Nature or Nurture? Chance or Plan?

I'm getting more and more confused

And I'm not surprised.

People say that Darwin explained everything; but he didn't. Now we've got Darwin and genetics to think about. And their ideas don't match up.

And neither can explain everything. Neither debate explains how a sea cucumber might sprout a couple of eyes!

Or even why giraffes have long necks.

Come on, that's easy; it's so they can reach tasty stuff high up in trees.

Really? Have you ever seen a Giraffe drink? A long neck is a disadvantage here!

Ouch! That looks painful! O.K. What do you believe, Mr Clever?

Simple answer or complicated answer?

Simple per-lease!

The Bible wasn't interested in how God made the world, plants and you and me. The writers, probably around 4,000 years ago, had no knowledge of modern science; but they were keen to show that the beginning of life, the universe and everything was part of a grand plan and not a freak accident.

But they didn't really understand the plan. Anyway, I don't feel like a freak accident.

Correct.

So they had a good guess?

Which turned out to be a remarkably good guess. Believers would say that they were "in-spired"; that an infinite God breathed the ideas into mens' minds.

As in "re-spiration" and "ex-spired"? A bit far-fetched, isn't it?

How else do you explain it?

GOD : The earth was formless and empty.
SCIENCE : It all came from nothing - the singularity.

GOD : Let there be light!
SCIENCE : Within seconds of the big bang the universe was full of photons - light.

GOD : Made a dome to separate the earth from the sky.
SCIENCE : Eventually stars and planets condensed to form solid masses.

GOD : Let the earth produce all kinds of plants.
SCIENCE : Simple plant life forms and develops.

GOD : Made the sun and the moon. He also made the stars.
 SCIENCE : An oxygen-rich atmosphere develops; clear blue skies. Universe "appears".

GOD : Let the waters be filled with many kinds of living beings.
SCIENCE : Animal life (fish and stuff) begins in the sea.

GOD : Let the earth produce all kinds of animal life.
SCIENCE : Land animals and, specially, man and woman.

You might just begin to convince me that God fits in there - somewhere; BUT the Bible has got one thing so wrong that I just can't accept it.

And what's that?

God created the universe in seven days.

No way! 13.7 billion years.

Well, then, we had better think about hat the Bible actually says ...

You'll have difficulty getting out of this one!

 Next Bible Blog : Thursday 18th October