Re: Special Creation

In a message dated 3/4/2006 5:43:06 PM Eastern Standard Time,
drsyme@cablespeed.com writes:
I think the better phrase would be to say that I am not grounded in the rich
faussette view of the biblical milieu. To that I plead guilty.

Prove to me that death, fear and shame are unique to humans. Animals die,
and you prove to me that they dont have any awareness of this. They clearly
experience fear in a physiological sense. I cant prove to you that they have an
emotional response that we would call fear, but you cant prove to me that they
do not. And what is shame? I have certainly seen my dog cower and retreat
when he has gotten into the trash can. What is that? Fear, guilt, shame?

Self awareness, shame, guilt all could be part of what it means to be made in
the image of God. Some of these things are impossible to know, but they dont
seem to be unique to humans.
I'm happy you've discovered the meaning of the biblical text by watching your
dog raid the trash can. I quote scholars:

"The divine element in mankind's creation explains why, in obvious
distinction from the animals, the human race has self consciousness and reason. It also
explains why, in Babylonian belief, men live on after death as spirits or
shades in the Netherworld."

From the introduction to Andrew George's translation of The Epic of Gilgamesh.

Enkidu is imbued with reason after he is seduced by Shamhat.

I quote the description of the fall in genesis:

"When Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the “tree of the knowledge of good and
evil” the “eyes of both of them were opened and they discovered that they
were naked; so they stitched fig-leaves together and made loincloths… and hid
from the Lord God.”

Here is the fall BACKWARDS in a Nag Hammadi text (still more cogent than your
dog's evidence).

“When you disrobe without being ashamed… you will not be afraid.”

Jesus has REVERSED the fall here. When you're naked, ashamed and afraid,
you've fallen=genesis.

When you're naked, unafraid and unashamed, you're not.

I don't have to prove anything about animals to you. You have to read the
text.
It's in the literal text, just as the translator above says its in the Epic
of Gilgamesh. That's what they believed THEN and put in the text. That's what
the ancients knew to be the difference between men and animals. Get into the
ANE mindset and you'll understand the literal text.You're not grounded in the
biblical milieu at all. You're in your backyard watching the dog.

rich faussette
Received on Sun, 5 Mar 2006 09:33:33 EST