Where Do We Go From Here [part 2]

Okay, so we were talking about "The Story We Find Ourselves In" by Brian McLaren. In it, he explains the story of humans and God and how we've interacted over time. He starts off with Creation. I think most people fall into one of three categories of belief about how the world came to be. On one side, you have those who believe that God created the world in six days [each lasting 24 hours] and then rested on the seventh. On the other, you have those who believe that there was a big bang and out of the resulting chaos, the earth [solar system, galaxy, universe] evolved over millions [maybe billions?] of years. Then in the middle, you have people who believe that God created the universe, but he did it by using the principles of evolution.

I used to be a 'six days and a rest' kind of girl, but with all the symbolism we find throughout the Bible, I'm wondering if maybe it was more of a way for non-scientific humans to explain the unexplainable. Does that mean I believe all of the Bible is symbolic instead of literal? Nah, I wouldn't go that far, but I am wondering about some parts that I used to accept at face value.

Now, for some, that kind of thinking would send their whole belief system into a tailspin. [If it affects you that way, then don't give it another thought. This is just some rambling of a curious housewife who thinks too much... Please disregard this post and have a nice day.]

But for me, I don't doubt the truth of the Bible, or the relevance, or that it is God inspired, so this is just interesting thinking material. It doesn't worry me in the least to think that the Genesis account of creation is not exactly how it happened. It's still a cool story, and the point is the same, regardless.

What's the point, you ask? Simply this: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." God created something out of nothing. He made something real and beautiful and good. He started with nothing but a dream of how he wanted the world to be. He imagined a world, and then he started the process of bringing that world into being. And whether it took him six days or six billion years to do it is completely irrelevant. The point, my friends, is that it was God who made it, and that was just the beginning.

Okay, it's late now and I need sleep, but I'm having a ball writing about this stuff, so I think we'll continue tomorrow [many apologies if you're bored to tears... Maybe I'll write about some other stuff, too, but after sleep... must lee................................