Adam as an Allegory
I've recently initiated a self-guided, chronological walk through the stories of the Bible's significant men. My first stop was in Genesis 2 and 3, reading the story of Adam. Long ago, I wrote off the creation debate as irrelevant, so I wasn't looking to strengthen my position on either side of the argument. I fully believe that God is fully capable to have created the earth in 6 24 hour days, and if he did, any scientific/intellectual problems created by that would simply be an example of another human/divine misunderstanding. If God chose to "create" the world through a billion plus year evolutionary process, in no way would that take away from the love God has for us, or the salvation he offers us. My purpose was rather to try and see the story from Adam's eyes, to see how he felt. I wanted to see what God expected of these men, and to see how God communicated with them. Adam is really only special, because he was the first man, he got to name the animals, and because he had open communication with God. The fall reveals that he was a particularly weak man, not only because he sinned, but because he was so weak about it. Rather than focusing on the historical accuracy of Adam's story, I focused on a matter of current relevance, male/female interaction. It seems to me that if Adam and Eve is only a story, if it's only in the Bible because that's the way it happened, then it's easier to write off the outcome. Now if this story is in the Bible to convey a message, then that message is harder to dismiss. I'm not saying that woman submitting to men is proven that much stronger in Genesis, but you certainly can't write off both the historical accuracy of Adam and Eve, and the modern relevance of the curses to the genders after the fall.

   [ posted by William @ 9:37 PM ]