...but if they choose the lesser one, does that make it morally okay? Determining where an act may reside on the scale of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ has been an ongoing debate that predates biblical times and is tried based on individual circumstance and belief. The Christian religion, however, has drawn a distinct line between the two forces based on the scriptures of the Holy Bible. Genesis 2.5-3, better known as the story of Adam and Eve, gives the Christian explanation for why ‘Evil’ exists in this ‘all-perfect being’ created world. This scripture’s purpose is to point out where that debated line’s location stands and how to identify it. The forces of good and evil are symbolized by Eve and the serpent which are mediated by the “Tree of Knowledge”. Whether an act is good or evil cannot be strictly defined, the ‘good’ and ‘evil’ in this world can only be defined personally but a general idea of what lies under the two is usually accepted as a whole by cultures. Binary pairs allow us to identify a relationship between opposite ideas in order to estimate where a third party may stand on the spectrum. The book of Genesis (specifically 2.5-3) utilizes the pairing of ‘Good’ versus ‘Evil’ to demonstrate the severity of disobeying the Christian god and its consequences. Eve, the first woman on Earth, represents the purity and innocence that comes with being a ‘good’ and pure being. The serpent in the story symbolizes the unheard of and...
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...1. Genesis 1-3. The Bible talks of beginnings and God is already there (He is not a born god as with Greeks). 1. List the six days of creation and say what happens in each. 1) On the first day God created the Earth, which at the time would have been a giant ball of water, and He divided light from darkness. “Formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Genesis 1:1-5) 2) On day two God separated the water from the air. God made the expanse and separated water from water, He called “the expanse sky.” (Genesis 1:6-8) 3) On the third day God created the land and plants. Moving all water to one place that allowed dry ground to appear. He called this dry ground land and he called the gathered water seas. Thus, allowing land to produce vegetation: “seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” (Genesis 1:9-13) 4) On the fourth day God created the stars and the sun. Creating two great lights, “the greater light to govern day, and lesser light to govern night.” (Genesis 1:14-19) 5) On day five fish and birds were created. Living birds flying above the expanse sky and the great creature in the expanse sea. God blessed them and said, “be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on earth.” (Genesis 1:20-23) 6) On the sixth day of creation, land animals and man were created. At this time there...
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...As children we are taught to always tell the truth in every situation. Catchy clichés such as "the truth will set you free" are used to reinforce honesty in our minds. However, is it possible that lying can further your success in life, more so than honesty? Literary evidence seems to support this. Even the Bible offers stories of lying and cheating without consequence. Three literary works–the book of Genesis, William Shakespeare’s Othello, and Sir Walter Ralegh’s poem The Lie–offer support that, perhaps, the truth is not always what it’s cracked up to be. Sir Walter Ralegh discusses lying versus telling the truth in depth in his poem The Lie. In this poem, it appears that a member of the court is telling his servant (the servant being the "Soul," or perhaps the poem itself) to visit various genres of upper-class people and expose to them the uncomfortable truths of their existence. If they begin to deny these truths, the servant is commanded to "give them the lie," and publicly accuse them of being untruthful. Ralegh is claiming that these higher members of society are living lies and should be aware of them. He says, "Say to the church, it shows / What’s good and doth no good." During Ralegh’s time, clergymen were of the most powerful men in society, and they were also considered among, if not the, most corrupt. Ralegh’s intent with these lines is to expose that the church was not practicing the goodness that they were preaching about, thus harming the congregation...
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...God creates the world by dividing it into a system of doubles—the sun and the moon, light and dark, the land and the sea, and male and female. When Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, and when Cain kills his brother Abel, good and evil become apparent in the otherwise perfect world that god creates. It is described in Genesis that not only is man made in the image of God, making man parallel to god, but woman, also contrasts with man, because of how she was created from man’s rib. Old Testament writers describe the world as a place of binary opposites, setting two opposing forces against each other in order to show the stark contrast between the two. These forces include positive and negative, good and bad, and lesser and greater. The Old...
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...Genesis 1-11 Worldview Essay Anissa Ortiz L24589524 Bible 105 January 27, 2014 The Natural World The Old Testament book, Genesis, is known for the creation and beginnings of all mankind. In essence, Genesis 1-11 lays the foundation for the biblical truth we know today. The natural world is referred to the Lord’s creation. In Genesis 1, God’s existence and the beginning of creation is introduced as the verse reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The chapter continues with a detailed description of the creation of the world in six days by a triune God. From this, God shows us how to conduct our weeks by working six days and then resting on the seventh day. This is where the principle of the Sabbath was established; the verses read, “By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that He had done” (Genesis 2:2-3). In addition to God creating the world, Genesis 1-11 also teaches that He gave human beings the responsibility of using His creation and all of its resources for the good of all. Human Identity In the pages of Genesis, it is written that all human beings are created in the image of God. This simply means that every human being is made to reflect God and His character, which is described as good. At the end of chapter one, the first...
