Don’t Underestimate Hashem. He is more powerful than rocks.

I have seen enough miracles to believe that we should not limit the power of Gd to work though us.  Does He not animate the entire universe, juggling the planets, and beyond?  I have seen related miracles to believe.

Once while doing carpentry I saw a power sander turn on without being plugged in or having batteries.  It scampered across the floor for seemingly no reason at all and freaked out the guy I was working with.

The same thing happened to me with a light at my apartment.  The light was completely unplugged, with no batteries and it turned on for seemingly no reason at all.

Once during a science experiment, my beaker literally jumped up off the hot plate and smashed into pieces in front of the entire class and to my dismay.

Another friend of mine can witness that almost completely inexplicably a vile start to move without any known stimulation.

These things may be possible to explain, but they aren't unlikely, just as Gd probably won’t pick up a boulder though He may.

I believe in the Exodus while science currently does not.

What if something came to light that said that in fact that the Exodus is true? Wouldn’t you feel terrible for having missed out on the Hashem’s truth? Perhaps, science is making a mistake with the dating methods, as we know them. Reason mandates that we can’t really know from dating things for a few years, that things have held stable over millions of years. Sure that is what scientists think now, but the final chapter in science is yet to be written. We have only been using carbon dating for about 60 years! To base our entire cosmogony of millions and billions of years of formation on 60yrs worth of data, as many scientists tell us to do is too audacious. Who knows? maybe given another hundred years of carbon dating on earth, we may have to come up with some sort of correctional constant, and what is to say that 200yrs from now we won’t come up with yet another correction, and so on.  Perhaps, we should give this radioactive dating thing a million years or more of testing before we bet that the Torah is a lie.

Why Many Scientists Are Atheists

According to my religion, doctors are supposed to act as if there is no Gd when it is time to heal.  This action, suspension of belief for the sake of administering healing, is fundamental to the way modern medicine is currently practiced.  When doctors find suspension of belief in the practice of medicine works, this is often when pride becomes puffed up, such that they take their job disbelief home with them, and IMO miss out on the joys of faith.

Cyanobacteria, Trees, the Sun, and the Day Age Creation Theory

This image is of cyanobacteria.  Cyanobacteria existed, and they still exist as one of the most essential species ever- otherwise known as blue green algae as the seeds (ancestors) of trees before the sun was created.  Like trees cyanobacteria can process sunlight, although unlike trees, they do not need it.  This is because in science a species can acquire a trait without immediate use for it. 

I happen to be a day age theorist with respect to science and with respect to the Bible that the days of creation where not literal 24hr days. I have written on this subject elsewhere, with other conflicts in the Genesis creation account resolved without deviation from what most scientists teach with respect to how the universe and our world came into being.

In the Genesis creation week, I translate the Hebrew word, “Yom,” which is usually used to mean a literal 24 hour day, to mean an age. Though this is not the usual translation of yom, sometimes yom is translated to mean an age in other biblical literature. For example, one Psalm writes that, “A day (yom) of Gd’s time is like 1,000 years of man’s time, or a watch in the night.”

This theory, the day age theory often has criticisms that I resolve. In support of this theory, Cyanobacteria, the cells that evolved to have chloroplasts existed for before the Cretaeous extinction. The Cretacious extinction that blotted out the sun and caused an estimated 95% of species to become extinct is the period.

How can this be? I believe that the Hebrew creation week should rather be translated that seeds of what would evolve as trees, specifically cyanobacteria, where created before the sun came into existence. Thus, this explains why the "trees" did not die for lack of sun. The primitive chloroplasts existed while the sun was blotted out. Thus, I suggest that on age 3 of creation, these cyanobacteria evolved.

As a part of evolution, it has been proven that cells can evolve. Richard Dawkins mentions this in his book, “The Greatest Show On Earth.”

In conclusion, according to the fossil record shows the Genesis creation account to be true. The chronological period, age 3, where in the Bible seeds of trees, cyanobacteria where created - complete with a chloroplast serving no purpose - occur before the creation of the Sun, but not before Day, or Light.

Criticism of Intelligent Design: It is not obvious that Gd is involved in creating us from nothing.

Persons, places, and things could all be creating themselves from nothing.  For example, in the instance of persons, both Hassidic literature, and the biological concept of metabolism teach that we are as flames, as both humans and flames consume oxygen and burn fat.  If we don't eat we can lose weight, and even our bodies may shut down regardless, such that we may perceive ourselves as creating ourselves from nothing via eating and breathing, and that Gd has no say whatsoever in how we are created from nothing.

