Genesis

So, one of my resolutions for this year was to read the entire Bible, cover to cover. Between my leather-bound-beauty of a Bible I keep on my bedside table, and the App I downloaded on my iPhone, I've been pretty faithful so far in keeping up with it.

The App I'm using to help me keep on plan is absolutely wonderful. It's the YouVersion Bible App, and it's available for both the iPhone and Droid. It's absolutely free, with minimal advertising, you can pick from a large selection of reading plans and devotionals. It even has a social media component, allowing you to share with friends your progress and thoughts. It contains more than 100 different translations of the Bible, including several different languages. If you get behind on the plan you select, it sends you an email as a gentle reminder to help you keep up.

I'm such a novice when it comes to the Bible, and I've really had it impressed on my heart lately to learn more about my God, so I may be a better witness and have a deeper relationship with Christ. The plan I'm using this year to help me read the entire thing is the "Come Drink Live 365" plan, which usually has 3 OT chapters and 1 NT chapter a day.


One thing I'd like to start doing is documenting my thoughts on each book as I read through, so I can keep track of important verses, how certain passages strike me when I read them, and express my questions, concerns, and frustrations with different parts.

I'm already almost through Exodus, but I wanted to go back and express some of my thoughts on Genesis. I have so many questions, and I hope some of you will be able to give me thoughtful advice and insight.

Also, pardon me if I ever sound blasphemous or irreverent, it's my nature to pick apart everything, and I don't see the point of pretending I don't have questions or problems with certain parts of the bible.

Thoughts on Genesis

1) Is it just me, or does the creation story sound a lot like a Native American tale? I know there are two huge factions within the Judeo-Christian tradition, those who believe we should take the bible at face-value, believing every word literally, and those who believe it's allegorical. I am still unable to decide with which party I agree, but I think I'm leaning toward the latter. However, I don't think how you view the OT in particular should define your Christianity. Whether or not God literally created the Universe in seven days has little to nothing to do with my whole-hearted belief that he did, in his infinite Grace, send Jesus to die for our sins.

2) Less than a book into the OT, I already start to feel a lot of frustration with God. Nothing seems consistent to me, and as an omnipotent and omniscient God, isn't he supposed to be consistent? I can't help but wonder if the Hebrews got the nature and intentions of God all wrong when they were writing their history, and one of the reasons Jesus was sent was to set 'em straight.

3) The Hebrews wrote in a very repetitive way, and I find myself thinking I've reread something. Well, I have, just a page later. I understand translators wanting to keep the integrity of the content, but it seems to me (and I'm not even a little bit of an expert) that some abridgment wouldn't be wholly uncalled for.

Please, Please, Please, if you have any insights, let me know your thoughts. This is quite a journey for me, and I need all the help and fellowship I can get.