Cheryl Schatz

Don,

I probably won’t have much more time tonight to respond so I do want to get in an answer to you before I finish other import things on my agenda.

Part of the challenge is that translations and commentary use the term man in 2 senses, inclusive for humans and exclusive for males.

I think the big part of my argument is that God said he created male and female. This is the original creation and gendered “male” means male sexual organs. I don’t see any place in the scripture where it says that God created a couple of male additions to Adam after Eve was created.

Also it seems meaningless for Adam to look at the male and female animals in order to find a mate. What would he need a mate for if he was neither male or female? Which animal would he related himself to – the males or the females? When Eve was created, I don’t think he had to look her over too much to know that she was the opposite gender than he was. I don’t think he woke up from his surgery and had to inspect himself to see what extra things God gave him beyond what he took out.

Gender is a type of human, however if there is no gender, there is just human.

What would make us think there was no gender? When Adam was naming the animals and studying them seeing male and female how could he see that he was missing anything when he couldn’t identify with either male or female? When you match up the “no gender” to each part of the story it appears like a puzzle piece that doesn’t fit. How on earth can one explain that Adam was the only one missing a mate if he wasn’t a male? If he did have male parts, he could see all the other male parts matching up to the female parts and this would cause him to realize he didn’t have a fitting body part. But without the male attachments – it wouldn’t make sense.

I do not say that there was female as a part of Adam before the split, the side was formed into a female after the split.

So Eve became female after the split? Okay. That part makes perfect sense and fits with what I am saying. But when did Adam become male? Which verse tells us this and if he didn’t become male until after Eve was created, then how come God said that they were created male and female. It would make more sense if God say, they evolved into male and female. But then I don’t believe in evolution. Do you?

But there was no concept of a male or female human before the split, it is not that Adam was both sexes, Adam was non-gendered, there being only 1 human.

One is male when they have male body parts even if they don’t recognize that they are male. I don’t understand how you can emasculate Adam just because there wasn’t another human being around for awhile. Either Adam had male parts or he didn’t. If he didn’t have these parts, when did he get them?

The terms male and female are only used after the split, that is my point, and trying to have those terms apply before that is not warranted by Scripture, it simply does not say that.

Then you will have to explain why God said that he created them male and female. If it wasn’t at the creation then why didn’t God tell us the truth about when Adam became male? Is it okay if I am just a simple person and believe God for what he said?

One might think that if one thinks all creation is instantaneous, but that is not true, some things are said in the Bible to be created by God but the creation takes place over time.

I don’t think that creation is instantaneous although God could have done it that way if he wanted to. I believe that God took 6 days to complete creation, because I am just a simple person who accepts the text the way it is written. If I had to read into the text and figure out what God actually meant when he said something completely opposite of what he meant, I would go stir crazy because I am not smart enough to know what God meant if he didn’t say it in the text.