Ok so I feel that if I didn’t do this now, then it wouldn’t have gotten done all weekend. So here I sit at home at five in the afternoon and I’m doing this because if I don’t do it now, it won’t happen. So I’m going to attempt to compare Genesis one and two.
The first thing that stands out to me in the first chapter is how highly God speaks. He speaks as if he knows what is going to happen no matter what. I mean its God; yes he will know what is going to happen. He is very descriptive in explaining what is going on with the creation. Creation to me is very intense. How someone can be bam and there it is. And God says it was good. Well would God create something that wasn’t good? Then God goes and creates humankind in his image? What does in his image mean? Does it mean that God looks like us? Does God have ten fingers and ten toes just like me? Then when God blesses Adam and Eve it kind of sounds like a pep speech. Be fruitful and multiply. Like after all that I have done he has to explain what Adam and Eve have to do in the world that he created for them. Its almost sounding like I’ll be watching you kind of thing, so don’t mess up. Throughout the whole first chapter it goes then God said, then God said. What would of happened when God saw what he had created and said, shit I didn’t want that. Could he take away what he had just made? But that is going against what he wants. So probably not. Just a thought. I don’t know seems like God is trying to be all high and mighty in the first chapter.
But then we get to chapter two. What do you know another creation story. There are a lot of accounts of multiple stories in the bible of the same story. But all is told a little bit differently. In the second chapter of Genesis creation is still going on, but not as highly as it had been in the previous chapter. When I read it, I understood it. I was put into words that I could understand. Not trying to be all highly. To me it is straight to the point. No miss mash of anything. It is explained in a way that someone who have never read the bible before can understand it. I personally like the second chapter story verses the first one.
This summer I worked as a councilor at a bible camp. And this was one of the stories for the day that we would have bible study with. With the kids we would study this story and study it from a religious stand point. Every week when a new set of kids would come to camp I would get to re-teach myself while teaching them. So I have had a lot of experience with this story. And I still after being a bible thumper all summer and trying to study this story I have a hard time with story. To me there are so many loose ends that aren’t clarified. I guess the biggest question for me would be why?
So this weekend my goal is to read these two chapters over and over and try and make some sense of what God is saying or trying to say. More to come later… again I have some more thinking to do! Seems like that is all I do with this class. But that is what its intention to do.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Speechless
Never in my mind did I think I would be questioning the bible. I mean this is the book that I by, and I try to abide by it. but never did I think I would be asking myself questions about it. Like how in the book of Genesis that is assumed to be this great creation chapter that there would be death, betrayal, and adultery. But I guess it had to start somewhere right? That is why I think all this stuff is in the bible, the book that most Americans live by.
The one story that I am having a hard time dealing with, and coming to terms with is the story about Jacob. How he marries Laban’s daughters. Both daughters at that! Not just one but both of them! He first marries Leah. Leah as he thinks, eyes were lovely. But Rachel on the other hand was graceful and beautiful. I know that those are two characteristics that I look for in a man is grace and beauty. Yeah right. So after dealing with who he should be with he decides that he wants to be with Rachel. So he told Laban that he will work for him for seven years so that Rachel can then marry him. seven years is an awful long time to commit to someone to work for them. And this was back in the day. So I can only imagine that this work was hard labor. But that’s not the best part. The best part of the story is when Jacob is in his room waiting for his new wife to have their “wedding night” Laban gives him Leah instead of Rachel. Well Jacob being a guy didn’t think at the moment who it was he just took it with a grain of salt. And he had the night with Leah. When the morning comes he sees that it was Leah instead of his beloved Rachel. But basically this story is about back stabbing I think. The father isn’t honest with Jacob. And Jacob doesn’t ask questions. So Jacob goes around and around with Leah and Rachel. But in the end he ends up with Rachel.
But then the Lord sees that Leah is “unloved”. Here we see another story of a virgin conceiving a child without a man. So the Lord impregnates Leah I guess one could say. Here is another miracle of God. Which is odd to me. The only person that people know about who got pregnant without a man is Mary. But no, Lead did as well. And she had three kids. Not just one. Three. God does this three times. Don’t you think that is a little extensive on trying to make a woman bare children. The reason why it kind of gets me, is because in this world today. Not a lot of people think it’s right to have children if the child has no father. But look here it is shown in the Bible. Then the story truns, when Rachel sees that Leah has children. And Rachel wants kids as well. she asks Jacob to have kids with her. He says no. she what does she do? She pawns her maid on Jacob and says “fine. Have kids with her. Not me.” Shows what kind of a person Rachel is.
I’ve tried to read and re-read this story over and over. And I just can’t wrap my mind around it. there is a lot of two timing. And not being true to ones self, jealously and hatred is very present in this story. I am going to try to read more in depth this story and write more about it. and hopefully it will make more sense to me then it does now. I just don’t get it. and this blog probably makes no sense but I will try my best next time to make it sound like I know a little bit what I’m talking about. Haha. Ok more next time… I have some thinking to do!
The one story that I am having a hard time dealing with, and coming to terms with is the story about Jacob. How he marries Laban’s daughters. Both daughters at that! Not just one but both of them! He first marries Leah. Leah as he thinks, eyes were lovely. But Rachel on the other hand was graceful and beautiful. I know that those are two characteristics that I look for in a man is grace and beauty. Yeah right. So after dealing with who he should be with he decides that he wants to be with Rachel. So he told Laban that he will work for him for seven years so that Rachel can then marry him. seven years is an awful long time to commit to someone to work for them. And this was back in the day. So I can only imagine that this work was hard labor. But that’s not the best part. The best part of the story is when Jacob is in his room waiting for his new wife to have their “wedding night” Laban gives him Leah instead of Rachel. Well Jacob being a guy didn’t think at the moment who it was he just took it with a grain of salt. And he had the night with Leah. When the morning comes he sees that it was Leah instead of his beloved Rachel. But basically this story is about back stabbing I think. The father isn’t honest with Jacob. And Jacob doesn’t ask questions. So Jacob goes around and around with Leah and Rachel. But in the end he ends up with Rachel.
