Genesis and The Magic Carpet
Comedian Kevin James, in his hit stand-up performance, "Sweat the Small Stuff", tells of an encounter with his girlfriend. They are in different places across the world, passing the night away on the phone. She says to him, "Gee, I wish I could be over there right now with you, but it's so far to travel. It would take too long, but if I had a magic carpet, I'd be there in only 3 hours!" To which Kevin James responded, "Uh, dear, where'd you get 3 hours? If we're agreed that it's a 'magic carpet', how did you get 3 hours? Was there a layover in Dallas or something?"
One thing's for sure, if I had a magic carpet, I'd call up my long distance friends and tell them to walk over to the nearest window and look out for me! Then I'd speed off to impress everyone else I knew! How cool that would be!?
The same humorous thought comes to mind when I think of the biblical account of creation. "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day." (Exodus 20:11)
Uh, mr. creator, where'd you get six days? If we're agreed that you are God and you possess all the power there is to possess, why take six days to create anything? Even six seconds would be uncessesary. And if what the progressive creationists say is true, and God created the universe billions of years ago, let it evolve (and appear as though it happened by chance alone!), and then created man in the garden, you have an equally ridiculous scenario. It appears God preferred the company of trilobites for a much longer period of time than he has human beings. I wonder if we'll have as long as the dinosaurs had before he gets tired of us and seeks a new favorite species of amusement? But I guess that's another matter.
But why in the world would an omnipotent being wait for anything? Why do I have to wait on others? Why do others have to wait on me? I'll tell you why -- because I'm far removed from omnipotent many times over. If you ask me to edit a book, or bake you a cake, or make you a clay sculpture, it's going to take a while. But if I was omnipotent, I would do it for you instantly. I don't know about you, but I want less work, as little as possible. And if I can think myself and everyone else into the perfect existence, then I'll have no work at all. Work, effort, time, resources -- what meaning do these terms have except in a material world where impotency abounds? To apply them to an all-powerful deity is altogether inapplicable, and in this case, laughable.
Literally or figuratively viewed, God's ways of creating and sustaining the universe are as funny as they are cruel.
(JH)
The same humorous thought comes to mind when I think of the biblical account of creation. "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day." (Exodus 20:11)
Uh, mr. creator, where'd you get six days? If we're agreed that you are God and you possess all the power there is to possess, why take six days to create anything? Even six seconds would be uncessesary. And if what the progressive creationists say is true, and God created the universe billions of years ago, let it evolve (and appear as though it happened by chance alone!), and then created man in the garden, you have an equally ridiculous scenario. It appears God preferred the company of trilobites for a much longer period of time than he has human beings. I wonder if we'll have as long as the dinosaurs had before he gets tired of us and seeks a new favorite species of amusement? But I guess that's another matter.
But why in the world would an omnipotent being wait for anything? Why do I have to wait on others? Why do others have to wait on me? I'll tell you why -- because I'm far removed from omnipotent many times over. If you ask me to edit a book, or bake you a cake, or make you a clay sculpture, it's going to take a while. But if I was omnipotent, I would do it for you instantly. I don't know about you, but I want less work, as little as possible. And if I can think myself and everyone else into the perfect existence, then I'll have no work at all. Work, effort, time, resources -- what meaning do these terms have except in a material world where impotency abounds? To apply them to an all-powerful deity is altogether inapplicable, and in this case, laughable.
Literally or figuratively viewed, God's ways of creating and sustaining the universe are as funny as they are cruel.
(JH)