Tuesday, September 3, 2013

The Beginning

In Genesis 1, God created the earth and the heavens and anything that is living. He also created humankind and gave them the power to control the earth with the hopes that they would act as he. In Genesis 2, God formed man and gave him a garden in Eden except for the tree of knowledge, which he was not allowed to eat from. Besides the tree of knowledge, the garden was to provide him sustenance. Adam was alone, so God made Adam a woman companion. In Genesis 3, the serpent, which was to represent evil and darkness, deceived the woman, Eve, and both she and Adam ate from the tree of knowledge. From then on, the earth became cursed and God set Adam and Eve out of the garden.

To be honest, this was my first ever acquaintance with the Bible in any form. sure, I'd heard stories and seen them in hotel rooms before, but never had I actually read one. With that in mind, I am also not a person of faith. More so, to clarify I am not a person of faith in the traditional, Christian sense. Without fear of retribution, I am not a believer in God. Granted,  I haven't encountered a situation in which I would be exposed to such teachings, but my family has never been one to believe. Instead, I believe in Karma. I believe in a Higher Power, yes, but not one is a single entity such as God, more so an essence founded on our own doing. We are the ones in control - only we have the power to save ourselves. This said, I found my first experience with the Bible to be one rife with confusion. I crave logical explanations and that is one aspect the Bible lacks in my opinion. How can one man have founded the earth and the universe and the heavens? From what or who was he founded? If there was no earth or heavens, where was he when he created those things? Where is he ever? When praying, people look up to the sky and heavens as if God is up their expecting their prayers, but how can they be sure? There was also confusion for me in the details: how did God take a rib from Adam to form Eve? Who's rib did he take to form Adam in the first place? Was it his own, in the sense that Adam is merely just an extension of God? Does that mean that the Bible implies we are all an extension of God, through bone? To me, there is no logic in that. I am not saying these things or questioning anyone's beliefs, I am merely looking for answers. I was speaking with a good friend, rambling about my inability to comprehend these deeply rooted beliefs and I asked, "In our day and age, how do these stories make sense? And how do people find them true?" Looking at me with a straight face, he uttered a single word, "Faith." Then it made sense. I was not founded on these beliefs. My origins lie elsewhere. I am not wrong to question things I do not understand. But, neither are those people who believe them to be true.

1 comment:

  1. Hey Lusi as a note Adam is made from dust of the earth. As for the existsial questions of where he was and how he made Adam slash eve the only answer I've ever heard is he's god and that's how he rolls. Not that I believe in him but that's what people say.

    ReplyDelete