Have you ever read the book of Genesis? If so, have you noticed
the anomaly in it? I’m referring to Chapters 1 and 2 of the
first book of the bible. Ok, whether you’ve read it or not, I
invite you to open your bibles to the book of Genesis and follow me
through and I will show you the anomaly in it.
But what’s this Genesis anomaly? It’s in the sequence of creation. I
find it odd that the first two chapters of the revered book contradicts
each other in telling what is supposed to be one of the most important
stories of the world.
In Genesis Chapter 1, the sequence of creation is as follows:
- Day 0 - God created the heavens and the earth. Apparently there
is also water since the Spirit of God hovered above the waters.
(Genesis 1:1-2) - Day 1 - God created light (Genesis 1:3-5)
- Day 2 - God created heaven or the firmament that separated the waters above and the waters below (Genesis 1:6-8)
- Day 3 - God made dry land to appear and called it earth, and the waters
he called seas. On the same day, he also made the plants (Genesis
1:9-13) - Day 4 - God made the sun, the moon, and the stars (Genesis 1:14-19)
- Day 5 - God made the fowls (birds) and the creatures of the sea (Genesis 1:20-23)
- Day 6 - God created first the animals, then after them he created man and woman (Genesis 1:24-28)
Based on Genesis Chapter 1, it would be safe to say that man was
created last since this chapter has been very specific in the sequence
of creation by making mention of the days. In fact I’ve heard
pastors use this statement to
prove that man was so important to God that God prepared everything
first before he created man.
And it is this very statement which will prove to be anomalous in
Chapter 2 and the best way to look into this Genesis anomaly is to read
chapter 2.
Chapter 2 by the way starts smoothly as a continuation of chapter 1 by
saying that on the seventh day (note we are already on the sixth day in
chapter 1), God rested from all his work. (Genesis 2:1-3)
Let’s continue walking through it…
- Genesis 2:4-6 - God created the heavens and earth, the plants (but
haven’t caused them to grow yet because there was no man to till the
ground), and also there was this mist that watered the earth.
Nice summary, no problems here. - Genesis 2:7 - God created man (no woman yet) from the dust of the
earth. Hmmm, I smell something fishy here… Where are the
animals??? - Genesis 2:8-9 - God builds the garden of Eden and causes the plants which he already created previously to grow.
- Genesis 2:10-14 - Pretty description of Eden
- Genesis 2:15 - God puts man in Eden
- Genesis 2:16-17 - God instructs man on what to eat and what not to eat
- Genesis 2:18-20 - God notices that it is not good for man to be
alone and so God creates the fowls of the air and the beasts of the
earth apparently as a solution to man’s loneliness. Man names all
the animals (some task for one man ei?) but man didn’t find a suitable
partner. Aha!!! Here are the animals! But weren’t they
supposed to have been created before man? - Genesis
2:21-23 - God causes man (Adam) to fall asleep, took a rib out of him,
and out of the rib, he created woman (Eve) to be man’s partner.
If you have followed me this far then you have most probably already
found the Genesis Anomaly that I was trying to say. But still,
allow me to continue.
In Chapter 1, the fowls were created in Day 5 together with the sea
creatures and the animals were created on Day 6. Then on
the same day (day 6), God also creates man. But in chapter 2, man
came first, then due to his loneliness, he creates the animals to be
man’s companion but since man did not find a suitable partner among the
animals, God decided to create Eve out of Adam’s rib.
How could such inconsistence occur in the first two chapters of the
first book of the world’s best selling book be allowed??? The
bible claims to be the inspired word of God (2 Timothy 3:16), and yet
how could such a great manuscript as believed by many to be God’s word tolerate such an
anomaly as this in Genesis?
I’ve asked several pastors and priests regarding this matter and in general, they’ve answered the following:
Pastors - Genesis 1 and 2 were written simply to state that God created
everything and most especially, that God created man and thus the
details are not that important.
Priests - The bible as a whole is but a theory.
My answer???
To pastors - if Genesis 1 and 2 were written to simply say that God
created everything and especially man and not the details, then why go
in such detail as mentioning the days of creation (Chapter 1), how man
was formed (from the dust of the earth), the reason why the fowls and
the beasts were created (to be man’s companion but were not found suitable), and how
eventually woman came to be (to finally be man’s suitable
partner)??? Isn’t it odd for you pastors to say that Genesis 1
and 2 were not meant to be detailed when in fact the writer wishes to
detail it this much?
To priests - if the whole Bible is but a theory, then God is a theory,
the death and resurrection of Christ a theory, the saints of the bible
a theory, and worst - the hope of salvation for all mankind also a
theory!!! And if all these are theory, then why preach them in
the churches as if they are facts??? What an irony!!!
Now, I do not wish to jump right into conclusions as I myself am still
looking for answers but sad to say have found none so far.
Furthermore, I’ve asked church leaders and they too were not able to
give me any ‘educated’ and ‘respectable’ answers. So what is
Genesis after all??? Or in that case, the entire bible???
Is it just a book that claims which it cannot really claim at all???
Funny ain’t it? That a book that conquered so many, that such a
book by which almost all the law of man is founded - even the
constitution of most nations, that a book by which so much reverence is
attributed have failed to prove its own dignity in its first two
chapters?
Now, what do I say about this? I think the bible is just a book
and in fact I think there are many books that will prove to be better
than it in terms of consistency and truth. On the other hand, I seriously think that the bible will
still be a good book to add to one’s library as a reminder that mankind
was once so blind to believe in it with all his heart.
This is the Genesis Anomaly.
Written by Mike Lopez
e@mikelopez.info
