I am a 61 year old man.
From DNA results my ancestors are related to the Eviya and Eshira people
of Gabon, Africa. The truth as I know it
is that hundreds of years ago, one or more of my ancestors was kidnapped from a
life of freedom in Gabon. They were
enslaved by European Americans who had invaded the North American continent and
systematically wiped out a Native American culture that already existed
there. European Americans through a
combination of diseases they brought with them and aggressive land grabbing annihilated
a culture in North America to the point that today it barely exists. Before these events, life was created on
Earth thousands of years ago. We tend to
not focus on our historical past to find understanding to our present. I believe that is a major mistake. That is my
truth.
Seeking some understanding to life in the United States and
the events of today and the past, I have turned to the Bible. A religious historical document that stands
at the foundation of many of our lives and beliefs. This series of blogs takes into account my
understanding, questions, and reactions to the words in the Bible. Let us first start with Genesis, the
beginning.
I recall as a teenager writing to the company that published
a dictionary. I was questioning the
accuracy of the definition of the word “beginning”. I had spent 8 years in a Catholic school
environment. I recall reading catechisms
and being taught in a classroom setting the beliefs of the Catholic
church. As a teenager it occurred to me
that based on what I had been taught, somehow a God, Gods or some form of life
always existed. There was no beginning. There just was life that existed beyond the
understanding of human thought. I’ve
always remembered that moment. Although
there was no answer, it was a moment of clarity for me.
In the bible, Moses is stated to be the author of
Genesis. Somehow he passed on the
content of Genesis to future generations.
The story/events were finally put into writing in biblical form. Genesis 1, starts off with “The Beginning”. I always assumed that Genesis was talking
about the beginning of life on the planet Earth. We as people seemed focused on believing that
all life began with the creation of human beings on Earth. I see no reason to not believe that our
Creator, God, or whatever you want to call “Him” has created other life forms
beyond human beings. So why do we think
the beginning of life revolves around us here on Earth? It seems somewhat of a self centered approach
to life. Human beings self promoting
ourselves into the number one spot on the life cycle!
Are there other inhabited planets and life forms out
there? I really don’t believe that
human beings are the best life form that God, our Creator, could have
made. How and to what extent do such
other life forms worship our Creator?
The “beginning” referenced in Genesis, may be the story applicable
to life on Earth only. It is possible
there are other stories of “beginnings” for life forms different from ours on
other planets and other solar systems.
As I read Genesis 1, it covers the creations of God, such as water,
living creatures and the natural resources of the Earth. The thought struck me, “if God created all
these things and humans in the role of caretakers, don’t we have an obligation to
protect the environment that He created?”
Why should we destroy what God created?
Genesis does appear to give people the role of ruling over animals. We were given every seed bearing plant to use
as food to include every tree with fruit.
As Genesis 1 ends, it is apparent that what God was doing was “working”
at creating human kind and the supporting systems for human kind. It would not be a smooth creation. Drama and humanistic problems were coming
quickly.
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