I need some clarification

  • Thread starter Thread starter brierpatch1974
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

brierpatch1974

Guest
Here are some things that really have me confused so some insight would be greatly appreciated. I am not trying to cause a controversy or anything but to find a better understanding. Thank you all.

Creation Contradiction, 1

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Genesis 1: 3-5)

“And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:16-17)

Comment

God creates day and night on the first day and then makes the stars and the two great lights (sun and moon) on the fourth day (Genesis 1:19). How can you have day and night on the first day without a star? This describes a dramatic contradiction to the way the actual universe works. To have a day you must have a rotating planet and a sun. Genesis proves that God (or more accurately, the authors of Genesis) could not have known about the structure of the universe, or even the difference between stars and planets.
Creation Contradiction, 2
“And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that is was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” (Genesis 1:25-26)

“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air…” (Genesis 2:18-19)

Comment
In the first account, man gets created after the beasts, the second account has man created before the beasts .

In fact there occurs two stories of Genesis, the second story starts at Genesis 2:4. The first story uses Elohim (God in the plural form) and the second story uses the LORD God. Both stories appear markedly different,
Creation Contradiction, 3
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:27)

“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” (Genesis 2:21-22)

Comment
In the first account, God created a man and female simultaneously, in God’s image. In the second account Adam gets created from the dust (Genesis 2:7), and then later, a woman came from one of Adam’s ribs. Again, this shows another difference between the two Genesis story accounts, each contradicting the other.
 
ok I understand but this is what gets me. If we take this figuratively and some popes have while others take is as fact and not figuratively then this would throw papal infalability out the window.
One pope can not come out and say a previous pope made a mistake. That would prove the pope is not infalable at all.
I just get so confused at times. I keep praying the good lord will turn the light on in my head so it will all make better sense to me but so far I just keep getting more questions.
 
brierpatch1974 said:
ok I understand but this is what gets me. If we take this figuratively and some popes have while others take is as fact and not figuratively then this would throw papal infalability out the window.

One pope can not come out and say a previous pope made a mistake. That would prove the pope is not infalable at all.
I just get so confused at times. I keep praying the good lord will turn the light on in my head so it will all make better sense to me but so far I just keep getting more questions.
Click to expand...
Each Pope is infallible in matters of faith and morals when speaking ex cathedra (from the seat of Peter). Their private opinions do not count as speaking ex cathedra.

The Catholic Church has not ruled whether the Genesis account must be taken literally or figuratively as a matter of faith. This is a matter of prudential judgement for each individual believer. There are moral truths from Genesis that we must accept. We also must accept that the whole human race has descended from one male and one female.

As for supposed contradiction #1:
In 2 Peter 3:8 it says “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day.” Even with this quote we need to ask: was Peter trying to say that each day is exactly 1,000 years for God or was he making the point that each day is a very very long time.

In supposed contradiction #2 and #3, I think you can understand the difference between making man and making man in our image:

  1. *]Check out Gen, 1:26 and 3:22. In both cases God refers to himself in the plural. There are two names given to God in Genesis: Elohim and Yahweh. Perhaps one person of the Trinity was speaking to another.
    *]It is possible that God made man physically at one time with a soul like that of other animals. At anther time he could have raised man’s soul above that of animals so man was now “made man in Our image.” By raising man above the animals he would have made each man a person with the capacity for free choice and love.
    cheers
 
brierpatch1974 said:
ok I understand but this is what gets me. If we take this figuratively and some popes have while others take is as fact and not figuratively then this would throw papal infalability out the window.
Click to expand...
Only if both Popes intended to be speaking infallibly (rather than expressing their personal opinions, or giving their best guess) at the time. Keep in mind, the Pope is only considered to be infallible when he says “I define and declare …” This can’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t happen very often.
 
Thank you so much for clearing this up for me. Now I understand. I just needed it explained to me in small words lol. Thanks again.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top