Why I struggle with the bible
*shrug*
I'm not big bible beleiver myself, but in an attempt to be impartial, the items you're presenting aren't really that difficult to accomodate.
You're largely focusing on choice of grammar...but if you want to take the bible seriously you should understand that
it was not written in
english. The version that you are reading is a
translated copy. It's not unreasonable to suspect that there might be some awkwardness of
translation here and there.
so he made light on the first day but not the sun or any of the other stars till the fourth day, so where does this light come from as all light now
comes from our nearest star, our sun.
There's no contradiction here. Light existed before light bulbs, too.
'our' image, surely if their is only one God they would say in 'my' image not 'our' this implies there was more than one being involved.
God is routinely referred to in the plural throughout the bible. Modern day christians usually seem to interpet this as "the trinity." Their
"Father, Son and Holy Ghost." However, keep in mind that the vast majority of the modern day bible is in fact the jewish torah. The "old
testament." The "new testament" was added later. If you really want clarification on the constant references of plurality of god in the bible, I
recommend you talk to the jews who wrote it, not the christians who have adapted it.
Two things here God had already created woman on the 6th day had he not
Re-read the passages. The first few verses of Genesis give a brief summary of creation. The later verses go back and give a more detailed description.
There's no failure of continuity here. It's like me saying "I got up this morning, brushed my teeth and left the house. When I brushed my teeth I
noticed a speck of dust on the bathroom window." Obviously I didn't notice the speck of dust after having left the house. The second sentence is
giving extra detail about something that happened during the first sentence.
secondly he creates the whole universe out of nothing but takes one of Adam's ribs to make woman - why would he do that when he just created
everything else from nothing?
What's your point? You may as well ask why he created man in the first place. Or
how for that matter. There's no contradiction or
miscontinuity here. It would be like me telling you I wrote poetry in a fresh notebook and then tore out a page of the notebook to write down a phone
number because it was convenient to do so. Would you seriously suggest that doesn't make since "because after all, I used a fresh notebook" in the
first place?
so serpents could talk back then too could they? There is no mention of God removing the power of speech from the serpent
Popular christian conception is that the serpent was "Satan" in disguise. Which begs the question why god would punish serpents in general simply
because satan had assumed their form.
In any case, it's reasonable to suspect this story may be metaphorical. If you look into jewish mysticism, there's a considerable body of evidence
to suggest that this whole "tree" thing is an allegory and the "tree" is not a tree in the sense of branches and leaves, just like a computer
"directory tree" is also not a tree with leaves, and a "fork in the road" isn't something you eat with, etc.
as a punishment for this
That really sounds loving doesn't it?
And I guess if daddy spanked you as child he didn't really love you either, right?
tree of knowledge
eternal life
what is God scared of?
This is an interesting question. As is the question of motivation in dismantling the tower of babel, and many other instances of the old testament in
which god apparently makes a personal appearance. And, I can give you many possible answers. Again, keep in mind that the "modern bible" is not a
single, coherent book written by a single individual. It is a collection of writings by many different people over many decades and then collated by
the Council of Nicea at a much later date.
"What is god scared of?" Well, one possible interpretation would be exactly what the bible says: god is scared of his creation becoming as
knowledgeable and aware as he is. In Exodus 20:4-5 he comes right out and says that he's jealous and vengeful. If you look at the history of the
jews, and the constant punishment they think they've been subjected to, then all of this is completely consistent. Modern christianity throws a
different light on it, claiming that the the god of the old testament is the "Father" of the trinity, and that they're more interested in the
"Son," Jesus. But, ultimately it is a matter of interpretation.
Why I struggle with the bible
If you really want to understand the bible, I'd suggest you read what it says and ignore what people tell you it says. I'm not telling you the bible
is true or accurate in any way, but whether or not it is, it may be a valuable signpost of what others before you have believed.
If you find fault it in, then so be it. But if you find fault in it, then find fault in it for what it is, not for what other people tell you they
think it's supposed to be.