Rediscovering Genesis: New Beginnings for a Modern World

By Gerald Ostroot

Rediscovering Genesis is an exciting new look at the evolution/creation controversy. Its author is neither scientist nor theologian so he can present an objective point of view. The premise of the book is that both religion and science describe the same Universe and must be compatible. It accomplishes that goal by exposing the hidden assumptions and self-imposed restriction of both disciplines, and challenging them. It documents the changes needed from both disciplines. The book presents a well researched effort to root out the causes of the evolution/creation controversy and to discovers a solution that includes both disciplines.

While the book is aimed at a Christian audience, it has much to offer to the less committed individuals as well. It will be of special interest to those who have been, or are currently being, exposed to the Theory of Evolution in our educational systems. It will be invaluable to the parents of those students. It will serve as a guide to educators. It will be of interest to all that are aware of the present controversy.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part looks at the biblical creation account in the first 4 chapters of Genesis. By incorporating our modem knowledge into this account, it becomes compatible with both the scientific account of our beginning and the literal seven days of creation described in the Bible. That is a necessary first step in resolving the controversy between science and religion . Part 1 goes on to bring a new, deeper understanding of our relationship with our Creator.

Part two brings us face-to-face with two major roadblocks to accepting a world-view that includes a Creator:
(1) the problem of suffering in our world and,
(2) the evolution/creation controversy.
The first roadblock, the problem of suffering, occurs only in the teaching of Christianity. It occurs because we misunderstand the relationship of the Creator with His creation. Understanding this special relationship starts in Genesis.

Misunderstanding and misinformation have marked the second, the evolution/creation controversy, from the very beginning. This book explains the facts that are important for general understanding. It goes on to closely examine the scientific definition of life and shows where it leads . This is also a necessary step in resolving the evolution/science controversy.

Throughout the book, the overriding theme is authority and its important function in our lives. It is the common ground where both science and religion can merge. Find out how it can change your world-view and your life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 2, 2009
• ISBN: 9781462811250

Gerald Ostroot

Gerald Ostroot grew up roaming the prairies, woods, lakes and streams of central Minnesota. As a youngster, he learned the “old” creation story. He graduated from the University of Minnesota after 4 years as an Electronic Technician in the US Navy. He holds several patents. In mid career, he moved to Sales Engineer where he earned a reputation as a problem solver. He has previously authored two books. Now retired, he is able to devote full time to his conviction that science and religion must compliment each other.

Book preview

Copyright © 2009 by Gerald Ostroot.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

Except where noted, scriptures taken from New American Standard Bible

Copyright © the Lockman Foundation

1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977

are used by permission.

This book is directed toward

Christian readers

who desire an updated understanding of the Old Testament beginnings

for their faith: creation, evolution, our human nature.

It includes material adapted from the author’s previous book,

Let’s Bridge the Gap

© 2005 by Gerald Ostroot

infinitypublishing.com

directed to those whose logical worldview turns

them away from investigating their spiritual nature.

About the cover: This image was taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. It is called Hubble’s sharpest view of the Orion Nebula. It shows the Orion Nebula, which is a picture book of star formation. It is the nearest star-forming region to earth. This image is a mosaic of Hubble images and ground-based images taken between 2004 and 2005.

Cover Image Credits: NASA, ESA, M. Roberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Treasury Project Team.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

68416

Contents

Introduction

Part I

New Beginnings for a Modern World

Chapter 1

The Creation: Genesis or Big Bang?

Chapter 2

Adam: A Special Creation

Chapter 3

Was It Sin?

Chapter 4

Cain and Abel: The True Story?

Part II

Chapter 5

A Good God in a Not-So-Good World!

Chapter 6

A Christian View of Evolution

Chapter 7

Authority in Action

To my loving wife and best friend,

Elaine,

who encouraged me

to persevere, provided a valuable

ear for sorting out ideas, and patiently

proofread the manuscript during

its formation

Introduction

Creation! What if I told you that the biblical creation story and the scientific big bang theory of creation are compatible—they both describe the same event? Would that surprise you? What would your reaction be?

