Genesis 6

Genesis Chapter 6

¹And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

²That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they [were] fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

And we come across polygamy. 

Why is it that the sons are of God and the daughters are merely of men?  God really plays favorites in the bible.  How do modern women deal with these constant reminders of God's patriarchal preferences? 
 

³And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also [is] flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Why cut back from 900?

⁴There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown.

Some Christians will argue that the word "giants" is not used in the manner that we would use it now.  I quick search though has shown that there are Christians that do in fact take it to mean physical giants.

⁵And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.

⁶And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

⁷And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

God regrets his creation and resolves to destroy it.  This doesn't seem to point in the direction of omniscience.  

⁸But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

⁹These [are] the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his generations, [and] Noah walked with God.

I am talking the "walked with God" as metaphorical for following God.  I do wonder whether evangelicals decipher it in this way or if they think of it as a physical constitutional. 

¹⁰And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹¹The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

¹²And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

¹³And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

¹⁴Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

¹⁵And this [is the fashion] which thou shalt make it [of]: The length of the ark [shall be] three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

¹⁶A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; [with] lower, second, and third [stories] shalt thou make it.

Pretty specific building instructions.  Why doesn't God present him with the ark?  Why force him to build it.  He shows Noah his preference and warns him, why not help him a little more?  

¹⁷And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein [is] the breath of life, from under heaven; [and] every thing that [is] in the earth shall die.

¹⁸But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.

¹⁹And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every [sort] shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep [them] alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

²⁰Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every [sort] shall come unto thee, to keep [them] alive.

So basically everything is going to be inbred again.  Why is God going through all this trouble?  If he wants to destroy creation and try again, why not just smite everything and be done with it.  If he regrets the violence being done by things of flesh, shouldn't he start over and do a better job?

²¹And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather [it] to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

²²Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

I was hoping that there would be some kind of timeline here to see test out the ages from the last chapter of Genesis.  Perhaps next time.

LA Lawmakers = Ridiculous

This is ridiculous and probably unconstitutional.

Koran, The Cow Part 2

And we continue with the first chapter of the Koran.

[2.28] How do you deny Allah and you were dead and He gave you life? Again He will cause you to die and again bring you to life, then you shall be brought back to Him.

The question here appears to be, how can we deny Allah when he is the creator?  Somehow, disbelievers will be made into believers once Allah causes them to die and then brings them back to life.  Since Allah created the disbelievers in the first place, this seems a bit much.  Wouldn't it have been more efficient for him to just create everyone as a believer instead of going through all this trouble?
 

[2.29] He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth, and He directed Himself to the heaven, so He made them complete seven heavens, and He knows all things.

According to Islam there are several heavens: 

1.Firdaus (the highest)

2.‘Adn

3.Na’iim

4.Na’wa

5.Darussalaam

6.Daarul Muaqaamah

7.Al-Muqqamul Amin

8.Khuldi (the lowest)
 

[2.30] And when your Lord said to the angels, I am going to place in the earth a khalif, they said: What! wilt Thou place in it such as shall make mischief in it and shed blood, and we celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy holiness? He said: Surely I know what you do not know.

A Khalif in Islam is like a priest for Catholicism, they are Allah's representative on Earth.  Also spelled caliph.  I find this verse confusing.  Are the angels afraid for the Khalif?  
 

[2.31] And He taught Adam all the names, then presented them to the angels; then He said: Tell me the names of those if you are right.

[2.32] They said: Glory be to Thee! we have no knowledge but that which Thou hast taught us; surely Thou art the Knowing, the Wise.

[2.33] He said: O Adam! inform them of their names. Then when he had informed them of their names, He said: Did I not say to you that I surely know what is ghaib in the heavens and the earth and (that) I know what you manifest and what you hide?

Who are the angels?  Why do they not know their own names?  The Koran is not linear in its timeline, so perhaps these questions will be answered later.  Ghaib means what is unseen and unknown.  Allah, then, is all knowing. 

[2.34] And when We said to the angels: Make obeisance to Adam they did obeisance, but Iblis (did it not). He refused and he was proud, and he was one of the unbelievers.

How can an unbelieving angel exist?
 

[2.35] And We said: O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the garden and eat from it a plenteous (food) wherever you wish and do not approach this tree, for then you will be of the unjust.

[2.36] But the Shaitan made them both fall from it, and caused them to depart from that (state) in which they were; and We said: Get forth, some of you being the enemies of others, and there is for you in the earth an abode and a provision for a time.

