[It is not required, but my
blog, “Genesis Revisited (#2) – Beliefs Held,” lists several unbiblical beliefs
mandated by the common version of the creation story. Knowing what they are may come in handy while
reading this and the following blogs.]
Most of the biblical prophets
warned the people against the incorporation of foreign beliefs into what God
gave at Mt. Sinai
How is that different from Christian’s
unbiblical beliefs that overshadow the biblical creation? Let us look at how “perfectionistic” concepts
distort the omnipotence (all powerful) and omnipresence (present everywhere) characteristics
of our God.
God is so perfect that He resides in heaven therefore not on earth. If that is true, then He is just another Zeus
sitting on Mount Olympus. He is not always
with us. He requires help from other
spiritual beings (like angels) to know what is happening down here in the
dirt. Except: The God of the Bible is always with us. He is within us. We cannot go any place where He is not.
God is so perfect that His creation had to be perfect. He could not create imperfection. If that is true, creation cannot testify to
His existence or His act of creating, because nothing is perfect. As believers, we should not call anything good
or beautiful. Except: Goodness and beauty surrounds us and nature teaches us deep
truths about humanity and God. God is so
perfect that He created an imperfect world so that we could have free choice.
God is so perfect that He only created good things. All bad things come from some other entity
(like Satan) or force (like sin).
If
that is true, then God is not the God of all creation. Some things are not under His authority. Except:
Giving God’s authority to anything within creation is idolatry. Genesis One says God made everything above
and everything below. Everything means
everything. God took responsibility for
all the good things and all the bad things.
Satan’s curse removed his ability to do more than whisper. Likewise, sin is not a force. It is a choice to transgress law. Any creativity comes from humans who follow
the voice of Satan and invent new ways to express evil. These people reject their responsibility and
teach others to give Satan the credit.
God is so perfect that He could not imagine Satan’s actions. If that is true, God’s knowledge is limited. He is not the Lord of all, and no different from
any mythical god. Except: Without God’s permission, Satan cannot even whisper. God is in control, but He gives his creations
the ability to choose.
God is so perfect that He could not imagine Eve or Adam’s disobedience. If that is true, God’s knowledge of His
creation is extremely limited. He could
not maintain a perfect world, how can He control this corrupt one? So, Satan must control this world. Except:
That is idolatry, even if it is a reversal of worship. God is in control. He sees what is going on and what can happen
next. God created the garden scenario to
transpire as He chose. We must have faith
that God knows what He is doing.
God is so perfect that sin repulsed Him. If that is true, sin was more powerful then
the Creator. By leaving, God is not
everywhere, thus limited. Except: God came to Adam and Eve,
talked to them. Then, He taught them to
make clothing. Our Creator was never forced
to do anything, never forced to reject anyone.
He always comes to us to convict sin.
He always desires our repentance. God even knocks on the worst sinner’s door.
The God described by “perfectionism”
was too weak to maintain a perfect creation.
He was too nearsighted to see what lay ahead. His incompetence doomed humanity, and then He
blamed and condemned us. He let sinful
humans live. Not just Adam and Eve, but
Cain and Noah’s family lived to reproduce sin.
The God of “perfectionism” is too perfect to take responsibility for His
own actions.
I reject that theology. It does not describe the biblical God, who is
in control even when our world is in chaos.
It represses the love, mercy, and forgiveness that define His very being
and the goodness of His creation. We
need to stop hating humanity. We need to
stop placing limits on a limitless God.
To be continued:
[Lessons from Creation’s Parables: Genesis and Standard
Science, Sung as One, by Jo Helen Cox.]
Genesis Revisited
#1 – What to Worship
Genesis Revisited
#4 – Meaning of Days
Genesis Revisited
#5 – A Poetic Creation
Eden Revisited
Also in this series:
Genesis Revisited
#1 – What to Worship
Genesis Revisited #2 – Beliefs Held
Genesis Revisited
#4 – Meaning of Days
Genesis Revisited
#5 – A Poetic Creation
Also see series: