Myths and fairy tales ?

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secular scientists and secular state school teachers and schools would, it seems,accept and teach that Adam and Eve,Noah,Global flood etc are myths and fairy tales.Should,or would or could Catholic, scientists,teachers or schools also accept and teach this - any comments - jimc
 
No Catholic should regard this as mere myth or fairy tale… Regardless of what they do for a living.
 
I agree as well. But I unfortunately know people who have been taught that you can pretty much disregard genesis since it’s JUST a story. These same people are then totally confused when you explain to them that there really was the “fall of man” and that if there wasn’t there is no need for baptism.
 
“The faith of the Christian rests not in the wisdom of man, nor does it stand in any need of buttressing from scientific savants. The faith of the Christian rest upon the impregnable rock of the Holy Scripture. Too often have Christian apologists deserted their propeer ground. For instance: one of the ancient tablets of Assyria is deciphered and then it is triumphantly announced that some statements found in the historical portions of the Old Testament have been confirmed. But that is only a turning of things upside down again. The Word of God needs no “confirming.” If the writing upon an Assyrian tablet agrees with what is recored in Scripture, that confirms the historical accuracy of the Assyrian tablet; if it disagrees, that is proof positive that the Assyrian writer was at fault. In a like manner, if the teachings of science square with Scripture, that goes to show that the former are correct; if they conflict, that proves the postulates of science are false.”

Arthur W. Pink

I love this guy. He really tells it like it is. The Word of God is the truth and man shouldn’t think he is smarter than God!
 
Some day, science will prove what is written of as being true in full, it’s a waiting game at this point, luckily we can take it by faith since we know the word is true. It’s funny when it comes down to it to a point, Job describes dinosaurs, long, long before paleontology was considered a field of expertise. We’ll just wait on em to fill in the gaps for the rest of mankind, meanwhile, stay steadfast with your faith, it has never let you down before, it will not let you down in the future.
 
I think maybe the problem is with secular society’s understanding of myth. In the modern sense, “myth” simply means “not factual”, and therefore, not valuable or necessary. That’s the legacy of the Enlightenment at its worst.

But the ancient understanding was different–myth was true, in a very real sense, because it told us something true about the world/us/life/God. That’s why there are two different accounts of creation in Genesis. One emphasizes the truth that life comes from God and is good, and the other explains and institutes the sacramental nature of marriage and families. Secular society would say that because the ‘facts’ of each contradict each other, they’re just ‘myths’ that we can toss out or ignore. But the Catholic understanding is that these stories were given for a reason–the Church has collected and handed them down as Sacred Scripture because they show us truths about God and us that we need to know. Historical veracity seems almost beside the point.

I’m a Catholic and I’m studying the sciences. I don’t believe the earth was formed in a literal seven days (I’m with the Catechism and St. Augustine), but that doesn’t mean I believe the Genesis story is just a silly little fairy tale. There’s more to it.
 
Moscati said:
I think maybe the problem is with secular society’s understanding of myth. In the modern sense, “myth” simply means “not factual”, and therefore, not valuable or necessary. That’s the legacy of the Enlightenment at its worst.

But the ancient understanding was different–myth was true, in a very real sense, because it told us something true about the world/us/life/God. That’s why there are two different accounts of creation in Genesis. One emphasizes the truth that life comes from God and is good, and the other explains and institutes the sacramental nature of marriage and families. Secular society would say that because the ‘facts’ of each contradict each other, they’re just ‘myths’ that we can toss out or ignore. But the Catholic understanding is that these stories were given for a reason–the Church has collected and handed them down as Sacred Scripture because they show us truths about God and us that we need to know. Historical veracity seems almost beside the point.

I’m a Catholic and I’m studying the sciences. I don’t believe the earth was formed in a literal seven days (I’m with the Catechism and St. Augustine), but that doesn’t mean I believe the Genesis story is just a silly little fairy tale. There’s more to it.
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Good post, Moscoti!

For me, not only does Genesis not need to be literally true, but I see demands put on it to be literal truth as not only doing violence to the text, it also obscures the spiritual truths in it that are, IMO, the whole point to begin with.
 
I see no demands being put on the text regarding literal truth. If anything, I see outside influences who require, for various reasons, that Genesis not be considered literal.

Catholics are allowed to believe the world is old or young but the pressure to accept one over the other does not come from the Catholic Church.

Peace,
Ed
 
Someplace C. S. Lewis writes that while he does not have a professional knowledge of theology, he does have such knowledge of mythology. It is his professional opinion that Christianity is among the poorest of myths, therefore must be something else. If you want myths he recommends the Norse myths. 😃
 
Moscati said:
I think maybe the problem is with secular society’s understanding of myth. In the modern sense, “myth” simply means “not factual”, and therefore, not valuable or necessary. That’s the legacy of the Enlightenment at its worst.

But the ancient understanding was different–myth was true, in a very real sense, because it told us something true about the world/us/life/God. That’s why there are two different accounts of creation in Genesis. One emphasizes the truth that life comes from God and is good, and the other explains and institutes the sacramental nature of marriage and families. Secular society would say that because the ‘facts’ of each contradict each other, they’re just ‘myths’ that we can toss out or ignore. But the Catholic understanding is that these stories were given for a reason–the Church has collected and handed them down as Sacred Scripture because they show us truths about God and us that we need to know. Historical veracity seems almost beside the point.