But then the Lord sees that Leah is “unloved”. Here we see another story of a virgin conceiving a child without a man. So the Lord impregnates Leah I guess one could say. Here is another miracle of God. Which is odd to me. The only person that people know about who got pregnant without a man is Mary. But no, Lead did as well. And she had three kids. Not just one. Three. God does this three times. Don’t you think that is a little extensive on trying to make a woman bare children. The reason why it kind of gets me, is because in this world today. Not a lot of people think it’s right to have children if the child has no father. But look here it is shown in the Bible. Then the story truns, when Rachel sees that Leah has children. And Rachel wants kids as well. she asks Jacob to have kids with her. He says no. she what does she do? She pawns her maid on Jacob and says “fine. Have kids with her. Not me.” Shows what kind of a person Rachel is.
I’ve tried to read and re-read this story over and over. And I just can’t wrap my mind around it. there is a lot of two timing. And not being true to ones self, jealously and hatred is very present in this story. I am going to try to read more in depth this story and write more about it. and hopefully it will make more sense to me then it does now. I just don’t get it. and this blog probably makes no sense but I will try my best next time to make it sound like I know a little bit what I’m talking about. Haha. Ok more next time… I have some thinking to do!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The first part...
So as the thought back in my head keeps reminding me that I need to blog about these readings for this semester. I'm thinking to my self, self there is no way that you can do all this. You already have a full load of classes and now you have to blog about this class. So as i sat down with The Good Book and started reading it, it somehow was quite easy to read. I found myself really thinking about what David Plotz really has to say.
In my mind the book of Gensis is so overly tought in church. All the little kids know that in the begining God created the heavens and the earth... blah blah blah. Thats when I get bored with the whole story. But reading what Plotz has to say about Genesis is very ture. Not a whole lot of good things happen in Genesis. Well creating but that is about it. Then God punishes Adam and Eve for eating the fruit. But really what was it that was eaten? A fruit or something else? Genesis never says what was eaten. What if it was a veggie? Then what would of happened?
Then God decides that he wants to flood the earth as a lesson. Picks Noah out of all people, who in fact is a drunk. His sons find him drunk passed out on the floor. And they just look at him. But someone who is a drunk can build an ark that doesn't even see a hint of damage the 40 days it was in the water. And then you look at the Titanic a boat that was built by professionals, and look at it, its at the bottem of the ocean.
The only problem so far I am having with this book and the writer, to me he seems kind of like a hipocryt. He rags on Jacob about being bad, and mystrious and all the characteristics that he named off. But then he goes and names his son after Jacob. One because he liked the name, and two because he liked the way the character of Jacob is. He controdicts himself alot in this chapter that he talks about Jacob. And he doen't know how he will explain to his son, his name sake. Which to me is very important to a child, to know where their name came from. How will his son take it, that his name came from the bible. A book which his dad is not fond of, and wrote a book about it? I don't know, to me this was my hardest part so far to understand.
That is where I stopped. Becasue i was frustrated with the way things were written, and how they were written. So far it is a good book. And I'm really enjoying it, but there has to be a stopping point in it, at the end of the night. So tonight I will continue my quest with comparing the Bible to The Good Book. And I will let you now how it goes!
In my mind the book of Gensis is so overly tought in church. All the little kids know that in the begining God created the heavens and the earth... blah blah blah. Thats when I get bored with the whole story. But reading what Plotz has to say about Genesis is very ture. Not a whole lot of good things happen in Genesis. Well creating but that is about it. Then God punishes Adam and Eve for eating the fruit. But really what was it that was eaten? A fruit or something else? Genesis never says what was eaten. What if it was a veggie? Then what would of happened?
Then God decides that he wants to flood the earth as a lesson. Picks Noah out of all people, who in fact is a drunk. His sons find him drunk passed out on the floor. And they just look at him. But someone who is a drunk can build an ark that doesn't even see a hint of damage the 40 days it was in the water. And then you look at the Titanic a boat that was built by professionals, and look at it, its at the bottem of the ocean.
The only problem so far I am having with this book and the writer, to me he seems kind of like a hipocryt. He rags on Jacob about being bad, and mystrious and all the characteristics that he named off. But then he goes and names his son after Jacob. One because he liked the name, and two because he liked the way the character of Jacob is. He controdicts himself alot in this chapter that he talks about Jacob. And he doen't know how he will explain to his son, his name sake. Which to me is very important to a child, to know where their name came from. How will his son take it, that his name came from the bible. A book which his dad is not fond of, and wrote a book about it? I don't know, to me this was my hardest part so far to understand.
That is where I stopped. Becasue i was frustrated with the way things were written, and how they were written. So far it is a good book. And I'm really enjoying it, but there has to be a stopping point in it, at the end of the night. So tonight I will continue my quest with comparing the Bible to The Good Book. And I will let you now how it goes!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The First Day
So the first day of class... wow kind of overwhelming. It will be alot of work in that class this semester. But nothing I can't handle right? I sure hope so! And i am kind of excited to study the bible, but from a literature stand point. Verses a religious stand point. This blogging thing, though i have not gotten into. I have heard of people doing it, but i never got into it myself. But I hope as the semester goes on I will like it a little bit more. Being able to read everyones thoughts and ideas on what the text ment to them. And I also think that it will get me a little bit more social and voical in my classes. And share what i think is good, and what not. And I know as I get more familar with this blogging thing, my blogs will be more insightful. But for now this is all i can come up with. Will write more later!
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