In the Beginning...

First thing's first. I thought that I would put out some of my initial thoughts about the bible before I got started reading it just to see how much I remember give myself a place to go from here.

I grew up in the church but I never really read the bible until after I stopped going full time. Being a little too young for the task, much of what I read simply washed over my head as I sat in my bedroom trying to understand why there were so many lists and why the book itself was so long. After finally wading through it a first time my plan had been to go back and read it more slowly a second time through, but I got somewher near the end of Leviticus or Numbers... one of those really elaborate books on rituals and temples and stuff that I really didn't care about at all before I finally gave up and quit the process all together. I never really stopped to think about what I had read the first time through.

Now that I am in this class however, I have kind of taken a moment to think back on the one time in my life when it seemed like I had nothing better to do than read a 1500 page book and some of the things that came to mind astounded me.

The first thing that really struck me is the difference between the two Gods in the old and new testament. Yaweh (not sure if that's how you actually spell it, so don't get too mad if it's wrong) I've decided is the guy you want on your side in a fight. You know what, scratch that. He's the guy that you just want as your friend because you know that anyone that messes with you is going to be in for a serious ass whipping, along with everybody else that that guy knows. He's like the best bodyguard ever, if that bodyguard had bipolar disorder and sometimes decided he didn't really appreciate you too much either. At those points you've just got to kind of make yourself invisible.

God the father from the new testament reminds me of like a rich father that you never knew you had. He'll make sure that you get everything that you want or need in time as long as you trust that he can do it without any proof. Otherwise, he'll make sure you go to the worst prison on a small deserted island with the worst criminals in the world. So maybe they're not so different after all.

I also noticed, after reading the first chapter of Good Book that there are two creation stories. The first occurs in chapter one of Genesis when man and woman are created together. The second occurs in chapter two when woman is created from man. Was God not happy with the results of his first creation, he seemed to think that "it was good" at the end of the first chapter but after day seven he creates man again. This time though there is no mention of creating in his image but only from the dust of the earth.

It's something to think about anyway as we get started. Did the writers of the Bible not notice the contradiction or are they trying to imply something different? Food for thought.

Okay, deep breath. here we go.

"In the beginning..."