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A Holiday Gift for Everyone: Let's End the Bible and Science Conflict
Date Posted: Wednesday, January 01, 2003
(A Bible, Science, and History Tidbit from Genesis Proclaimed Association)
ARLINGTON, Virginia (Genesis Proclaimed Association) - The Bible versus
science conflict has tormented our education system since the Scopes
"monkey" trial in the 1920's. Bewildered students for
generations have been torn between religious organizations advocating sudden
creation and educators who dutifully teach the scientific theory of biological
evolution in public schools.
Are Homo sapiens connected to the phyletic tree of life, sharing common
ancestors with creatures more hairy, or is mankind disconnected - an object of
special divine creation? Genesis Proclaimed Association (www.genesisproclaimed.org)
announces a possible middle-ground solution.
The heart of the creation-evolution debacle as it concerns our species derives
from an inability to harmonize scientific explanations of life and mans
origins with the description in Genesis. When the historical basis for
Genesis becomes apparent, however, troubles melt away.
GPA maintains that Genesis 1-11 was written for the Israelites (possibly by
Moses) to describe the creation of the earth and life in terms they would
understand, and to give them the genealogy and some of the history of their
people.
Commentators and casual readers of Genesis typically make an erroneous
assumption. What was written as Semitic history is being read as human
history. A small oversight perhaps, but with enormous negative impact.
Paleo-anthropologists have traced the fossil evidence of hominids, terminating
with modern humans, beyond four million years ago. The biblical origin of
the Semites can be traced to Adam of Genesis who lived less that 10,000 years
ago judging from the neolithic description of Adam's surroundings.
The mention of farming, raising livestock, tents, implements of bronze and iron,
and musical instruments in Genesis suggest that Adam was not contemporary with
the Flintstones.
In recent years we have found Accadian and Sumerian literature which
corroborates and parallels much of the biblical narrative. Clay tablets
recovered from the region of southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) support a
historical Adam, and have real value in solving what has been a perplexing
puzzle of misunderstanding.
Tantalizing clues point to such a man called Adapa who lived in a
fishing village called Eridu at the edge of the Persian Gulf. Fragments of
clay tablets have been found inscribed in four languages that describe this
legendary sage whose command no one could oppose.
Adapa is further described as blameless, clean of hands,
anointer, and observer of laws.
Adapa was a baker by trade, and Adam was told in the sweat of his face he would
"eat bread" (Gen. 3:19). Adam was cut off from the "tree of
life" (Gen. 3:24), whereby he could "live forever" (Gen. 3:22).
Adapa was offered the food and water of eternal life which he declined.
Both were created.
Was Adapa and Adam the same man? Adam was taken from the ground, in the
Hebrew, 'adam from 'adamah. How close phonetically is 'adamah
to Adapa?
Did Adam's sin affect following generations? Consider these two lines from
part of one Adapa fragment: ... what ill he has brought upon mankind, and
the disease that he brought upon the bodies of men.
Even pyramids in Egypt carved hundreds of years before Moses record a man
created "out of the waters of chaos," called "Atum" who
begot a number of sons including one named "Seth." And Seth was
Adam's third son.
Numerous biblical and historical clues suggest that Adam of Genesis was a
historical personality who lived in southern Mesopotamia about 7,000 years ago -
not at the apex of human life, but in the flow of human life.
The origin of biological man can be found in biology textbooks, GPA contends.
The first man to have a covenant relationship (Adam) was tasked with bringing a
populated world into accountability. Being human, he failed.
Although "biblical literalism" has been singled out as the culprit
causing many conservative Christians to reject modern scientific theories, the
difficulty stems from a handful of translation errors and flawed interpretation.
When mistakes are corrected, GPA insists, Bible and science difficulties
disappear.
References for historical data can be found in the published articles, "In
Search of the Historical Adam, Parts 1 and 2." located on the American
Scientific Affiliation web site.
http://www.asa3.org/ASA/topics/Evolution/PSCF12-93Fisher.html#Part%201
http://www.asa3.org/ASA/topics/Evolution/PSCF3-94Fisher.html#Part%202
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