Dream on with your wishful thinking.

Of course they must, but I don’t know how.

Perhaps you’d be a doubting Thomas and say, Show me!

That is just what I intend to do—to show you how it can be accomplished and how it will also affect your worldview on evolution and sin.

This book is the result of a quest I began over thirty years ago. These writings are a presentation of my logical investigations into the broad category of religion and into a specific religion, Christianity, which stands out from the rest. I realize that the term religion may be misleading. While it may represent something of great value and promise to many, it has also had its share of charlatans and misguided zealots. In that respect, it is not different from the disciplines of science, medicine, or law. They too have had their share of questionable practices. The fact that all of these disciplines can be misused only testifies to the truth that they all have real intrinsic value. So it is with religion. I’ll continue to use that term in a positive context.

These writings resulted from a need to clarify my own thoughts and to answer my own questions. That effort was necessary because some of the answers supplied by traditional religious interpretations left doubts in my logical, left-brained life. They just did not seem compatible with today’s knowledge. In some cases, they led to an uneasy and seemingly forced compatibility with other passages in the interpretation. The inevitable result was the creation of doubt and skepticism in my mind. There were three options available:

1. Listen to my doubts and use them to discredit the Bible as a reliable source and to reject religion as a part of my life.

2. Put those questions aside and accept the authority behind religious teachings as proof of their validity.

3. Respect my doubts, investigate the possibilities, and see if there were other answers that would satisfy my logical worldview. I chose this last option. It seemed illogical to dismiss religion as undesirable. It has been a part of humanity from the beginning. It continues in societies where magic and superstition have long disappeared.

Nor could I discount the Bible as a reliable reference. It must have value if for no other reason than its incredible longevity. If it had no value, it would have disappeared from our literature many years ago. But it has not disappeared. The Bible has grown stronger in much of the world. Its historical accuracy continues to be verified. According to a report issued by the United Bible Societies, it has been translated and published in over 2,200 languages. No other book is received so eagerly or guarded so carefully in many parts of this world.

This third option was also the most difficult choice. It was a challenge that has led me throughout the Bible as well as to many outside sources of information. It has led me into prayers for understanding. It has led me to a deep appreciation of the Christian religion as a necessary part of my life and of the Bible as an inspired writing. It has led to this book. I feel the need to share my answers because I know I’m not the only Christian who feels doubt or skepticism about some of the traditional biblical interpretations.

These pages present my worldview that follows my logical, left-brain approach to life. These are my personal truths. They fulfill my needs, and they answer my questions. Those answers appear in this book although not necessarily in the organized progression as they are stated above. Sometimes those answers will be in a paragraph, and sometimes they will take an entire chapter. They will not always be the traditional answers. This does not imply that the traditional interpretations are wrong. On the contrary, they have been right for millions of people. They were just wrong for me.

This is not a unique situation. Most religions have divisions within them that have resulted from a difference in interpretation. When those interpretations are based upon the entire Bible (not just one or two scriptures taken out of context), they do not invalidate the religion; they only make it acceptable to more people. In that context, most of the different versions

do not affect the core Christian beliefs. They are differences about the circumstances that surround that core. Yet each claims to be the truth.

An age-old question asks, what is truth? A dictionary defines truth as conformity to fact or reality. Inherent in the statement is the realization that truth may not be absolute. Both our facts and our view of reality change with time. They change as our knowledge increases. This is especially applicable to ancient history. It changes as we unearth new evidence. Thus, truth becomes a human judgment based upon our knowledge of known facts within our present framework of reality. Truth depends upon our knowledge.

It’s important to make a distinction here. Each religious denomination defines the Bible as real truth, that is, objective truth free from personal feelings, opinions, prejudice, and other human variables. However, when this real truth is read, we are often unclear about its meaning. That meaning is interpreted for us through the traditions of the church. It then becomes subjective truth and reflects the personalities involved, the knowledge available and, especially, the traditions that went before them. We know they are subjective truths because they do not agree among themselves. Those subjective truths are then presented to us. We have the option of choosing among them. When a subjective truth is defended as objective truth, splits occur and new denominations result.

