musings on:
THE HUMAN UNDERSTANDING OF CREATION
at thinkworks.com

Compiled from sources on the internet and the Bible and edited by Dimitris Sivyllis

Memories are the light that shines from everything that has happened to us.
Everything that may yet be is what keeps us thirsty, and going.
Wanting a future, so that we may have a past.
The present is where hopes become memories,
and that is a thin, fleeting line.

Dimitris Sivyllis, September 2006

We have the gift of a consciousness rooted in our ability to contemplate the future, the present, and the past.

We have always looked upon ourselves as different, even separate from the other animals on this planet which we share with them. Our societies and communities are founded on ideals, thoughts, needs, and laws which we regard as right, even righteous.

Ever since the Hellenistic spirit was re-discovered in the fifteenth century, having been preserved for a thousand years by monks in the monasteries of Europe, and ever since the Dark Ages gave way to the light of the Renaissance and the Age of Reason and exploration, a war has raged between faith and science. Human beings have persecuted human beings; imprisoned them, burned them at the stake for daring to suggest that the world may be vaster and have different origins and evolutionary path than the Bible suggests in Genesis.

Apollo 8: Earthrise seen from Lunar orbit, Christmas 1968

Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the Moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968.

That evening, astronauts Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders gave a broadcast, televised live from lunar orbit, in which they showed views of the Earth and Moon as seen from Apollo 8.

Lovell said, "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth."

They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of Genesis.

William Anders:
"For all the people on Earth the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you:
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness."

Jim Lovell:
"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."

Frank Borman:
"And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good."

Borman then added,
"And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth."

Here below you will find the words of Genesis, the first book of Judaism and the first book of the Christian old Testament, illustrated with the works of Michelangelo and Rafael, presented side-by-side with the words of today's science, illustrated with photos from the Apollo missions and from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Most people maintain that these two views differ and exclude each other.

But,

do they?


Science & Genesis still under construction, waiting for text under Science (ed). November 2007
The commentary below Science & Genesis is in final stage of completion. October 2008

SCIENCE A summary of the belief commonly shared among scientists.

GENESIS Common between Judaism, Christianity, and, to a certain extent, Islam. CHAPTER 1 1 (P) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Hubble space telescope: Nebula Hubble space telescope: Spiral galaxy

Raphael: God separates Light from Darkness Michelangelo: God separates Light from Darkness

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

Apollo 11: Earth seen on course to the Moon

Raphael: God separates Land from the Waters

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

The final moments of a total eclipse of the sun by the moon. Partial eclipse of the sun by the moon as it sets over the Pacific.

Raphael: Creation of the Sun and the Moon

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

A blue whale: Whales descend from the only species who made the long journey from the oceans to the land only to later return to the ocean. Artist's rendition: Two amphibians resting at the water's edge. Artist's rendition: American Museum of Natural History mural of the Pleistocene Los Angeles Basin by Robert J. Barber.

Raphael: Creation of the Animals

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

CHAPTER 2

(P) 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

4 (R) These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, (J) in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,

5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Michelangelo: The Creation of Adam

8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.

14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

Raphael: Creation of Eve

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.CHAPTER 3

1 (J) Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Raphael: The Original Sin

7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Artist's rendition: Neandertal life ways Artist's rendition: Neandertal family

Michelangelo: The Fall and Expulsion from Paradise Raphael: Adam and Eve at Work

Question:
If we were to saddle-up on a photon, just before the Big Bang and, as soon as it happened, rode our way to the end of the Universe,
how long would that ride take, for us?
For the answer drag your cursor over the next couple of lines to highlight and reveal black type:

Answer: ZERO time will have elapsed in the experience of a photon rider from the beginning to the end of the universe: time stands still, or rather: it does not exist, at the speed of light (the speed of the photon).



Commentary by Dimitris Sivyllis, April, 2003; revised August 2005.
for Margherita, who gives it purpose.
April 2008

It is interesting to read the book of Genesis side by side with what science proposes. According to science the present universe began in a "big bang" of light out of darkness. Genesis begins creation with the words: "Let there be light". In Genesis we read that "the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life". Science and the theory of evolution proposes that life began in the oceans and from there crawled on to dry land. Science and Genesis seem to describe a similar, if not identical process right down to the minutest chronological detail, with the only exception being that Evolution talks in terms of millions and billions of years while Genesis breaks those fourteen billion years to what it calls six days. Also the exception that, in Genesis, each step is taken as separate to the other (God creates light, separates the waters from the land, creates animals, then creates man), while in science each step is a continuation or consequence of the other. Also, Genesis teaches that Creation was the considered work of an omnipotent entity we know as God, while science suggests the process happened all by itself in a series of interconnected and interdependent steps.

It seems that the History of what has occurred for us to be here today is broken down to two books: The book of things we know, or think we know, which we file under science, and the book of things we do not yet understand, which we metaphor into the teachings of Religion.

During the Renaissance great works were commissioned of Michelangelo and Raphael which were to speak of the Glory of God, displayed on this page with the words from Genesis.

