Playing God's advocate...

[Skeptical Greg]

Because you are obviously not listening to Him ;-).

Not a good answer.

I don't hear anything.
Surely the creator of the universe could make any part of it's creation, aware of it's existance, without the assistance of an advocate.

 

[Jellby]

What makes you think we aren't (virtual-type things), to get a little metaphysical here ;-)?

I don't know if we're "real" or not, but I know very well my suffering and pain (when I have them) is very real. God, being "omnipotent", could have created some other kind of illusion good for himself but with no feelings otherwise. I believe he's just an incompetent

 

[Yahweh]

I want to play God's Advocate... just for fun...

Following on from what Yahweh said, how do you plan on defending the obvious nonsense in the Genesis creation story?

1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

The firmament is obviously something that has been created to separate some waters above from some waters below. Where is this firmament? Why are there no waters above?

What does it mean to say above or below in space?

The whole "separation of the waters" thing is really linguistically screwy. The way I've always read it, the "waters above"=the sky. The NRSV translates that verse (in part):

"Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."

Given the curved horizon/landscape, the "dome" would probably be the earth, and the "waters above" the sky.

1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

How can there be days when there is no Sun?
How can there be light when there is no Sun?

Days are not literal 24 hour periods of time, but probably more accurated translated as "ages". There were ages before the sun.

And there was light before the sun, I direct you to the verse "And God said let their be light" (which is simple language referring to the Big Bang).

1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years
1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

How and why have the Sun and Moon been placed above the Earth? And in this physical firmament which we know isn't actually there?[/b]

It's not just one interpretation you know