I picked up India: A History the other day, a book I read while in India to learn a bit about my surroundings. It's a SUPER long and detailed book, about how we know things about India's ancient history from Vedic myths and engravings of rulers on coins. It reminded me about how much I loved Human Origins, an anthropology class about how humans came to be from apes (yes, that is supposed to be inflammatory). I got super excited back then about how humans developed, where the Garden of Eden was, what the "Image of God" was, how humans moved throughout the world, etc.
I then picked up my Basics of Physical Anthropology book and my Africa: A Biography. I've always thought it would be great to learn, not just from the intricacies of history, but the broad strokes and larger stories. How does it all relate to theology? What do we, as 21st century people have to learn from the story of australopithicus, the Bantu migration, the rise and fall of the Maya and many other stories?
So, here are some REALLY basic cool insights and possible things to look into. Thoughts?
-Pangaea, the idea that there was a super continent, then it split apart fits into the idea that when God created oceans it was to split apart the land masses.
-Some 'scholars' have decided that the earth is 6000 years old. Others have decided it is 6 billion years old. Usually the former think that evolution is in the face of God and the later think evolution is truth and God doesn't exist. In reading the beginning of Africa: A Biography it explains the evolution of life, dinosaurs and such before people. The way it went from vegetation to water animals to dinosaurs to mammals works with Genesis. This isn't 'new' to me, but hit me in a new way. Maybe God is that cool...
-Dinosaurs were REALLY big and dominant and the first mammals, who would 'win' the evolution game, were really small - teeth about 1mm in length. Maybe large cultures that try and dominate don't work?
There are very basic thoughts without much sophistication. Hopefully more will come. If you're on Facebook, please go to jesusandlife.blogspot.com to comment!
Peace,
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1 comment:
Interesting insights.
I really have no opinion on the evolution thing, and no problem believing in an old earth.
I do remember Jerry Root talking about new earth, but that God could easily have made the evidence of an aged earth (some analogy about wine barrels if I recall). Don't know if that was his unique theory or anything.
Don't know why that's relevant, just thought I'd mention it
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