Would it be irreverent to suggest that these works by Michelangelo and Raphael are in fact a glimpse in to the Glory of the human spirit, and that it is in fact the images returned to us from Apollo 8, Apollo 11, and the Hubble Space Telescope that speak of the Glory of God.

Did Jim Lovell, reciting Genesis from the command module of Apollo 8 imply an edge of religion over science? A simpler explanation may serve debate best. After all, as Jesus of Nazareth once said, "give that which belongs to Caesar, to Caesar, and that which belongs to God, to God".

How does each of us define the meaning of the word "God"?

Most would agree that the word "God" describes an infinite power not limited by time or measurable size, a power that is omnipotent and beyond human comprehension.

Most would also agree that the universe is infinite and that nothing exists outside the universe. The universe by definition is everything that is.

An Infinite God contained within an infinite universe would be limited, if only in semantics, by the limits of the universe. This cannot be. God cannot exist within the universe.

If God cannot exist within the universe and if there can be nothing beyond the universe one could propose that God Is the universe?

It would surely appear to be a simplistic idea which would be rejected by scientists and religious folk alike.

What existed in the beginning is very simply and eloquently described by John the Evangelist in John, 1:1. "In the beginning was the Word"

The Evangelist actually wrote the gospel in the Greek language, where the word "Logos" was later translated in the English version as "Word"

In Greek, the word "Logos" can be used to express several meanings: "spoken word", "reason" (as in "reason to be"), and, the English word "logic" comes from the Greek "logos".

Next John writes, in Greek, "and the Logos was [close] to God, and Logos was God. He (referring to Logos in the masculine, not nutral) was in the beginning [close] to God. Everything was done through him [through Logos] (here John uses the word "him" to refer to Logos, as the syntax in Greek implies) and nothing that was done without him [Logos] was done..

Clearly John is instructing the reader to an intimate if not indistinguishable connection between God and Logos. Yet he is taking the pains to say there is Logos, and there is God. Then, John, makes the point that they are indistinguishable from each other if not consequent to each other. Although Logos and God are, according to John, One, he begins his Gospel by introducing the concept of Logos and the person of God, and chooses to mention Logos before he refers to God: "In the beginning was the Word".

Interestingly, dogmatic interpretation of John's writings instruct us that "Logos" (the Word) refers to the Christ, the Son of God. This interpretation uses the translation of the Greek "Logos" to mean "spoken Word" (as spoken by Jesus of Nazareth) but this translation ignores the other meanings of "Logos" in Greek and ignores the consequent implications as to John's intended instruction. Another interesting point we may contemplate is that although that Gospel was written in Greek, Greek was not the writer's first language. The writer searched a language foreign to his own for a word to contain the meaning he was trying to put across. In such research and translation the writer would have been aware of all the possible interpretations of the word "Logos" in Greek. Therefore it seems limiting to assume only one of the possible interpretations when reading the English translation of a Latin translation of a Greek interpretation of the writer's intent.

Religion today instructs us that the creation Genesis refers to is the Earth, and that humankind is descended of Adam and Eve. Two thousand years ago, "creation" was the Mediterranean basin and Mesopotamia. Today we understand "creation" to be the planet Earth. Why must creation be limited to the Earth alone any more than it was limited to the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia two thousand years ago? Can the garden of Eden not be much vaster than originally or presently contemplated? Can the Earth not be a part of all creation as opposed to the creation? God, Logos, the Universe, whoever or whatever we accept as Supreme Being, has created an infinite wonder that is a Cosmos we are only just beginning to contemplate.

The known part of the infinite universe contains billions of galaxies, each containing trillions of stars, most of them nurturing several planets of which the Earth is one. If we were to suggest that we live on the only one planet which supports life, or that we are the most intelligent of the life that may exist, or that we are the only life chosen by God to be the masters of Eden it would seem that the rest of the universe beyond this so-privileged Earth would be an awful waste of space.

Why would it be against religion to suggest that the animals and life which were created are not limited to Mesopotamia, or the Mediterranean, or the Earth, but are to be found everywhere on trillions of planets in this vast, infinite universe from which we sprang... Maybe the descendants of the first beings who tasted the "fruit of knowledge" from the "tree of life" are not only us, humans, but include many, many more... millions more. Such contemplation would add to the glory of the God of Michelangelo, Raphael and John, the God of Jim Lovell, Frank Borman and our own. It would of course reduce greatly the prominence of humans, but we would then find ourselves at a place far more glorious and magnificent than we ever imagined, our potential far more fitting to our creator.

Why would it be blasphemy to suggest that the God Who created us in His likeness is the universe of which we are part, of which we come, and which we have begun to understand? the God who in Genesis 3:22 is quoted to have said: Behold, the man is become as one of Us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.

Ever since human beings stared at the night sky in fear, and wondered what those distant points of light might be, our species has been on a journey of discovery. Our most fundamental questions have been "who are we?", "where are we?" and "why are we?". More often than not these questions have been overshadowed by the need to survive, to find food and shelter, to cure illness. Almost always, the need for comfort and the fear of all that is unknown, were soothed by answers that suggested a father, a brother, a friend, who would shelter us and help us in our times of need. We have given many faces to that father but we have never dared to believe that His face may be our own. The concept that our creator is the universe itself, and that all religions are but bridges, to bridge the gap between ourselves and perfect knowledge spanning the abyss of what it is we do not yet comprehend, is a concept that causes enough fear and misunderstandings as to be considered an attack on what most of the people in this world hold dear.

