Reading 1

Gn 1:1—2:2 or 1:1, 26-31a

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,

the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,

while a mighty wind swept over the waters.

Then God said,

“Let there be light,” and there was light.

God saw how good the light was.

God then separated the light from the darkness.

God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”

Thus evening came, and morning followed—the first day.

Then God said,

“Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,

to separate one body of water from the other.”

And so it happened:

God made the dome,

and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.

God called the dome “the sky.”

Evening came, and morning followed—the second day.

Then God said,

“Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,

so that the dry land may appear.”

And so it happened:

the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,

and the dry land appeared.

God called the dry land “the earth, “

and the basin of the water he called “the sea.”

God saw how good it was.

Then God said,

“Let the earth bring forth vegetation:

every kind of plant that bears seed

and every kind of fruit tree on earth

that bears fruit with its seed in it.”

And so it happened:

the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed

and every kind of fruit tree on earth

that bears fruit with its seed in it.

God saw how good it was.

Evening came, and morning followed—the third day.

Then God said:

“Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,

to separate day from night.

Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years,

and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky,

to shed light upon the earth.”

And so it happened:

God made the two great lights,

the greater one to govern the day,

and the lesser one to govern the night;

and he made the stars.

God set them in the dome of the sky,

to shed light upon the earth,

to govern the day and the night,

and to separate the light from the darkness.

God saw how good it was.

Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.

Then God said,

“Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,

and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.”

And so it happened:

God created the great sea monsters

and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,

and all kinds of winged birds.

God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,

“Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;

and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

Evening came, and morning followed—the fifth day.

Then God said,

“Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures:

cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds.”

And so it happened:

God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle,

and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.

God saw how good it was.

Then God said:

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,

the birds of the air, and the cattle,

and over all the wild animals

and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.”

God created man in his image;

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying:

“Be fertile and multiply;

fill the earth and subdue it.

Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,

and all the living things that move on the earth.”

God also said:

“See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth

and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;

and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,

and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,

I give all the green plants for food.”

And so it happened.

God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.

Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.

Since on the seventh day God was finished

with the work he had been doing,

God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.

Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,

the birds of the air, and the cattle,

and over all the wild animals

and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.”

God created man in his image;

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying:

“Be fertile and multiply;

fill the earth and subdue it.

Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,

and all the living things that move on the earth.”

God also said:

“See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth

and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;

and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,

and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,

I give all the green plants for food.”

And so it happened.

God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good.

Ps 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 13-14, 24, 35 Responsorial PsalmR. (30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!

You are clothed with majesty and glory,

robed in light as with a cloak.

R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

You fixed the earth upon its foundation,

not to be moved forever;

with the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;

above the mountains the waters stood.

R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

You send forth springs into the watercourses

that wind among the mountains.

Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;

from among the branches they send forth their song.

R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

You water the mountains from your palace;

the earth is replete with the fruit of your works.

You raise grass for the cattle,

and vegetation for man’s use,

Producing bread from the earth.

R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

How manifold are your works, O LORD!

In wisdom you have wrought them all—the earth is full of your creatures.

Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.

R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

or

Ps 33:4-5, 6-7, 12-13, 20 and 22

R. (5b) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Upright is the word of the LORD,

and all his works are trustworthy.

He loves justice and right;

of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made;

by the breath of his mouth all their host.

He gathers the waters of the sea as in a flask;

in cellars he confines the deep.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.

From heaven the LORD looks down;

he sees all mankind.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Our soul waits for the LORD,

who is our help and our shield.

May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us

who have put our hope in you.

He called to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am, “ he replied.

Then God said:

“Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,

and go to the land of Moriah.

There you shall offer him up as a holocaust

on a height that I will point out to you.”

Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,

took with him his son Isaac and two of his servants as well,

and with the wood that he had cut for the holocaust,

set out for the place of which God had told him.

On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.

Then he said to his servants:

“Both of you stay here with the donkey,

while the boy and I go on over yonder.

We will worship and then come back to you.”

Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the holocaust

and laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders,

while he himself carried the fire and the knife.

As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham:

“Father!” Isaac said.

“Yes, son, “ he replied.

Isaac continued, “Here are the fire and the wood,

but where is the sheep for the holocaust?”

