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Subject: Was There Realy A GardenOfEden?
Replies: 13 Views: 1027
unquiet1 13.01.11 - 08:57pm
Imagine yourself in a garden. There are no distractions, no sounds of chaotic city life drifting in over some nearby wall. This garden is vast, and nothing intrudes on its peace.
Better yet, your mind is clear of worries, your body untroubled by any trace of illness, allergies, or pain. Your senses are free to take in your surroundings.
You feast your eyes first on the vivid hues of the blossoms, then on the sparkle of a stream, then on the myriad greens of foliage and grass in sun and shadow. You feel the mild breeze on your skin and smell the sweet fragrances it carries. You hear the rustling of leaves, the splash of water tumbling over rocks, the calls and songs of birds, the hum of insects at work. As you picture the scene, do you not long to be in such a place? Thats wot Eden was like. EDEN WAS MANKINDS ORIGINAL HOME.
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unquiet1 13.01.11 - 08:58pm
Among scholars, intellectuals, and historians, it was once popular to confirm that the events recorded in the Bible book of Genesis were true and historical. These days, skepticism about all such matters is more in fashion. But what is the basis for the doubts about the Genesis account of Adam, Eve, and the Garden of Eden? Let us examine 4 common objections. *
unquiet1 13.01.11 - 08:59pm
1. Was the Garden of Eden a real place? Why is there doubt on this score? Philosophy may have played a role. For centuries, theologians speculated that Gods garden was still in existence somewhere. However, the church was influenced by such Greek philosophers as Plato and Aristotle, who held that nothing on the earth could be perfect. Only heaven could contain perfection. Therefore, theologians reasoned, the original Paradise had to be closer to heaven. *(This teaching is not from the Bible. The Bible teaches that all of Gods work is perfect; corruption comes from another source. (Deuteronomy 32:4, 5)When God finished his creation of the earth, he pro nounced all that he had made ''very good.'' See Genesis 1:31.) *
unquiet1 13.01.11 - 09:01pm
Some said that the garden sat atop an extremely high mountain that reached just above the confines of this degraded planet; others, that it was at the North Pole or the South Pole; still others, that it was on or near the moon. Not surprisingly, the whole concept of Eden took on an aura of fantasy. Some modern-day scholars dismiss the geography of Eden as nonsense, asserting that no such place ever existed.
However, the Bible does not portray the garden that way. At Genesis 2:8-14, we learn a number of specifics about that place. It was located in the eastern part of the region called Eden. It was watered by a river that became the source for four rivers. Each of the four is named, and a brief description about its course provided. These details have long tantalized scholars, many of whom have scoured this Bible passage for clues to the present-day location of this ancient site. However, they have come up with innumerable contradictory opinions.
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unquiet1 13.01.11 - 09:02pm
Does this mean that the physical description of Eden, its garden, and its rivers is false or mythical? Consider: The events in the garden of Eden account unfolded some 6,000 years ago. They were put into writing, evidently by Moses, who may have made use of oral accounts or perhaps even preexisting documents. Still, Moses was writing about 2,500 years after the events described. Eden was already ancient history. Now, is it possible for such landmarks as rivers to change over the course of dozens of centuries? The earths crust is dynamic, ever in motion. The region that likely included Eden is an earthquake beltone that now accounts for about 17 percent of the worlds largest quakes. In such areas, change is the rule rather than the exception. What is more, the Flood of Noahs day may have altered the topography in ways that we simply cannot know today. *
unquiet1 13.01.11 - 09:03pm
Here, though, are a few facts that we do know: The Genesis account speaks of the garden as a real place. Two of the four rivers mentioned in the accountthe Euphrates and the Tigris, or Hiddekelflow today, and some of their source waters are very close together. The account even names the lands through which those rivers flowed and specifies the natural resources well-known in the area. To the people of ancient Israel, the original audience who read this record, these details were informative. Do myths and fairy tales work that way? Or do they tend to omit specifics that could readily be verified or denied? Once upon a time in a faraway land is a way to begin a fairy tale. History, though, tends to include relevant details, as the Eden account does. The Deluge, an act of God, evidently wiped out all traces of the garden of Eden itself. Ezekiel 31:18 suggests that the trees of Eden were already long out of existence by the seventh century B.C.E. So all those who searched for a still-existing garden of Eden in later times were misguided. *
unquiet1 13.01.11 - 09:04pm
2. Is it really believable that God formed Adam from dust and Eve from one of Adams ribs?
Modern science has confirmed that the human body is composed of various elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon all of which are found in the earths crust. But how were those elements assembled into a living creature? Many scientists theorize that life arose on its own, starting with very simple forms that gradually, over millions of years, became more and more complex. However, the term ''simple'' can be misleading, for all living thingseven microscopic single-celled organisms are incredibly complex. There is no proof that any kind of life has ever arisen by chance or ever could. Rather, all living things bear unmistakable evidence of design by an intelligence far greater than our own.(Romans 1:20)
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