Justanaverageguy Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 How I think of it is, "truth that is evident to someone seeing the world with the Eye/Mind of Christ, or Christ Consciousness". Maybe we could even say seeing the world with the heart of Christ. Not through mental understanding ..... but through his love Link to post Share on other sites
pureinheart Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Based on the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve had lots of kids. If people lived to be very old, imagine their lifespan (and breeding years) to be about 8 times ours. With no birth control and good health, how many kids could you have in 400 years? A LOT!!! And if they had kids, how big would the population have been in a few hundred years? Especially with a generation gap of between 15-20 years, that is a ton of people in a short time. "Fill the earth and subdue it" was God's primary command, after all. God loves it when people have lots and lots of kids! Adam lived to be 930 years old. It is only later on after the flood around the time of Abraham that God limits humans to a 120 year maximum lifespan...which later shortens to "three score and ten, or perhaps four score" as the normal lifespan like we have today. But yes, the children of Adam and Eve probably would have all been having sex with their brothers and sisters. Probably wasn't an issue, though. If life was close to perfect right after the Fall into Sin, then it would have taken a while for genetic abnormalities to occur, so the risk of inbreeding would probably not have been there like it is today. After the Flood, it would have happened again, as Noah only had three sons, and each had a wife. Lots of cousin couples in the first few generations... Look at the story of Cain and Abel. The text doesn't go into great detail, but when God confronts Cain about his murder and places a mark on him, the purpose of the mark was to protect him. Why? Because Cain feared that other people might kill him to avenge his brother. Get that? If he's worried about other people, then what other people were there? Obviously Adam and Eve had a lot of other kids that were out in the world by that time, and so there weren't just four people on the earth. Cain went on to build cities...there were enough people on earth to live in them. Now we know what to say ^^^^^^ i would deflect with a lame joke.....and say what came first the chicken or the egg and if the egg came first......how did the egg have sex and fertilise itself....then i would just say i didnt know after that and that prayer or studying the scriptures may help.....and lets do it together because i havent a clue myself...that way i get to spend time with my kid and make more lame jokes to make them smile........deb...... Deb ((((((hugs)))))) you crack me up! I would have done almost the same, except would have said I'd get back to them, and then in the end most likely would have forgotten- I have a lot going on and my attention span isn't that long. I can remember stuff when I was a kid (vividly) and remember the words to almost every popular song from the 70's, 80's and 90's, but don't ask me what I did 5 minutes ago. Link to post Share on other sites
pureinheart Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Numbers 21:8-9: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze serpent, he would recover. The Lord admonishes Moses to 'make a snake' so that people who are willing to look at it 'will live'. That is, will spiritually live; or, 'would recover' from a life of sin. The metaphor for 'the snake', here given by the Lord to Moses, clearly does not speak to evil. Is this why the medical field uses the two entwined snakes as it's symbol? Healing? Link to post Share on other sites
Justanaverageguy Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) Is this why the medical field uses the two entwined snakes as it's symbol? Healing? So fun fact - the two entwined snakes is not actually the symbol for medicine or healing. It is used in a very ironic and fitting error by many US medical services. this symbol of two entwined snakes around a staff is actually from the Greek Gods and is the "Staff of Hermes" known as the caduceus which represents that Gods elements: Business, Trade, Thievery, trickery and the journey underworld - not medicine or healing. Based on how the US medical system works. As a business ..... its almost too perfect to be a coincidence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caduceus_as_a_symbol_of_medicine The real symbol of medicine from Greek Gods is used outside the USA has only a single snake around a staff and comes from the greek God Asclepius. This God was the god of healing and medicine but the origin of this deity in the greek pantheon is not really known but many theorize it likely made its way from Jewish spiritual traditions into Greece based on the story of Moses like you suggested https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_of_Asclepius Edited February 16, 2019 by Justanaverageguy Link to post Share on other sites
Ronni_W Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways look to Him, and He will direct your path. Most people don't take that admonishment to heart, though. How many times haven't people said, "I believe based on my personal experiences". And then they don't even have the spiritual insight to recognize, or humility to admit, that, on account of their own lack of understanding, they could be totally misinterpreting the spiritual signs and/or significance of their own inner visions and/or experiences. Maybe we could even say seeing the world with the heart of Christ. Not through mental understanding ..... but through his love Sure...why not? I was simply riffing off of, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus". Link to post Share on other sites
Ronni_W Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Is this why the medical field uses the two entwined snakes as it's symbol? Healing? What I've been taught is that the metaphor/symbol of the snake or serpent goes back to spiritual practices that existed before Judaism and Judeo-Christianity; and that it represents Kundalini Energy. There are a lot of different interpretations, though; even around what 'Kundalini Energy' means, and what we're supposed to do with it. I'd offer to just take what feels right in your own heart, and just work with that; which, really, applies to all external spiritual interpretations, insights, etc., also including my own. Link to post Share on other sites
littleblackheart Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 I'm agnostic and talk to my kids on variations of these questions often. I first ask them what they think, then I offer a few different scenarios, we talk about what they think is most likely and we leave it at that because I want them to make their own minds up on this as they see fit, not as I see fit. Link to post Share on other sites
Ronni_W Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 I first ask them what they think, then I offer a few different scenarios, we talk about what they think is most likely and we leave it at that because I want them to make their own minds up on this as they see fit, not as I see fit. . This really ought to be the way at every level of education, and, IMO, theists would do well to adopt the same attitude. If you are interested in having more different scenarios to present for your children to consider, the last four articles on this page might prove interesting/useful to you. (They are spiritual-based.) 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Rayce Posted February 17, 2019 Author Share Posted February 17, 2019 Very interesting reading. Thank you again everyone. I love all the different scenarios. I came across this article today that I thought I would add to the discussion. https://www.foxnews.com/science/extinct-human-species-lived-together-in-siberian-cave-new-research-shows Link to post Share on other sites
Ronni_W Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 Thanks for sharing that link, Rayce. Certainly we can't discount the part that science has played in the evolution of the physical-material-biological structure that today houses the consciousness of Self-Aware Beings on Earth. But, to believe that current-day science can provide all the answers, seems, on the other hand, to me, to be rather short-sighted and limiting to what we can ultimately come to understand. (Not at all saying that this is your perspective, though.) For example, there are some very interesting concepts and theories in the book, A Dweller on Two Planets, which speaks to highly intelligent races having existed on this planet long before what current-day science says was the beginning of intelligent life on Earth. For some it will need more imagination than for others, to find something new and/or useful to further their own seeking for truth, be it through science or spirituality, but hopefully there are those who will at least enjoy it as a 'good read'. . 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Rayce Posted February 17, 2019 Author Share Posted February 17, 2019 A Dweller on Two Planets I actually have this book, an original addition that belonged to my great-great grandparents. I inherited a very interesting collection of books from my mom that was started by my great-great grandparents with each generation adding to it. Over the years have collected my own books that I can now add to the collection to continue the tradition. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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