Current location:	living room
Current mood:	thoughtful
Current music:	nothing

The Creation -- Day One
I do not believe in forcing my beliefs down anyone's throat. I feel a desire to post these scriptures and my thoughts on what I've read from the devotionals, but I'm putting it under cut for those that are not interested. If you do want to read, you can click on the cuts to unhide what is written. If not, you can go on with your life.

If you would like to comment, note that if you attack me I will probably not respond to you because I do not like to argue. If you would like to talk like a civilized individual, then we can talk. What is written is simply my opinion. If your opinion differs from mine, feel free to share, but don't be dogmatic and rude about it because that turns me away from what could be a good point.

I'm not shoving my opinion and forcing it down your throat. Please, respect me and don't force yours down mine.

Genesis Chapter One

Romans 1:21 NIV
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities---his eternal power and divine nature---have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Isaiah 44:24 NIV
"This is what the LORD says---your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb; I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,

MY THOUGHTS

All my life, I've always believed the "Creation Theory" as I've heard it called. I've always believed in one absolute creator. Call me brainwashed as I've been called before, but couldn't that be said for other people as well? Whatever you were raised to believe, doesn't that make you brainwashed to those beliefs and thought processes? I don't think anyone is brainwashed. I think we're given thoughts and ideas as we grow up and then when we enter the "real world" it's up to us to decided whether we continue to follow those things we were taught or to move on to something else.

My sister believes in God, but she condemns herself to hell. Those are her own words, not mine. I would never tell someone they are going to hell because I believe that is ultimately between the individual and God. My brother proclaims to be an agnostic. And I chose my own path as well. The only difference between the way I was raised and the way they were raised is that our father was in my life more than he was in theirs. My mother has always been a devout christian and tried her best to raise us as well as she could.

But this is getting off topic, the devotional mentioned that "the Bible makes no attempt to prove the existence of God, only stating that He exists." In my own personal reading experiences, I have found this to be true. The scripture from Romans posted above is one example. I thought that was interesting. We spend so much time trying to prove his existence to people, but this is what I've always felt. Do you believe in love? Do you believe in the wind? I believe in both. Can you physically see this love or the wind. No, but you can see the effects of love and the effects of the wind. For me, just because you can't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I feel God and the effects of his precense and that's good enough for me. Overall, I don't feel we can put God in our little box and try to explain his existence and what he does. It'd be like trying to explain to this sandwhich you just made why you're going to eat it. Silly example, I know, but I'm just saying I feel there is that much of a difference between our intelligence/logic and his. He is the creator afterall.

Next thing mentioned in the devotional is how much time actually passed in the creation days. Some people think it was literally seven days. Some think it was a young earth and the time passed was actually somewhere between ten to twenty-thousand years. Others say that "day" actually represented an age of time, though the word the hebrews used for day literally means a 24-hour time period. I kind of like the idea of the "Gap Theory." According to this theory, a gap of time exists between verses one and two of Genesis 1. In the beginning of time, God created the heavens and the earth, but the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

The way this next part was worded fascinated me, because it was something I had thought of before. Let's say that God created this world thousands and millions of years before our beginning. Before the beginning mentioned in the Bible. I for one have always believed that God didn't tell us everything, but only what he felt we needed to know much like a parent does with their children. This is what it said,

"According to this theory, God could have created the earth thousands or millions of years before a re-creation (or restoration) if earth with a new creation of humankind to rule over it. This theory allows significant time for the appearance of Satan---who was previously created and subsequently fell from heaven---in the garden."

So very interesting and it really gets the gears in my head turning. Something else that might interest some people about me. I do believe in adaptation. I can't deny its existence. That would be like denying the fact that I'm currently sitting on a blue couch or that I'm breathing. The human appendix, wisdom teeth, etc were good enough proof for me. My niece was also born without adenoids. I do not believe, however, that the human race evolved from the cavemen and what not. I believe that those people were just other races that didn't make it this far. The fact that I remember reading about the skeleton of a homo sapien found next to the skeleton of a supposed ancestor of man that were both about the same age caused that thought to click. I wish I could find that article again. It was fascinating.

I'm going to end this with another excerpt from the devotional.

"In the beginning" literally means "by way of beginning" or "to begin with," indiciating something other than an absolute start to creation. The creation narrative is the starting point of history as we know it. It provides the necessary stage for the creation of humankind and the unfolding drama and sin and redemption.

MEMORY VERSE:

Colossians 1:16
For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

The Bible I am using is called "Freedom in Christ" and is the New International Version of the Bible. The devotional I started with and from which I got the excerpts is on page 4.

--Destinie