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Was the Creation Story Even Real?

Zachary Pranske Ms. Cross Pre-AP English 2 2 May 2013 When most people read the story of Creation, captured within the Book of Genesis in the Bible, they often acknowledge it with a begrudging Mm hm and then turn to the next page without much consideration as to whether what they read actually happened. However, few have stopped to consider the truth about the book. While some parts of the story of creation are written as historical fact, others are simply metaphors added in to emphasize points about creation, God, and human nature, and the debate over which category some parts fall into is a fierce one. While some parts of the creation account are clearly factual, human insight into the ways of God is limited, leaving many historians and theologians to debate the Book of Genesis meaning. For example, in Genesis 2:2, it reads: Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing This seems to indicate the author of Genesis saying that God had created the entire world in just seven days, a direct contradiction to science. Interpretations of this chapter have led to two polar opposite theories: evolutionism, which directly contradicts the story of creation, claiming it is blatantly false, and creationism, the belief that this account of creation is literal, as if it were an eyewitness account (Youcat 37). However, the reality to most Christians seems to be in the middle, that God created the earth by His own will, but the idea that it was done in merely seven days is metaphorical and symbolic of Gods omnipotence. Another debatable account in the book is whether man was formed instantly or whether it evolved from another species. Genesis says in Chapter 2, Verse 7 that God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. This, too, is recognized as symbolism, and theological historians believe that evolution may have occurred as long as Gods final intent was for evolution to result in man himself, capable of free will and emotion. In conclusion, there is much unknown as to how the world was actually created. Most historians agree that although the Book of Genesis is useful for our understanding and knowledge, it is not to be treated as historical fact. And thus, this leaves even the most learned biblical scholars still guessing about how the world was really formed. Some elements of the

Pranske 1 story of creation have proven factual, and yet many hold a deeper, more symbolic meaning. However, one thing is clear. Many will continue to study this fascinating topic and gain more and more insight, but the reality is that mankind will never truly discover the full intents or ways of God, and nothing the world thinks it knows is certain.