Guest Atrakhasis Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 It appears to me that Genesis' author is attempting explain for his audience "Why the world is the way it is," a world full of bloodshed and violence everyday among man and animalkind. Science agrees that this world is indeed full of bloodshed and violence every day, but has a different explanation for this situation. The Mesopotamians also agree with the above but they too have a different explanation for the present situation. The Hebrews blame man and beast as corrupting God's way: God intended that man and beast would feed off plants, not devour each other. Man (Adam) was created without sin and blameless until he disobeyed and consumed forbidden fruit. Sin enters the world and with it bloodshed and violence not only for man (Cain being the first shedder of blood killing Abel) but beast as well. One day the bloodshed and violence filling this earth will end, and Eden will be restored, all will dwell peacefully in harmony, sin will exist no more with the arrival of a post-exilic messiah. The Mesopotamian account is very different: this world's violence and shedding of blood is not blamed on a man's actions (eating forbidden fruit) it is blamed on the gods. Before man was created the gods murdered each other (sons slaying parents, sisters slaying sisters), and were involved in rape, incest (sons having sex with mothers and daughters), lying, and oath-breaking. The very earth itself was a goddess called Tiamat who was killed by one of her progeny (Marduk the god of Babylon), and of who's body the earth was formed. Man would be created of Tiamat's clay mixed with the flesh and blood of a god variously identified as Kingu or Weila, both of who were rebels seeking to kill fellow-gods. That is to say _before_ man was created by the gods the world was filled with bloodshed, violence and sin. Man, made in the image the gods could not be better than the gods he was modeled after and who's murderous, fornicating, lying spirit he possessed (his clay being animated by the blood and flesh of Kingu and Weila). Man, then was _NOT_ responsible for the world being full of violence and bloodshed, the gods were. Modern Science denies both the Hebrew account (Genesis) and the Mesopotamian accounts: The world is full of violence and bloodshed because this is Nature's Way: the struggle of the species, only the fittest survives, and man is an animal with animal urges and instincts who has created laws of right and wrong to control anti-social behavior, claiming falsely this a god's revelation. For more info cf. the below url: http://www.bibleorigins.net/AdapaAdam.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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