Like most of Howard Bess' pieces on Consortium News his latest, "Genesis Myth: God Doing Good", contains a few kernels of truth which he then all but obscures with a vast amount of nonsense. The fourth paragraph is true enough:
"Myths address questions of values and morals – why, not when or how. They are not history and are not to be read to satisfy scientific inquiry. Myths are commentaries about life and are found in every civilization. They are simple to remember, and their roots predate written language."
He is also correct in stating that Genesis is a myth and does a decent job comparing it to other myth traditions. However, he never addresses or even acknowledges the double standard his views imply. He clearly does not believe the various beings referenced in the other myths are real in any way, yet, he assumes God is. I do have to applaud him for admitting to a few of the contradictions present in the Genesis portrayal of God. Even with that glimpse of reason he manages to go right back to his blind faith interpretations.
Bess ends his piece with the statement, "According to the Genesis myth, chaos was God’s opportunity to do good. It can be ours as well." It is a rather flimsy conclusion especially since most of his thoughts on Genesis do not reflect that book of the Bible as a whole. Seems to me that God does a lot more harm than good in Genesis. It also seems odd that he fails to note the source of "chaos." I guess it isn't as impressive solving problems when you cause them in the first place.
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