Creationist Museums
Good day all, Henry here. In the last while, there have been reports of two creationist museums. They are based on what they conceive is the story of creation, where the time line for the world is collapsed to some 6,000 years. This interpretation of the Biblical story is based on the idea that the world was created in six of our 24 hour days. This is a very interesting notion.
This interpretation is based on the arrogant idea that we know what the story writers of the Bible meant, exactly, specifically, literally. Historians tell us that these tales existed for hundred of years before anyone wrote them down. Today we’re very concerned about what day it is, what time it is, when certain things are going to happen, are we late, are we early, do we have enough time? We run our lives according to the 24 hours of the day, but most ancient people’s weren’t concerned about time like this and it’s inaccurate to read this modern idea back onto ancient stories. As a minister, this bothers me, because it seems like many people are missing the point.
Perhaps the world was made in six days. but how long were those days? Were they 1000 years, a million, or 100 million years each? Stories from the Bible are meant to be taken metaphorically, which gives them meaning for our everyday lives, not literally, which reduces them to arguing points for people who’ve missed the point. Such literalism does serious damage to the mythological tales and to their meaning for the ancient people who wrote them and for us today.
Obviously, such stories told around the campfire, or in more formal occasions were the stuff of the ancient Hebrew’s religious outlook, how they saw the world. Such stories helped explain how The Divine was present in everything, even the creation of the world. They were religious geniuses living in a world where the Divine was present as a daily presence: They saw God everywhere. Like all ancient creation stories by aboriginal peoples everywhere, they were not writing science as we understand it, but stories to lift the soul, and help them in life’s journey. People who dismiss the theory of evolution don’t understand that the ancient Hebrews would likely nod wisely if they were told the theory. No way could it destroy their faith in a living God.