Adam and his nameless wife are in a garden where they cannot eat the fruit of a certain tree. The Devil tempts them both and they are expelled from the garden.  Since Islam is an Abrahamic religion, it is to be expected that there will be parallels between the Old Testament and the Koran.  It will be interesting to see at what points they diverge.  

 

[2.37] Then Adam received (some) words from his Lord, so He turned to him mercifully; surely He is Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful.

[2.38] We said: Go forth from this (state) all; so surely there will come to you a guidance from Me, then whoever follows My guidance, no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.

If Allah predetermines who shall believe, does he predetermine Adam's fall?  If that is the case, he would not be merciful.  Also, how is Allah merciful in this situation?  He is expelling Adam from the place where he set him.  Sure, he offers him guidance, but he also could have forgiven him for eating from the tree.
 

[2.39] And (as to) those who disbelieve in and reject My communications, they are the inmates of the fire, in it they shall abide.

I don't believe that the bible actually makes a reference to hell, at least not as it is popularly perceived.  The Koran has already made two references to unbelievers in a hellish inferno.
 

[2.40] O children of Israel! call to mind My favor which I bestowed on you and be faithful to (your) covenant with Me, I will fulfill (My) covenant with you; and of Me, Me alone, should you be afraid.

What is the covenant that Allah made?  Is this something we will learn later because of the lack of linear organization or is the covenant just the promise of heaven?

[2.41] And believe in what I have revealed, verifying that which is with you, and be not the first to deny it, neither take a mean price in exchange for My communications; and Me, Me alone should you fear.

[2.42] And do not mix up the truth with the falsehood, nor hide the truth while you know (it).

[2.43] And keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and bow down with those who bow down.
[2.44] What! do you enjoin men to be good and neglect your own souls while you read the Book; have you then no sense?

Allah's expectations:
1. Believe in me
2. Believe what I say
3. Fear me
4. Don't make stuff up, just spread my work
5. Pray to me
6. Pay your zakat: 2.5% of your yearly wealth
7. Worship with other believers
8. Don't just read, do

[2.45] And seek assistance through patience and prayer, and most surely it is a hard thing except for the humble ones,

[2.46] Who know that they shall meet their Lord and that they shall return to Him.

A reiteration on the need for prayer.  It seems the basic premise is that Allah must be exalted and all must humble themselves before him.  
 

[2.47] O children of Israel! call to mind My favor which I bestowed on you and that I made you excel the nations.

[2.48] And be on your guard against a day when one soul shall not avail another in the least, neither shall intercession on its behalf be accepted, nor shall any compensation be taken from it, nor shall they be helped.

Allah offers a warning to his believers.  I think the warning is a bit unclear.  I know this is probably because I wasn't raised in this tradition.  To me it implies that there will come a time when your soul cannot be helped, that it will be going to its predetermined place and no one can assist it.

Genesis 5

This chapter of Genesis gives us the generations of Adam.  I include it here only because it gives information on the longevity of the first characters.

Genesis Chapter 5

¹This [is] the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

²Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

So Eve was technically called by Adam's name?  I imagine this is part of the whole "dominion" thing.  

³And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

⁴And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:

⁵And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

⁶And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:

⁷And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:

⁸And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.

⁹And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:

¹⁰And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:

¹¹And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.

¹²And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:

¹³And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:

¹⁴And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.

¹⁵And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:

¹⁶And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:

¹⁷And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.

¹⁸And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:

¹⁹And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

²⁰And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.

²¹And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:

²²And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

²³And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:

²⁴And Enoch walked with God: and he [was] not; for God took him.

Is walking with God a metaphor for death or was this supposed to be the first ascension into heaven?  A google search shows that we will be hearing more about Enoch and his non-corporeal death in a later  book.

²⁵And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:

²⁶And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:

²⁷And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

²⁸And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:

²⁹And he called his name Noah, saying, This [same] shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

³⁰And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:

³¹And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.

³²And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

In order for Lamech and Methuselah to reach old age the flood would've had to happen when Noah was 600 years old.  Either that, or they would need to be on the Arc.  We'll have to see what the flood story says.

Koran: The Cow, Part 1

This is the first chapter of the Koran.  Check out Wikipedia for information regarding the layout of the Koran.

The Cow

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

[2.1] Alif Lam Mim.

[2.2] This Book, there is no doubt in it, is a guide to those who guard (against evil).

It's always nice when a book tells you what it is, and that it is unquestionable.  Shouldn't this raise some eyebrows already?

