{"id":191,"date":"2011-10-31T14:34:37","date_gmt":"2011-10-31T14:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=191"},"modified":"2011-11-09T20:54:21","modified_gmt":"2011-11-09T20:54:21","slug":"var-_gaq-_gaq-_gaq-push_setaccount-ua-25646250-2-_gaq-push_trackpageview-function-var-ga-document-createelementscript-ga-type-textjava","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=191","title":{"rendered":"<script type=\"text\/javascript\">    var _gaq = _gaq || [];   _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-25646250-2']);   _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);    (function() {     var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text\/javascript'; ga.async = true;     ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:\/\/ssl' : 'http:\/\/www') + '.google-analytics.com\/ga.js';     var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);   })();  <\/script>  <\/head> Session Five &#8211; First Story of Creation &#8211; Conclusion. &#8211; Held on Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Handouts \u2013 Science and Religion \u2013 Cultural Wars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Even a cursory glance at our Creation Handout <a href=\"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=169\">http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=169<\/a> shows that the Creation Story has a literary structure to it.\u00a0 The beauty and power of the story is the story.\u00a0 It\u2019s quite possible that the six day structure had been influenced by liturgical practice.\u00a0 In some sense, then, all the efforts to make the six days coincide with modern science is misplaced.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take again the Fourth Day of Creation.\u00a0 We read that the \u201clights in the dome of the sky \u2026 [are to] mark the seasons, the days, and the years.\u201d [Gen. 1:14] reveal the ancient times.\u00a0 To some extent we still rely on nature to mark our times \u2026 but times have changed.\u00a0 We even change time [Day light Savings.]\u00a0 Over the thousands of years between when this was written and we read it much as changed.\u00a0 Some clues to the differences can be hinted at in our Clues to Differences in Thinking Chart <a href=\"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=193\">http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=193<\/a>. What is different in the chart is not the areas of life but the areas of study and the resultant differences between the languages of life and the languages of study.<\/p>\n<p>An example in our group might highlight this.\u00a0 In our society at the present time there are very real differences but not much reflective dialogue between scientists and believers.\u00a0 But in our midst is Tim who is both a scientist and a believer.\u00a0 He is a geologist.\u00a0 But there isn\u2019t a Catholic geology or Christian geology or Hindu geology for that matter.\u00a0 There\u2019s just geology.\u00a0 Geology has nothing to do directly, as a science, with God.\u00a0 But the persons who do geology, they can be Hindu or Catholic or Protestant \u2026 it doesn&#8217;t matter as far as the science goes.\u00a0 However, it does matter as far as the person goes.\u00a0 Knowing how to talk from either point of view without mixing them up is what is required if we are to <strong>rise to the level of our times<\/strong>.\u00a0 What areas of life and of study do you think get mixed up in our \u201ccultural wars\u201d of today?\u00a0 Do you feel comfortable talking about them?\u00a0 To do so is one of the goals of this adult scripture study effort.\u00a0 Here is how Tim expressed his position.<\/p>\n<p>Tim: I was thinking that\u2019s one reason I have such a problem with Creationist trying to have this story [Biblical account of creation] taught in our classrooms as science because it&#8217;s not science.\u00a0 It&#8217;s theology and philosophy \u2026 it\u2019s religion \u2026 it\u2019s not science.\u00a0 And it can\u2019t be taught as science \u2026 science is its own thing.<\/p>\n<p>Now back to the fourth day, on this and every other day it is God who creates, he creates by simply saying [And God said \u2026] and what he creates is good, in fact, after one sequence it is very good.\u00a0 This is faith talking, and saying something about our world, our life, our relationship to it and to God.\u00a0 And what is said transcends science.\u00a0 But we are both believers and a part of the contemporary world.\u00a0 We are being invited to understand both, to distinguish and unite both, to be at home in both.\u00a0 [Later we will have to deal with a simple fact, evil exists \u2026 but that\u2019s for a couple of weeks from now.]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Concluding Conversation \/ Questions from the First Story of Creation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mike: Wonders if the story tells of the story of there being only one God, monotheism.\u00a0 Does it not focus on God as creator of everything, beyond all else?<\/p>\n<p>Heber: Recognizes some similarity to the story as told by Native Americans, part of his heritage.<\/p>\n<p>Ken: Wants to acknowledge that \u2026 these were intelligent people who were trying to grapple with the meaning of life and creation.\u00a0 \u2026 it\u2019s always going to come down to an origin \u2026 what is the origin of everything?<\/p>\n<p>Our conversation then turned to a single verse of interest.\u00a0 The first was the meaning of the Hebrew word \u201cadam\u201d which is variously translated as \u201chuman being,\u201d \u201cman,\u201d \u201cmankind,\u201d or \u201cpeople.\u201d\u00a0 How is verse 26 translated in your version?\u00a0 In the online version <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/1\">http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/1<\/a> it is translated \u201chuman being.\u201d\u00a0 There is a note that is meant to clarify and explain its meaning.\u00a0 It reads: \u201cHuman beings: Hebrew\u00a0\u2019\u0101d\u0101m\u00a0is here the generic term for humankind; in the first five chapters of Genesis it is the proper name Adam only at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/gn\/4:25\">4:25<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/gn\/5:1\">5:1<\/a>\u2013<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/gn\/5:5\">5<\/a>.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s amazing how a single word can change how we think of things.\u00a0 Were you aware of this word\u2019s mostly general sense?\u00a0 If not, what does this \u201cnew\u201d information mean for you?\u00a0 All human beings would mean even those whom we have trouble with, think ill of, judge to be just mistaken, wrong; in our world that might be \u201cliberals,\u201d \u201cconservatives,\u201d \u201cMuslims,\u201d \u201cChristians,\u201d Atheists,\u201d or fill in the blank \u2026<\/p>\n<p>We concluded with reflecting on the notion of being made in God&#8217;s image. \u00a0If all human beings are made in God\u2019s image, however, what is that image, concretely?\u00a0 Our group spent a great deal of time in discussion on this question.\u00a0 We wondered if meant something physical, or was it that we wonder, that we understand, that we care, that we have virtues like patience?\u00a0 It is in these exchanges with one another that we learn both that others think as we do and, perhaps more importantly, that others do not.\u00a0 No matter what others might think, one thing is certain Catholics are not monolithic thinker.<\/p>\n<p>And to think that people nearly three thousand years ago, had such thoughts!!<\/p>\n<p>Your comments, questions, remarks are welcomed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Handouts \u2013 Science and Religion \u2013 Cultural Wars Even a cursory glance at our Creation Handout http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=169 shows that the Creation Story has a literary structure to it.\u00a0 The beauty and power of the story is the story.\u00a0 It\u2019s quite &hellip; 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