Ways to interpret Genesis
Why are there different views about the meaning of the religious creation story?
The religious stories of Creation in Genesis were written thousands of years ago. it is said that the writers were inspired by God when they wrote. This is called, Revelation. The writers chose words and images that would convey God’s messages to the people around at the time. We don’t have the writers here now to clarify for us what the messages of the text are. That leaves lots of room for different opinions.
What are the main positions in the argument?
The Creation story in Genesis says that God created the Universe during a six-day period. There are arguments about how to interpret this timeline. In general, Creationists take a more literal view while the majority of Church leaders including the Pope and the Anglican Bishops see the time-line as figurative.
What else do Creationists believe?
Creationists argue that religious texts describe, step by step, how life was created. Creationists reject the notion that evolution describes the way things happened. One of their aguments is that the evidence which scientists present to support the theory of evolution is flawed. The only view that makes sense (they say) is to believe that God made each kind of animal directly, as we seem them today.
Meanwhile those who say the Bible is not intended as a scientific account present the following argument. They highlight that the Bible story says the Sun, Moon and Stars were created on ‘‘Day’ 4 – but how can there be a ‘Day’ before the Sun and Earth exist. This, they say, tells us that it must be a different form of language.
What is Theistic Evolution?
Theistic Evolution is the idea which is supported by almost all scientists who believe in God. This idea says that God created life, but he did so through the processes that science describes.