JM> To me, the creation story is an astonishing exegesis of
JM> God's relationship with man. It is a deep well of truth
JM> that can never be exhaustively explored. You are right.
JM> We shouldn't become obsessed with apples and fig
JM> leaves.

The central POINT of Genesis Chapter One is not to provide an anthropology OR
cosmological treatise -- it's only to teach, via simple imagery that could be
understood by wandering herdsmen of about 5,000 - 6,000 years ago, a few
central concepts:

1. There is a God Who is Sovereign over all the universe.
2. The unity of mankind (all men descend from a single set of parents, so
   nobody has any basis to claim, "My family is greater than your family",
   for we are ALL brethren!) :)
3. Mankind is responsible for his/her/our own moral decisions & destiny.

It's ludicrous to suggest, as some attempt, that it teaches any inherent
superiority of male over female, because God created the man first.

The central point made is that God created "adam"(Hebrew word meaning
"humanity") and then it completes the statement with
"together, male & female,
created He them." (male & female = "ish v'isha" in Hebrew)

The word "adam" can be found elsewhere in the Hebrew Scriptures,
always then
translated as "humanity" -- only here, where there existed some desire to
insist on certain presuppositions that aren't supported in the original. . . :(
That's why it's here treated as a "proper name" in the English
translations,
rather than "and God created HUMANKIND in His own image, male &
female created
He them." :)

Some have erroneously tried to suggest that Chapter 2 constitutes a SECOND
creation-of-humanity story, when in fact, it's only a restatement of the
account of the 6th day's creative work, with some additional amplification so
as to teach the precept of man's moral accountability. . . :)

Your friend,
<+]::-{)}  (Cyberpope(the Bishop of ROM!))


... nfx v3.1 What if there were no hypothetical questions?                   
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