[2.3] Those who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them.

[2.4] And who believe in that which has been revealed to you and that which was revealed before you and they are sure of the hereafter.

[2.5] These are on a right course from their Lord and these it is that shall be successful.

A true believer must:

1. Believe without evidence

2. Deal with the hand they were dealt

3. Believe what this book says 

[2.6] Surely those who disbelieve, it being alike to them whether you warn them, or do not warn them, will not believe.

[2.7] Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing and there is a covering over their eyes, and there is a great punishment for them.

I think that the manner in which the Koran addresses unbelievers may be unique.  To have it written by Mohammad that unbelievers will be unbelievers and that Allah not only made it so, but will punish them for it.  Predetermination much?

[2.8] And there are some people who say: We believe in Allah and the last day; and they are not at all believers.

[2.9] They desire to deceive Allah and those who believe, and they deceive only themselves and they do not perceive.

[2.10] There is a disease in their hearts, so Allah added to their disease and they shall have a painful chastisement because they lied.

Pascal's wager will not help you in the eyes of Allah.  He will know whether you faked it or not.

[2.11] And when it is said to them, Do not make mischief in the land, they say: We are but peace-makers.

[2.12] Now surely they themselves are the mischief makers, but they do not perceive.

I am confused by these two lines.  Do they refer to the fakers?  Regardless, it is interesting that the perceived reality of those who say they are peace-makers is being questioned.  I feel like this opens the door for believers to label others as they see fit for their faith.

[2.13] And when it is said to them: Believe as the people believe they say: Shall we believe as the fools believe? Now surely they themselves are the fools, but they do not know.

So we are talking of the fakers. 

[2.14] And when they meet those who believe, they say: We believe; and when they are alone with their Shaitans, they say: Surely we are with you, we were only mocking.

[2.15] Allah shall pay them back their mockery, and He leaves them alone in their inordinacy, blindly wandering on.

[2.16] These are they who buy error for the right direction, so their bargain shall bring no gain, nor are they the followers of the right direction.

Allah warns: playing both sides gets you nothing in the end.

[2.17] Their parable is like the parable of one who kindled a fire but when it had illumined all around him, Allah took away their light, and left them in utter darkness-- they do not see.

[2.18] Deaf, dumb (and) blind, so they will not turn back.

Is this parable elsewhere? It seems to be lacking in substance.  Why would Allah take the light?  Unless, of course, it is reason that illumined around our fire-starter.  Reason is dangerous and anathema to religion.

[2.19] Or like abundant rain from the cloud in which is utter darkness and thunder and lightning; they put their fingers into their ears because of the thunder peal, for fear of death, and Allah encompasses the unbelievers.

[2.20] The lightning almost takes away their sight; whenever it shines on them they walk in it, and when it becomes dark to them they stand still; and if Allah had pleased He would certainly have taken away their hearing and their sight; surely Allah has power over all things.

If it was Allah that made certain people disbelievers, or keeps disbelievers as disbelievers, why go on about what he can do to them? 
 

[2.21] O men! serve your Lord Who created you and those before you so that you may guard (against evil).

[2.22] Who made the earth a resting place for you and the heaven a canopy and (Who) sends down rain from the cloud then brings forth with it subsistence for you of the fruits; therefore do not set up rivals to Allah while you know.

Do not have any other gods, other than Allah!  That sounds familiar.  Here we learn that:
1. Allah created man
2. By serving Allah you guard against evil
3. Allah made the Earth and Sky
4. Allah sends rain for the tillers
5. Because of all these things, Allah asks we have no other gods
 

[2.23] And if you are in doubt as to that which We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a chapter like it and call on your witnesses besides Allah if you are truthful.

And if you don't believe us, go write your own religious text. What an interesting injunction.
 

[2.24] But if you do (it) not and never shall you do (it), then be on your guard against the fire of which men and stones are the fuel; it is prepared for the unbelievers.

So if disbelievers don't "produce a chapter" you go to hell?  

[2.25] And convey good news to those who believe and do good deeds, that they shall have gardens in which rivers flow; whenever they shall be given a portion of the fruit thereof, they shall say: This is what was given to us before; and they shall be given the like of it, and they shall have pure mates in them, and in them, they shall abide.

Believers will be rewarded, as always, by promises.  