“Son,” Abraham answered,

“God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust.”

Then the two continued going forward.

When they came to the place of which God had told him,

Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.

Next he tied up his son Isaac,

and put him on top of the wood on the altar.

Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven,

“Abraham, Abraham!”

“Here I am!” he answered.

“Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger.

“Do not do the least thing to him.

I know now how devoted you are to God,

since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”

As Abraham looked about,

he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.

So he went and took the ram

and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.

Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh;

hence people now say, AOn the mountain the LORD will see.”

Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:

“I swear by myself, declares the LORD,

that because you acted as you did

in not withholding from me your beloved son,

I will bless you abundantly

and make your descendants as countless

as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;

your descendants shall take possession

of the gates of their enemies,

and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessingC

all this because you obeyed my command.”

or

God put Abraham to the test.

He called to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am, “ he replied.

Then God said:

“Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,

and go to the land of Moriah.

There you shall offer him up as a holocaust

on a height that I will point out to you.”

When they came to the place of which God had told him,

Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.

Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven,

“Abraham, Abraham!”

“Here I am, “ he answered.

“Do not lay your hand on the boy, “ said the messenger.

“Do not do the least thing to him.

I know now how devoted you are to God,

since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”

As Abraham looked about,

he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.

So he went and took the ram

and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.

Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:

“I swear by myself, declares the LORD,

that because you acted as you did

in not withholding from me your beloved son,

I will bless you abundantly

and make your descendants as countless

as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;

your descendants shall take possession

of the gates of their enemies,

and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessingC

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,

you it is who hold fast my lot.

I set the LORD ever before me;

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,

my body, too, abides in confidence;

because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,

nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

You will show me the path to life,

fullness of joys in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever.

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Ex 14:15—15:1Reading 3The LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?

Tell the Israelites to go forward.

And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea,

split the sea in two,

that the Israelites may pass through it on dry land.

But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate

that they will go in after them.

Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army,

his chariots and charioteers.

The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD,

when I receive glory through Pharaoh

and his chariots and charioteers.”

The angel of God, who had been leading Israel’s camp,

now moved and went around behind them.

The column of cloud also, leaving the front,

took up its place behind them,

so that it came between the camp of the Egyptians

and that of Israel.

But the cloud now became dark, and thus the night passed

without the rival camps coming any closer together

all night long.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,

and the LORD swept the sea

with a strong east wind throughout the night

and so turned it into dry land.

When the water was thus divided,

the Israelites marched into the midst of the sea on dry land,

with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.

The Egyptians followed in pursuit;

all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and charioteers went after them

right into the midst of the sea.

In the night watch just before dawn

the LORD cast through the column of the fiery cloud

upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic;

and he so clogged their chariot wheels

that they could hardly drive.

With that the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel,

because the LORD was fighting for them against the Egyptians.

Then the LORD told Moses, AStretch out your hand over the sea,

that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians,

upon their chariots and their charioteers.”

So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,

and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth.

The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea,

when the LORD hurled them into its midst.

As the water flowed back,

it covered the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh’s whole army

which had followed the Israelites into the sea.

Not a single one of them escaped.

But the Israelites had marched on dry land

through the midst of the sea,

with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.

Thus the LORD saved Israel on that day

from the power of the Egyptians.

When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore

and beheld the great power that the LORD

had shown against the Egyptians,

they feared the LORD and believed in him and in his servant Moses.

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:

I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;

Presuppositions are not testable, not proveable. How could a Muslim be a Muslim unless he presupposes Allah and the Koran? How could a materialist be a materialist unless he presupposes, as Carl Sagan did, that "the Cosmos is all there is, all there ever was, and all there ever will be"?

So, yes, I presuppose the truth of the Bible as God's revelation. I have no higher standard by which I may judge it. I cannot appeal to any authority higher than God.

If you believe your own reasoning is not directed by high axioms which you cannot test, then I suggest you re-examine it.

<You Rang> May I ask, what is the source of your anger toward Christianity? I'm not trying to be flip--I really want to know. I give you credit for working hard to be civil, but the anger keeps on peeking through your discourse.