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...1. What is the central theme of the Old Testament? To do what’s right and follow the ways of the “all mighty” god. 1. The Old Testament divides into two parts. What are they? The New Testament and the Old Testament. 2. Who are the three patriarchs? Why are they called this? Isaac, Jacob and Abraham. They are used as significant markers by God in revelations and promises. 3. What is a covenant? A binding contract, a legal agreement. 4. Explain the creation story from the Hebrew point-of view. Contrast to the Greek creation story. The Hebrew’s believe that one man (God) created the whole earth. The Greeks believe several gods controlled different parts and things that happen (wind, rain, thunder) to the earth. With both story’s it seems the people just wanted to have something to blame as the cause for an affect. Maybe these are true stories or could simply be a way of explaining the unexplainable in their time periods. 5. How do the Hebrews’ account for evil being in the world? Eating from a tree with knowledge of good and evil and then birthing and populating more people with this knowledge. 6. What is the six fold blessing promised to Abram if he left his country and his people and his father’s house and go to a land “I will show him”? Make a great nation, be enriched, make his name great, bless those that bless him & curse those that curse him, Abram would be a blessing and all the families of the earth will be blessed by Abram. 7. Explain the story...
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...Tori Cisney L23872846 BIBL 105-001 18 September 2013 Genesis 1-11 Essay English Standard Version A biblical worldview is based on the infallible Word of God. It the practice of living out what the Bible teaches. Genesis one through eleven is the basic framework for the creation of the universe. These chapters describe how the natural world is a fallen world. They also explain that every human’s identity is in Christ, and the affects that the fallen world has on human relationships. Chapter eleven in Genesis explains how people forget their judgement so quickly and return to their crimes and idols. Genesis one, three, and six portrays the world at a fallen state. God created the universe with perfection. Each day, He created something new on the Earth and saw that they were all good. He created man in His image,” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). But, the earth instantly became a fallen world, beginning in Genesis 3. As a result of Adam's sin in the sixth verse of chapter three, the world has to encounter sickness, sorrow, evil and death. Everyone is born into the world with a sinful nature. So, nobody is born innocent and pure, but have the inbuilt desire to sin. God’s plan was to create a world for the humans He created with creature righteousness to dwell in His presence. But, because of this new fallen state, God’s judgement is upon man, woman, nature, and Satan...
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...In the book of Genesis, there are several instances of dramatic irony. In chapter 29 of Genesis we are told that, Jacob’s wife, Rachel, was unable to conceive (Genesis 29:31). Jacob at the time lived along with his father-in-law Laban but soon decides that he wants to return to his own county (Genesis 30:25). Jacob then fled and takes all his belongs, wives, and livestock and set out for the land of Canaan where his father, Isaac, lived (Genesis 31:17-18). However, Rachel stole her father’s household gods and took them with her in hope that they would help her become fertile and give Jacob more children (Genesis 31:19). Laban then finds out that Jacob had left in secret and sets out to find him (Genesis 31:22-23). When Laban catches up to Jacob he is furious about Jacobs actions and demands why he has stolen his household Gods (Genesis 31:30). Jacob doesn’t know that Rachel has stolen the gods so he gives Laban permission to search all his belongings and tents (Genesis 31:32). Rachel had hidden the gods in her camel saddle and sat on them so that her father would not find them and did not get up when he came to search her using the excuse that she was menstruating (Genesis 31:34-35). Laban continued his search but found nothing...
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...The Book of genesis covers a range of topics from the creation of the earth and mankind to the beginning of sin. In fact, the name “Genesis” is Latin for “the beginning”. The book plays a vital part in the controversy between the theory of evolution and the idea of God speaking the Earth and all its inhabitants into existence. Genesis chapters 1-11 are primarily focused on the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and the birth of civilization. Understanding that is important in knowing the origins the world, mankind and how sin slithered its way into the world. Genesis is mainly referred to as the creation story; how God spoke life into the entire universe. In just a mere six days, God created the light, separated sky from water calling the space “sky”, differentiated the water from the land, creating season and time, sprouted vegetation all over the land, filled the waters with fish and sky with birds, created animals to roam the earth, and made man and woman in his own image. But, after being tricked by the serpent, the fall of man began when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden so they would not be tempted to touch or eat from the tree of life and gain eternal life. The devil disguised himself as the serpent and convinced Eve that if they eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they will be just like God. The main reason why Eve gave into the temptation was not that...