I’m a Catholic and I’m studying the sciences. I don’t believe the earth was formed in a literal seven days (I’m with the Catechism and St. Augustine), but that doesn’t mean I believe the Genesis story is just a silly little fairy tale. There’s more to it.
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Moscati - firstly there are not two different accounts of creation,so where did you pick this up from - the word of God cannot contradict or confuse,so guess who confuses and contradicts - btw the earth was formed in six literal days,not seven,according to Him who formed it and no other way out,weird or wacky conjectures can be accepted - twinc
 
Joe_Kelley said:
Someplace C. S. Lewis writes that while he does not have a professional knowledge of theology, he does have such knowledge of mythology. It is his professional opinion that Christianity is among the poorest of myths, therefore must be something else. If you want myths he recommends the Norse myths. 😃
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I remember reading that myself. 😉 However he was specifically referring to the NT accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings, not the entire Bible, and thus was not saying that every single story in the Bible should be understood to have literally taken place.
 
twinc said:
Moscati - firstly there are not two different accounts of creation,so where did you pick this up from - the word of God cannot contradict or confuse,so guess who confuses and contradicts - btw the earth was formed in six literal days,not seven,according to Him who formed it and no other way out,weird or wacky conjectures can be accepted - twinc
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God in the OT changes his mind and that is a contradiction.In Jonah God changes his mind toward Nineveh.In Exodus and other Torah books God is going to destroy the Israelites-but Moses talks him out of it!
A human stops God from acting!?
 
juliamajor said:
God in the OT changes his mind and that is a contradiction.In Jonah God changes his mind toward Nineveh.In Exodus and other Torah books God is going to destroy the Israelites-but Moses talks him out of it!
A human stops God from acting!?
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where is the contradiction,its all very well affirming the contradiction/s but where are they.the whole basis of Christianity is based on the appeal to God for mercy and not due justice for if justice be thy appeal or demand “remember this none of us shall see salvation” - twinc
 
sablouwho said:
I remember reading that myself. 😉 However he was specifically referring to the NT accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings, not the entire Bible, and thus was not saying that every single story in the Bible should be understood to have literally taken place.
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yes but Jesus and our first Pope Peter did - enough said - if not then here.s some more see Jn.5:46-47 - twinc
 
Genesis 1 is one creation story, Genesis 2 - 3 is a second creation story. Of course, these two can be reconciled into one story, but, regarldess, as Moscati said, the literal does not need to be to accept God.
 
juliamajor said:
God in the OT changes his mind and that is a contradiction.In Jonah God changes his mind toward Nineveh.In Exodus and other Torah books God is going to destroy the Israelites-but Moses talks him out of it!
A human stops God from acting!?
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But , that’s the whole point of the Biblical Revelation.! A God who listens, a God who can help us as we pray to him. A God who is in Covenant with his creation.!!!

These stories help us to see God as He really would be seen; in the Experience of a Living Love. The Genius of the Biblical Revelation in is the Process itself, we fall and go backwards, then move on again; enlightened by a God who does not desert us , even in our darkest hours.

Notice God is always bargaining with His creatures ! How beautiful. I can do it with less, I can do it with less. Its the Hebrew conception of the " Minions". God can do it with a loaf of bread, a cup of wine, a Tribe of insignificant nobodys in the Sinai desert, a forgotten son, a stubborn fisherman. There is no other literature quite like the OT/NT.
But we have to Read it with the eyes of Faith, not like a modern newspaper.
 
twinc said:
Moscati - firstly there are not two different accounts of creation,so where did you pick this up from - the word of God cannot contradict or confuse,so guess who confuses and contradicts - btw the earth was formed in six literal days,not seven,according to Him who formed it and no other way out,weird or wacky conjectures can be accepted - twinc
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Creationists are fundamentalist Christians who believe that the evidence is wrong, and that the Universe was created according to a literal interpretation of Genesis’ 7 day creation account. The Liberal Interpretation is normally that the story is a metaphor designed to explain that God is all powerful. The secular belief is that the Genesis account is purely a result of myth and prescientific attempts to understand the Universe. The secular belief is the most sensible one, and, luckily for Christianity, modern Christians are generally accepting of the idea that Genesis is scientifically flawed and written by Human beings, not dictated by God.
 
Seagirt said:
Creationists are fundamentalist Christians who believe that the evidence is wrong, and that the Universe was created according to a literal interpretation of Genesis’ 7 day creation account. The Liberal Interpretation is normally that the story is a metaphor designed to explain that God is all powerful. The secular belief is that the Genesis account is purely a result of myth and prescientific attempts to understand the Universe. The secular belief is the most sensible one, and, luckily for Christianity, modern Christians are generally accepting of the idea that Genesis is scientifically flawed and written by Human beings, not dictated by God.
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Sacred Scripture was made sacred by God, not men. It was written by men under the direction of the Holy Spirit of God. Secularists don’t want it be literal because it offends them. Jesus raised the dead, gave sight to the blind and cleansed the lepers instantly. I am told science cannot study the supernatural. A scientist standing next to Jesus would have no explanation for His ability to do these things. Science has no say.

In the present, miracles are investigated. They still happen. That is how individuals are elevated to sainthood by the Church.

Peace,
Ed
 
Seagirt said:
Creationists are fundamentalist Christians who believe that the evidence is wrong, and that the Universe was created according to a literal interpretation of Genesis’ 7 day creation account. The Liberal Interpretation is normally that the story is a metaphor designed to explain that God is all powerful. The secular belief is that the Genesis account is purely a result of myth and prescientific attempts to understand the Universe. The secular belief is the most sensible one, and, luckily for Christianity, modern Christians are generally accepting of the idea that Genesis is scientifically flawed and written by Human beings, not dictated by God.
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are you saying this as a Catholic - either you or I are confused and not God,shall we at least agree on that - twinc
 
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