Just a remark on <cormier's> extremely loooong citations: I think it is in bad taste and takes away from the clarity and effort that are being put in the current ongoing discussion.

You mean literally or metaphorically?

<cormier><I hope you will consider your posting style.>

I should have used a "smiley" this time ;)

the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus

took the spices they had prepared

and went to the tomb.

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;

but when they entered,

they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were puzzling over this, behold,

two men in dazzling garments appeared to them.

They said to them,

“Why do you seek the living one among the dead?

He is not here, but he has been raised.

Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee,

that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners

and be crucified, and rise on the third day.”

And they remembered his words.

Then they returned from the tomb

and announced all these things to the eleven

and to all the others.

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb,

Apparently they are entitled to Hell too. That is the Christian way of reconciling a difference in beliefs - threaten others with eternal punishment. What they fail to realize is that this this is an empty threat for those who are aware that Hell is a man-made construct.

This quote is taken out of context and does not represent Sagan's religious views. He never assumed that we know about everything. Just that everything that is knowable is in the Cosmos.

Sagan was first and foremost a scientist - "Some people think God is an outsized, light-skinned male with a long white beard, sitting on a throne somewhere up there in the sky, busily tallying the fall of every sparrow. Others—for example Baruch Spinoza and Albert Einstein—considered God to be essentially the sum total of the physical laws which describe the universe. I do not know of any compelling evidence for anthropomorphic patriarchs controlling human destiny from some hidden celestial vantage point, but it would be madness to deny the existence of physical laws."

Sagan was agnostic. "An atheist has to know a lot more than I know."

What presuppositions do you feel all secularists are guilty of?

<If you believe your own reasoning is not directed by high axioms which you cannot test, then I suggest you re-examine it.>

Why on earth would you think that I'm angry toward Christianity? :-0

I suspect that you and <OhioChessFan> would agree with me that lots of stupid stuff is done in the name of Christianity. Such stupid stuff is damaging to the reputation of Christianity, and by inference, to Christ and to the Bible. Would you not therefore argue against such stupid stuff?

If you read through my posts here, you might notice that my motivation is to argue against the "stupid stuff" called "Christians attacking Science".

That stupid battle has been going on for centuries, and for centuries it has been a embarrassing blight on the worthy cause of Christianity. That battle is largely due to ignorance on the part of Christians about the purpose and meaning of science. It would be bad enough if ignorance were the only reason, but I think there are deeper reasons:

- Pride: I think this is the reason (some) Christians insist that *their* interpretation of Genesis is perfect. It also explains why they refuse to be humbled by the the fact that their past positions against science were dead wrong.

- Prejudice: Christians fail to show due respect to non-christians, while failing to be properly discerning toward "fellow" believers. Christians tend to think that they must be right because God is on "their side". And yet, doesn't the OT show that God will use unbelievers to humble His people? Christians seem to think that the greatest threat to Christianity comes from outside, although the Bible teaches that the real threat is within.

- Obstinance: Christians keep rolling out the same stale creationist arguments over and over, even though scientists have refuted them by valid scientific reasoning over and over. However, those arguments do slowly die off (I notice that Answers in Genesis has a section called "Creation arguments to not use anymore"). Eventually, these arguments will collapse completely, as they did with geocentrism. Christianity will finally admit that their interpretations were wrong, but not before suffering heavy losses of credibility.

Unfortunately, these faults are evident to practically everyone except Christians. I think the Bible teaches that Christians should be "known for their love", and for the "fruits of the spirit", such as joy, self-control, peace, patience, and kindness. How could they go so far astray?

As you mention the "fruits of the spirit" - we can safely assume that judging a tree by the fruit it produces still holds very true, and staying "close to the narrow path" has not only proven very difficult, but most of the clergy chose to keep the sheep they tended to in ignorance on a wide variety of most crucial teachings and principles, and prophecies.

I think the "why" and "how" <could they go sofar astray> was answered and illustrated very well by JC on numerous occasions.

So I, and many others possibly, share parts of your frustration, which you voiced very clearly and balanced imo.

There obviously, thankfully, was a reason to invoke the seemingly complex construction as described in rev. 20:1-8 etc.

<Boomie: This quote is taken out of context and does not represent Sagan's religious views. >