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...Genesis: The Effects Today Bible 105-B27 LUO: Old Testament Survey 201320 Spring 2013 Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx L33333333 Liberty University January 21, 2013 Genesis: The Effects Today We must begin with the question: what is Genesis? Genesis is the beginning of everything we know today. It is what we research, study, and learn today about everything that exists around us. The first eleven chapters of Genesis cover the period from the time of creation to the time of Abraham (Hester, 1962). It is the truth of the beginning of the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and civilization. These four areas are discussed in this essay in reference of how they affect my worldview. When I read the first two chapters of Genesis, I find God as the creator of everything that we know in regards to natural world. The first chapter summarizes the creation of the world and the second scrutinizes it (Hinson & Yates, 2012). In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). The teachings on how the natural world came to be, as we know it today, have never wavered from the depictions Genesis gives. Today we can watch as the concept of evolution self-destructs. Many have recognized the total inability of chance and random processes to produce the incredible complexity we see around us, especially in living systems (Morris, 2007). Statements such as these are easily found with the use of your computer. The fact is, none of the theories of how our...
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...Genesis and Exodus are both important books in the bible. However, Exodus is the most beneficial to our Christian faith. The first reason being the showing of God’s loyalty and fulfillment of promises. The second the reviling of God’s power. Finally, the third reason is the ten commandments. These three points are the reasons Exodus is more important than Genesis for the Christian faith. When you promise something the promise itself does not matter. The end result is the more important factor. Weather the promise is kept or not is more important than the actual promise. Someone can promise you the world but their words can be empty. It only matters if they keep that promise. Similarly, the promise God made to Abraham is not as important as...
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...Caleb Smith Dr. Fuhr BIBL 105-D01 3 November, 2014 Genesis Essay 1 Genesis 1-11 describes and defines most of the core concepts of the Bible and describes God as the creator of the universe. These scriptures give us our first glimpse at God and his characteristics, and the origin of our world. By teaching these two very important concepts we are able to take away a lot from that. We can understand how we are to treat the world, treat others, how we are to interact with God and who we are as both individuals and as a society or civilization. One of the most prominent and obvious themes of these first chapters is how God created the world. The Bible teaches that the world was created in a quite literal and physical way. Infact the very first verse in the entire Bible says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen 1:1) This really leaves nothing up to interpretation. Within six full twenty-four hour days, God had created everything, including humans, animals, stars and planets. Then on the seventh day He rested, and he blessed that day and called it holy and instructed us to set it aside for rest as well. “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Gen 2:2-3) God said to let everything that he created reproduce after its own kind, plants, animals...
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...The Book of Genesis describes the instantaneous existence of creation and life on Earth (Old Testament Survey Note, pg. 11). Genesis introduces God as the absolute being. He blesses, promises, and speaks the creation of heavens and earth. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The Book of Genesis emphasizes the story of men and women, uniquely telling us the story of Adam and Eve, Noah’s family, and the four key players in the patriarchal history (Hindson &Yate, pg. 52-53). The unique story of Adam and Eve began when God created them in His own image. God “formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being”. God “took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh” and made a woman and placed them...
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...They are distinct differences and the way Genesis 1:26-29 and Genesis 2:15 from written one another. It would appear that in 1:26-29 that God was giving the world and everything in it to man to do with as he want to. Where 2:15 is saying that he simply place him it to take of the world. However, this would be taking both of this passages out of context. Nothing about Genesis 1:26-29 contradicts Genesis 2:15. In fact when read together Genesis 2:15 could be seen to be God clarifying what he meant by us giving dominion over the world. By giving man dominion of the world by no means was that a blank check from God saying do at you please. To use an analogy that is often used in the bible a shepherd may have complete dominion over his flock of sheep but it his job to protect that flock from predators and help with the birth of lambs. This is what I believe is meant...
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...In the book of Genesis Abraham had a covenant/promise with God. God promised that Abraham would have many descendants and the land of Canaan. This promise was a huge blessing for him. I think this then led to Abraham’s solid foundation of respect towards God. He trusted him indefinitely. Abraham then had Isaac and circumcised him just as God had told him too, proving more loyalty. In chapter 21 Sarah wanted Hagar and her son to get away from her own family. She told Abraham to handle it. Abraham was hesitant because this was his own son he would be sending away but God spoke to him telling him to obey Sarah, Abraham listened. When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his own son, Abraham did not question him at all. He was going 100% to go through...
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