[2.26] Surely Allah is not ashamed to set forth any parable-- (that of) a gnat or any thing above that; then as for those who believe, they know that it is the truth from their Lord, and as for those who disbelieve, they say: What is it that Allah means by this parable: He causes many to err by it and many He leads aright by it! but He does not cause to err by it (any) except the transgressors,

[2.27] Who break the covenant of Allah after its confirmation and cut asunder what Allah has ordered to be joined, and make mischief in the land; these it is that are the losers.

A believer does not question Allah, but just knows what he says is true.  Are we to be surprised that he calls for blind faith?  Disbelievers on the other hand see Allah as casing "many to err by it."  But, Allah's disciples tell us, it is only those that don't follow his command that "are the losers;" they are the ones in error.

*The Cow will be in multiple parts as it is over 280 verses.  Coming soon: creation! 

On the Koran

A few notes on the Koran and Islam:

• The Koran was supposedly given to Mohammad through revelation by the archangel Gabriel.
• The Koran does not replace the bible, but supposedly corrects misconceptions due to translation error and errors of the original telling.   Because of this, certain tales are not fleshed out since it is expected that believers would know who certain characters are.
• Islam is an Abrahamic religion, just as Judaism and Christianity are.
• The Koran is not presented chronologically, it is ordered by length of the chapters.  The longest chapters are first.  
• A chapter of the Koran is called a surah, verses are ayah.
• Jesus is a prophet of Islam.
• The Koran is supposedly the only holy book that mentions that women and men are equal.  However, it still maintains that men should have dominion over women in certain matters (ex: financially). 

Just wanted to share a few things about Islam as I work my way through the Koran.  I am by no means an expert on the subject and am reading the Koran for the first time.  I am also reading the Blackwell Companion to the Qur'an, so hopefully that will lend some balance to my first impressions. 

Genesis 4

The story gets more gripping with the first murder!

Genesis Chapter 4

¹And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

²And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

³And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

⁴And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

⁵But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Why is it that God was unsatisfied with Cain's offering?  I know I have heard it preached that Cain did not offer God the best of his harvest, however that is not stated.  Is it supposed that since God had no respect for Cain's offering there must have been something wrong with it? If that was the case, why not tell Cain that?  "Seriously Cain, you need to offer up something better." 

⁶And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

Shouldn't God know the answer to this question? 

⁷If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

I had a teacher in grad school that did not inform her students of her expectations for homework.  This verse reminds me of that.  What is meant by "well?"  God is obviously setting the standard, but what is it? 

⁸And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

That must have been some talk.  So from the past few verses we are supposed to gather that Cain was jealous of Abel because Abel was favored by God.  Cain then killed his brother because of some dispute or the jealousy.  A google search indicates that there is more to this story in later books, so we will just have to wait on the edge of our seats!

⁹And the LORD said unto Cain, Where [is] Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: [Am] I my brother's keeper?

¹⁰And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

¹¹And now [art] thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

¹²When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

God's second judgment.  In his first, he cast mankind out of paradise.  For his second act, he took away Cain's livelihood.  Is he merciful for letting him live?

¹³And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment [is] greater than I can bear.

¹⁴Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, [that] every one that findeth me shall slay me.

¹⁵And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

Why spare Cain?  I feel like this must be some kind of moral lesson, but I don't understand what it would be.  Perhaps just that Cain should suffer with guilt and remorse for the rest of his days? 

¹⁶And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

¹⁷And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

Where did this wife appear from?  The bible mainly details the male lineage, so are we to assume that Cain's wife is his sister?  Or has God been out creating other humans?  Apologists let it be known that OF COURSE Cain was related to his wife in some way, whether it be a sister or niece.  This same page has an excerpt from the Scopes Monkey Trial which I found funny.

Q—Did you ever discover where Cain got his wife?

A—No, sir; I leave the agnostics to hunt for her.

Q—You have never found out?

A—I have never tried to find.

Q—You have never tried to find?

A—No.

Q—The Bible says he got one doesn’t it? Were there other people on the earth at that time?

A—I cannot say.

Q—You cannot say. Did that ever enter your consideration?

A—Never bothered me.

Q—There were no others recorded, but Cain got a wife.

A—That is what the Bible says.

Q—Where she came from you do not know.

¹⁸And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.

¹⁹And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one [was] Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

²⁰And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and [of such as have] cattle.

²¹And his brother's name [was] Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.

²²And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain [was] Naamah.

²³And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.

²⁴If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

This is the genealogy for Cain.  His great-great-great grandson Lamech was the first polygamist.  And also a murderer. 

²⁵And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare (sic) a son, and called his name Seth: For God, [said she], hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

²⁶And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

  

4:26 supposedly tells of the beginning of worship.