The creation stories in the bible are fiction." Discuss There are 2 ways of understanding the bible. You can either have a literal or liberal view about how you interpret
“The creation stories in the bible are fiction.” Discuss
There are 2 ways of understanding the bible. You can either have a literal or liberal view about how you interpret the bible. A literal view is one where a person believes the scripture is accurate because it is the word of God, it is dictated by God, and therefore cannot contain any error. A liberal view is one where a person believes the bible was inspired by God, it is not an exact historical or scientific truth, and it can contain errors because it was written by human beings. However it reveals theological truths in the form of stories and myths. The way in which a person interprets the bible will show how they view the creation stories.
Some people would agree with this statement and say the creation stories are fiction. This is because believing God is creator is not argued or justified for in the bible, it is assumed. So they might not think God created the world because there are no arguments in the bible to support this theory. Also there is no scientific or physical proof that God created the world. In the bible it is unclear whether God created the universe out of nothing or whether God shapes and structures chaotic material that already existed i.e. He provides the form only. In Genesis 1:3 it says the earth was covered in water, and that the earth was formless and desolate. So here we see God did not create the universe out of nothing. However traditionally God is considered to create ex nihilo and that prior to this creative act there was nothing. Some people might agree with this statement because science has claimed that matter cannot be brought into existence from non- existence. So they will not believe God created the world. Another reason why people may not believe in the creation stories is because there is evil and suffering in the world. From the bible we see that everything God has made is described as being “good” and perfect. Nothing exists that is inferior to his intentions, and nothing bad exists. However evil, ugliness, disease, and death exist. This is the problem of evil. It raises questions about whether God is omni-benevolent or omnipotent. People may agree with this statement and believe the creation stories in the bible are fiction because evil exists in the world and this shows that God is not omnipotent. Therefore if God cannot control evil then He is not powerful enough to create the world from nothing, if He cannot even control the ugliness and death in the world He created. From the Adam and Eve story in Genesis 3:24 we see how humans destroy the existence for perfection created by God. People may not believe that God created the world because if He did then He must have created the serpent. Did God deliberately make it crafty? Did God know in advance that humans would succumb to temptation, disobey Him and therefore need punishing?