In addition, we know those truths are subjective because they are based upon assumptions. As used here, an assumption is the acceptance of a position or belief without any additional supporting evidence. Assumptions are inherent in our biblical interpretations and are not obvious to us. They are not specified in the interpretations, and we accept them without realizing it. The truth of that statement will become obvious as we get into the book. As the title Rediscovering Genesis infers, it is based upon our ability to discover those assumptions and evaluate them. When we do, new possibilities will emerge. We have just discovered our first assumption.

Assumption 1: Our interpretations from the Bible must be absolute truth because they are based upon a book inspired by God.

An inspired book has little value without an inspired reader. Ask any atheist about the inspiration of the Bible. Ask any supporter of the Higher Criticism movement about the inspiration of the Bible. They will not be impressed. As long as our interpretations are based upon an assumption by the translators or an assumption by the reader, we cannot be sure they are absolute truth. There will be other possibilities. Examples of other possibilities constitute the foundation for this book. Assumptions are not unique to religion. They can occur in all disciplines, even fact-based disciplines such as science.

None of the biblical interpretations presented in this book affect the truths of our common-core Christian beliefs. Those beliefs are stated in the Nicene Creed. It is the beliefs that surround and support that core that are being questioned in our world today. Those questions lead to a disregard for our core beliefs and put us on the defensive. They affect our dedication and our commitment. They affect our willingness and our ability to be effective witnesses to the world around us. That indecision is changing our world. It is making our religion seem insignificant.

I can take no credit for discovering any of the views presented here. Rather, I have the distinct impression of being led slowly and patiently to answers I would never have found on my own. Those answers came from unexpected sources in ways that were more than coincidence. They came when my focus was elsewhere. And they never ceased to delight and amaze.

My job has been to organize, record, and continue to ask. The result is a solid platform for my life that can also serve as the departure ramp for the next one. Feel free to embrace them if they answer your questions. However, this is just a beginning and not an end. You and I have to continue to seek biblical answers for the things we don’t understand. It is hoped that this work will stimulate thought, that it encourages additional investigation and reflection, and that it provides new ideas and suggests new directions. May it expand your personal philosophy of life and contribute to life’s riches.

Part I

New Beginnings for a Modern World

Chapter 1

The Creation: Genesis or Big Bang?

Introduction. Christianity is in a war—a war of words. The Bible is under attack on many fronts. One of the reasons is because some of the well-known interpretations of it have failed to meet the public test of reality. Yet we know biblical scholars have analyzed the Bible in great detail. They have been very thorough and pondered every word and phrase in an attempt to be true to each author’s intent. Much additional historical and archeological evidence has been used to verify its meanings and expand its story. It is, without a doubt, the most researched group of documents in history. Its historical accuracy has been shown to be remarkable. Still, the intent and meaning of many passages remain a mystery to us. They are open to question and interpretation. All who know the Bible wish for greater understanding. It seems to be a human characteristic to want precise and certain facts.

Perhaps we should ask, If this is God’s Word to us, why isn’t it more clearly spelled out? We could probably come up with many possible answers, but they would be only speculation. In the end, we must conclude that the Bible is a book requiring interpretation simply because God intended for it to be that way. He knew it would best serve his purpose in that form. The apostle Paul was also aware of our problem almost two thousand years ago.

For now we see in a mirror dimly. But then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known. (1 Cor. 13:12)

Scholars will continue to verify biblical events. The New Testament, being more recent, is much easier to verify. The Old Testament presents a greater problem. That problem is magnified when biblical events do not seem to agree with scientific theories of creation and the advent of humanity. Genesis, whose message far predates all other books, is the prime example. We can never expect any historical evidence to verify the first two chapters of Genesis. Those chapters present a very brief overview of a momentous and complex event, the beginning of all there is. Early Babylonian and Sumerian writings tell similar tales. The only other possible guide for this time is scientific theory. And scientific theory seems to present a far different picture.

