Why Do Humanists Reject The Bible?

Answers to contradictions and questions raised by humanists.

The BOOK of GENESIS

HUMANIST QUESTION: Genesis chapter 1 says the first man and woman were made at the same time, and after the animals. But Genesis chapter 2 gives a different order of creation: man, then the animals, and then woman.

Humanists love to take parts of scripture, read into them what-ever meaning they desire, and then claim there are contradictions. There is little or no effort to understand the context nor what scrip-ture is actually saying. Words are important, and word choice in scripture is important... even in our English translations.

Background: There are three creation accounts in Genesis chapters one and two.

The first, Genesis 1:1 provides a broad overview. It is a summary of what God did. In many respects, it is like a title for this section of scripture:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1

Hebrew does not have a word for “universe.” The phrase "the heavens and the earth" is a way of saying everything in the universe. In these ten words, God is saying that He created everything. Other verses in the Bible, such as Colossians 1:16, confirm this:

For by Him [Jesus - God] all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities [or humanists]; all things were created by Him and for Him. - Colossians 1:16

Genesis 1:2 through 2:3 narrows the focus, describing the crea-tion week from the viewpoint of someone on the earth. It starts with the earth being formless and void, and moves through each of the six days of creation. As Genesis 1:1 and Colossians 1:16 make clear God created everything, even those things that are not visible to us, such as seraphim and cherubim (angels). However, Genesis 1:2 through 2:3 just describes things that are visible, providing an over-view of the creation week.

Genesis 2:4 through 2:24 narrows view further. These verses include a brief summary of creation, but their focus is on day six of creation and the details of mankind's first day.

So, does Genesis 2 give a different order of creation than Gene-sis chapter 1 as the humanists claim? No. Here is a verse-by-verse description of what Genesis 2:4 through 2:7 is describing:

Summary of Genesis 2:4-2:7

2:4-5 - An introduction to creation that gives a broad summary in verse four, with verse five giving some details that are related to mankind.

2:6 - This verse, as part of the introductory summary, provides important information describing how the earth was watered, and thus how life would be sustained.

2:7 - We are now in day six, and a detailed description of what God did when He created man.

The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. - Genesis 2:7

God did not need to use dust to make man, but by creating man this way, He gives us a picture of a loving master artisan shaping a work of art to which He gives life. This also establishes mankind’s direct relationship to the earth, in the sense of this being the place where we belong.

The humanist’s accusation states that chapter two describes God as creating the animals after man. I assume this is a reference to Genesis 2:18-19

TThen the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. - Genesis 2:18-19

What they do not understand is that this is not the original creation of the animals and birds. What is the subject of these verses? That it is not good for man to be alone. So what is God doing? He is showing Adam all of the animals and birds so he can name them AND find out if any of them are a suitable helper.

In chapter one scripture states that birds were created on day five, and the beasts of the earth (field) were created before Adam on day six. In Genesis 2:18-19 Adam was just created. God wants Ad-am to see all of the animals, name them, and determine if any are a suitable helper. What is the best way to do this and do it quickly? God forms them out of the ground at Adam’s physical location. There is nothing wrong with doing that. It does not contradict Gen-esis 1. This is not a second creation.

God shows Adam the various kinds of birds and animals, but no suitable helper was found. So God makes Eve (Genesis 2:21-22). This is still day six of creation. God created them male and female, and He did it all on day six of creation. No contradiction.

More detailed information from Creation Ministries International and the Institute for Creation Research.

Next question...

Genesis chapter 1 lists six days of creation, whereas chapter 2 refers to the “day" that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.”

I could answer this simply by saying, “Yes, that’s what it says. What’s the problem?” Then move on. Given the way it is presented, that is a legitimate response. As is common, the humanists do not explain themselves. We will need to make some assumptions. The accusation seems to be that the word “day” always means a 24-hour day. Of course, everyone knows that is not true. The word ‘day” is defined by its context. Let’s go to the next chapter and see if we can figure out what’s going on.

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