The circumference of the round earth was accurately measured over one hundred years before Jesus. Atomic theory was proposed 400 years before Jesus. Today we have the tools to look at the earth from space and measure its circumference. Today we can wield the awesome power of the atom. But we are no further now, in taking the steps necessary to reconcile philosophy, religion and the reality of the universe of which we are part, then we were then.

Science and learning were subdued for one thousand years during what we refer to as "The Dark Ages". Today, science and knowledge could have been one thousand years ahead of where we are, had it not been for that period in human affairs. It does seem, at times, that the darkness of that age is still with us, within us, in our hearts and souls for the need for comfort and shelter. Yet, we have always been travelers, adventure seekers, asking questions and inventing answers. Perhaps the light of knowledge and the darkness that comes from the need of comfort do co exist. Perhaps we see full well the staircase that we may ascend but the comfort of the step on which we stand dilutes our resolve to climb further. Once in a while one of us looks up and boldly tries to take that next step. It is a slow process marred by wars, persecution and hatred, distorted by our nightmares, illuminated by our collaborations, fueled by our dreams.

But despite all the fear and denial that such a proposition would cause, wouldn’t it be perfect beauty if we were to believe that the Garden of Eden is the Universe itself and the fruit of knowledge our sustenance in our journey to know God, and meet other travelers like us along the journey.

Is it not, after all, the journey that matters? Is it not true, sometimes, that the journey often turns out to be the destination?

Here is a little exercise in individuality:

You, the reader, needed two parents to be born, who needed two parents each,
so, assuming an average of 33 years between generations:

This is how many grandparents you had at different times in the past:

Or,

This is how many people had to have sex with each other at each period (generation) during times past for you to come to exist today:

Who	Number of People per Generation	Born circa
You	1	2000
Your parents	2	1967
Your parents’ parents	4	1934
Your parents’ parents’ parents	8	1901
Your parents’ parents’ parents’ parents	16	1868
Your parents’ parents’ parents’ parents’ parents	32	1835
Your parents’ parents’ parents’ parents’ parents’ parents	64	1802
Your grandparents’ grandparents’ grandparents’ parents	126	1769
Your grandparents’ grandparents’ grandparents’ grandparents	256	1736
10 generations ago	512	1703
11 generations ago	1024	1670
12 generations ago	2048	1637
William Shakespeare was writing his tragedies and comedies	4096	1604
Around the Taking of Constantinople (17generations)	65,536	1472
Turn of the First Millennium (31 generations)	1,073,741,824	1010
Time of Justinian (48 generations)	17,592,186,044,416	548
Time of Jesus (61 generations)	1,152,921,504,606,846,976	20
Time of the Great Pyramids (138 generations)	174,224,571,863,520,493,293,247,799,005,065,324,265,472	2500 BC
And so on, and so forth		4M BC

Around the times of the American and French revolutions there were about 126 people getting married so they could have you as their great, great, great, great, descendant.

And,
7,500 years ago, that number was:
101851798816723 and 76 zeros worth of great-great-great-great-etc-grandparents

These numbers are a necessary mathematical fact for you to come to be today, by two parents, four grandparents, etc., but, on the other hand, these numbers are clearly impossible: There have never lived enough human beings to provide for the trillions needed for a single generation level of the distant past.

Most of us talk of our grandparents, but how many of us realize that in our great, great, grandparents generation we have eight great grandfathers and eight great grandmothers.

In the generation before that, there were thirty two people marrying each other for us to be here today. Two generations before that there were one hundred and twenty eight people. Go far enough back in time and each of us needs billions more grandparents in each generation than all the people who ever lived on this earth. How is it possible? Mathematics do not lie, yet it is impossible for so many people to have existed.

We should allow of course for marriages between people of different ages, which will make the persons within each generation level live at increasingly different years, and eras, the further back we go.

We should also allow for all of us, six billion people on the earth, each of us with our own line of generations, to be related. We MUST all share common ancestors. We MUST all be related much more closely than we think. Because, there is six billion of us, and only about ten billion who ever walked the planet.

Maybe, calling each other brothers and sisters is much closer to reality than we thought.

By the way, there will be about ten billion of us pretty soon, and many, many more soon after that. Interesting to contemplate how we will co-exist and how the earth will support us.

The teachings of our history suggest three possible solutions to overpopulation:

1) War,

2) Devastating epidemic or plague,

3) Colonization of virgin lands
(in today’s circumstances that could only mean other planets and star systems).

We should probably not kill-off more than half of us every 50 years.
On the other hand no significant scientific or technological advances have ever occurred without some major war (or need for overpriced medicine) to motivate the financiers of such endeavors, and no society that gave priority to healthcare and education ever was guilty of the aphorism implied in this sentence.

We may want to think a bit about this one.

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