The message of Genesis. Biblical scholars do not agree on the interpretation of the creation account. Is it to be regarded as mythology, legend, analogy, figurative language, or historical fact? There are at least seven different versions about whether or to what extent God inspired the biblical account. So there are many different interpretations. Some date back to before the Common Era while others have arisen more recently in an attempt to accommodate the scientific version of our beginnings. None of these interpretations agree with scientific theory about creation. In this case, variety of interpretation does nothing to enhance our understanding. Rather, it divides us and reduces the credibility of all interpretations. In particular, it casts doubt on the message of the Bible. In all probability, it will always be a controversial issue because these interpretations are often rooted in beliefs that will not allow challenge. By being controversial, the creation account in Genesis will continue to provide ammunition for the skeptics. It provides an excuse for us to ignore the Bible’s message. It turns us away from its teachings. It poses a dilemma for our generation that will only get worse as knowledge continues to increase. Right now is a good time to take a new and critical look at the creation account in Genesis chapters 1 and 2.

What more could we expect to add to present interpretations? What more can we expect to learn? How can we lessen the controversy? The answers to those questions depend upon our point of view. We have to start afresh with an open mind and see where it leads. It is easy and comfortable to decide upon a particular interpretation and accept it as truth. It is then only necessary to defend it against all-new knowledge. It is more difficult to acknowledge that truth represents our best effort from the available knowledge, but new knowledge may allow a refinement of that truth. That position requires the constant evaluation of new possibilities. It also involves dangers. New possibilities may be attractive and tempting yet move us further from the truth. They may generate controversy. On the other hand, the failure to keep up also risks the possibility of stagnation and obsolescence. If we consider the Bible to be a living, vital book for our time, we have an obligation to continually evaluate new knowledge and its application to our present interpretation. Any new interpretation that might be true should be worthy of study, especially when it solves outstanding problems.

The scholarly emphasis has always been on what Genesis says. The Ryrie Study Bible lists three contributions:

(1). It is a book of history.

(2). It is a book about beginnings.

(3). It is a book containing important theological themes.

The first two chapters of Genesis are different from all the rest of the Book. They are beyond history. They are definitely about beginnings. While they lead smoothly into the rest of the book, the subject and the emphasis are different. They were written from the viewpoint of some heavenly observer reporting God’s actions. In chapter 2, that observation switches to an earthly vantage point. That change is important to our interpretation because it separates these two chapters. It leads us to ask a new question:

Why were these first two chapters written in this way?

The answer will put these chapters of Genesis in context so we can better know how to interpret them. Our traditional assumption has been that they were written to provide a historical record.

Assumption 2: The literal translation of the Genesis creation account provides a true historical description of creation.

The story does provide a beginning for history, but the story is only the vehicle for a much more compelling reason—a reason we seem to take for granted and overlook.

Authority. That reason is authority! The primary requisite for any of the gods worshipped throughout history has been authority. A god without it is lost. These first two chapters establish God’s claim to authority over this universe and over the people that will populate it. Believers have accepted that authority and taken it for granted. But for nonbelievers, this establishment of authority is a very necessary first step. It is the starting point for belief. It answers the question, what is so special about this God? The answer is given in the very first sentence in the Bible. God, as sole creator, becomes the one and only supreme authority for our universe. He does not establish this authority by simply claiming or declaring it. He does not establish it by a display of power or force. He does not overthrow some previous deity. He establishes his authority over our universe through an account of how he created it. He tells us why his claim of authority is legitimate. No other creation account begins in this way. The entire balance of the Bible rests firmly upon the authority established in these first two chapters. It is the solid bedrock upon which faith can build. Without that authority, the history of three religions would be very different or missing altogether. To the people of a pre-scientific age, neither the history nor the chronological accuracy was verifiable or even in question. The important message was the establishment of authority. That message is even more important today. That creation account is in question due to scientific theories that do not verify our interpretation of it. As a result, that authority is being questioned and is