Cheryl Schatz

Don,
You said:

all I wished was affirmation that faithful people can interpret these passages differently and that remains my wish.

It comes to mind that I may not have affirmed you as a person lately. If so, please forgive me. I affirm you as a brother in Christ. I do not say that a person who believes as you do is not a brother. It is not a salvation issue.

At the same time, it seems like you are really wanting me to affirm that what you believe about Genesis 1-3 is a valid interpretation. This I cannot do. The reason, I had hoped you would see, is that I cannot get a handle on what you believe. I cannot figure out what parts you believe are literal and what parts you believe are “poetic” and therefore a story, or myth or hymn, etc. You have not given me any solid explanation for the “story” (that isn’t literal) or which verses in the Bible explains your interpretation of the “hymn, fictitious tale, etc”. I have absolutely nothing to work with that would allow me to give your view my affirmative nod as something that is indeed valid. However once again, this does not mean that I hold you at arm’s length as if you are not a brother in Christ. Until there is something more to grasp at than subjective poetry that cannot be explained so that someone else can understand your view, intellectually or morally grasp it and then affirm it as a possibility, I cannot grant you what you are looking for. This is how I want to be treated – as a sister in Christ who has a view that is worthy of asking questions about, digging into to separate truth from error and giving valid and biblical feedback. I think this is how we should treat all of the foundational views of Christianity. Genesis is the lowest point of the foundation as it gives us the literal reason for the creation of man, the cause of sin, the struggle between men and women and the promise of the Savior who fulfills all that God originally gave to us in the Garden of Eden which will be fulfilled at the end of the ages which is shown to us in the book of Revelation.