Off Topic — HabitableZone

Off Topic » in reply to re:The concepts that Leonard Susskind is advocating seem interesting.

Genesis as metaphor
Robert — (archived)

I think that talking about a multiverse, or talking about the existence of the universe prior to the Big Bang, at one level just pushes the concept of God farther back, but doesn't preclude it: God might've decreed the multiverse into being with "Let there be light!" just as much as our one universe. As I've argued elsewhere on the thread, I favor a definition of God that puts her/him eternally beyond science...and who could argue with that? Sounds like a win-win for everybody.

That the story of Genesis has parallels with modern cosmology might be significant, or it might not. To say that the heavens and the earth were without form is perhaps just a poetic way of saying "everything began". To the ancients, ya gotcher heaven and ya gotcher earth (and let's not forget H20 flowing upon the deep), and that pretty much covers it. How else could a creation story go?

It's interesting to me that most of the creation myths I know of follow a similar general pattern: The Universe did not exist, was brought into existence through the will or actions of some agent, and the Universe required a period of construction/development/evolution before it reached its present state. It seems likely that people instinctively tell the story of the "life of the universe" in accordance with what they already know about life. Once we didn't exist, were brought into existence through the actions of our parents, and we spend many years growing to maturity.

...and then we die. Christianity has a death myth in the Apopocalypse and I believe Hinduism has a story about the end of things (or end of a cycle?), but I'm not sure how many creation myths are balanced by a destruction myth. Interesting side issue...

...but back to the main issue...If we tell creation stories that are parallels to life, our creation stories are going to be based on truth, because we now know on a scientific level as well as the gut level that the Universe was born, lives, and will die. The story arc's the same.

These are truly small quibbles, Johannes. As long as I can view Genesis as a metaphor, I can say in good conscience that it's true, at a basic level. It's not a false story, it's just that some people have taken it to be more literally true than science has discovered it to be. It's interesting how discussion on this thread evolved into how humans act upon their belief systems, and I think that's my only legitimate substantive interest in religious beliefs: If somebody doesn't try to force the beliefs on me, live and let live. The world is richer place with the widest variety of beliefs that can coexist peacefully.

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