Don

Cheryl,

There can be logic to poetry, but it does not need to be strict, it can be allusional. I see the less order/more order as allusion/metaphor inside each creation day, it does not need to cross days.

In Gen 1:4-5 God does not call night good, while daytime is called good.

I never even thought the creation days are a mishmash, I see the order as forming a structure as I mentioned. I see the order differently that you do, but that does not make mine a mishmash. Also, the 7th day is called holy, so there needed to be six before it for this to make sense.

I do not think God inspires nonsense, however we are to use our heads when something might appear to be nonsense at first to us.

I see each of the 3 origins stories at first as standalone by themselves. One can put 1 and 3 together fairly easily. But story 2 is a challenge to integrate with the others and faithful people can do it differently. But first one needs to read each pericope on its own.

Given that I do not see Gen 1 as requiring synchronization in universe time, there is no time problem to address in Gen 2. So yes, in Gen 2 the man knows more than the woman and bears more responsibility; not because he is a man, but because he knows more.