the church can be misused by man to do his bidding not God's. Therin lies mystery also. I'm on the front door step knocking. I have been let in, but my brain won't allow me not to see and speak out against these contradictions that I see daily in my life.

What God hath made crooked does man have the right to straighten?


You could take that above quote in a lot of directions. What is the meaning of life and why are we here?

Mach,
You first need to understand that you are a sinner , just as all of us are. Pray and ask for forgiveness. Jesus came to earth and paid the ultimate price for your sin and mine.
You are not smarter than God and our ways are not His.

(10-07-2015 08:02 AM)South Carolina Duke Wrote:  Mach,
You first need to understand that you are a sinner , just as all of us are. Pray and ask for forgiveness. Jesus came to earth and paid the ultimate price for your sin and mine.
You are not smarter than God and our ways are not His.

this

(10-07-2015 08:15 AM)ericsrevenge76 Wrote:  

(10-07-2015 08:02 AM)South Carolina Duke Wrote:  Mach,
You first need to understand that you are a sinner , just as all of us are. Pray and ask for forgiveness. Jesus came to earth and paid the ultimate price for your sin and mine.
You are not smarter than God and our ways are not His.

this

So are you suggesting that converting to Catholicism will condemn Mach?

Is that what I wrote?

(10-07-2015 09:24 AM)South Carolina Duke Wrote:  Is that what I wrote?

Of course you didn't.