There is no evidence to support intelligent design.  There is evidence of order, even to the extent that we are all here.  However, that order may have arisen from the turnings of chaos.  That is chaos need not be static, but that from chaos, given enough time, the universe would evolve chaotically to be the way it is from chaos alone.  The Rebbe is said to have stated if we are here on earth, it is because we have a mission to fulfill, such that none should say, "I am without purpose," but this is just a sign of organization which may have arisen as a result of chaos.  That is though it sounds like a very tall tail given enough time, chaos may have given birth to an ordered universe.  The choice is ours.  Do we believe chaos created order, or do we believe Gd created order.  Many scientists believe that the idea of Gd is absurd, and choose to believe that all the order of the universe essentially arose from chaos because scientists usually believe the universe is so old this sort of order could have arisen from it.

I do believe Gd sustains the universe in the same way that Gd may choose to have mercy or Gd may choose to have judgment, such that though Gd is the Giver of the Law it is up to us to uphold it via choices involving justice and mercy, but again the existence of justice and mercy could have evolved from chaos, or they might be the result of Gd.  Much of Torah Law is possible to derive from this universe without the aid of a Deity.  For example, if everyone murdered each other, then there would be no people left, and even other species rarely kill another member of their same species due to an innate desire to protect genes of family members or even cousins, etc.

The hidden nature of Gd is such that we can’t derive his existence is because Gd chooses Himself to be concealed, such that an atheist may learn about the universe, but miss out on faith because of His concealment.  Elokim means that the world is constricted to the point that scientists fail to see the residue of Gd's speech of the 10 divine utterances of which is the kinds of ore that reality consists of. That is that everything in reality is a derivative of the 10 divine utterances.  If it were obvious to everyone that we should have faith in Hashem, then this would not be counted as a good deed, as it would completely obvious and not challenging in our lives.

One reason I believe faith is reasonable is that we find that there are gaps in our understanding that require wisdom, and thus we say that the Ayn Soph permeates nature preventing it from crumbling on its own rigidity in ideas such as the problem of purity and the periodic table, or that in order to get somewhere we need to first travel half of the distance, and that it takes an idea that is beyond complete comprehension, infinity, such that we must infinately travel half the distance in order to actually get where we are going.

At the core of everything, is divine filler, which I would define as or Ayn Soph, which is more difficult to describe than nailing Jello to the wall. Or Ayn Soph is the reason why we can have imperfect logic that really works in the real world.  Clearly, the universe has many properties.  In Judaism, I am able to have knowledge of them in the same way that in science, I am able to say, "Close enough."

On the Age of the Universe: I haven’t a clue as to the age of the universe, but…

We can extrapolate from science that there is a created order.  This is not a world of which miracle chaos has no part, and yet there is a periodic table and various physical equations where we feeble humans can gain grandiose opinions of ourselves, especially if we have an aptitude for such things.

From the perspective of some it is uncertain whether something intelligent created that order (or not), or if that order was created intentionally by an Intelligent Being.

I believe the universe was created by Gd, as it would be odd for humanities obsession to with Gd to be accident, if there was no Gd.  If the universe is indeed ordered, as the scientists say, then naturally worship is part of that order, as what else could it be?

Thus, my opinion: Gd grants grace to scientists like Richard Dawkins despite their atheism, as they still approach their work in the way that is pleasing to Gd, emulating Him voraciously in their discipline they resemble an all consuming fire, giving purpose to an atheist.

Creationist Day-Age Theory Commentary: Genesis 1:1-2:3 – JPS 2004 Study Bible

Original posting Date:  January 2, 2011 at 3:42 pm (edited)

Pre:

“The correlations between things created on the various days exhibit a high degree of symmetry”

“First three” days … “generalities or domains” …

“Next three” days … “specifics”

“FISH/BIRDS (DAY 5)” “SKY (DAY 2)” – Conclusively, fish swim in the sky, which will be explained.

The creation week has seven of Gd’s days, “Seven signifies completeness” – ex. menorah has 7 candles, week has 7 days etc.,

“Was good or very good occurs seven times, but not on every day of the primordial week.  Missing on the second and the seventh it appears twice on the third and sixth days” – Stealing has a ratio of 2:1 or 1:2.  Not everything is good.

“God does function here in ways reminiscent of a Kohen” – Science is a discipline for priests.

Verses referred below are according to JPS 2004 Bible.

1:1 the first word of the translation is, “when.”

1:1 the second word of the translation is, “God.”

This suggests that time and creation existed before G-d created them.

1:2 “Darkness” – A 24 hour day begins with darkness.  The primordial darkness is a black hole.

“In the midrash, Bar Kappara upholds the troubling notion that God created the world out of preexistent material.”

Compare with Gen. Rab. 1:5

“In the ancient Near East, however, to say that a deity had subdued chaos is the highest praise.”

1:3 “The Big Bang” (Zohar shows medieval Cabbalists had already conceived of this idea out of their interpretation of Genesis 1.)

3-5: “Since the sun is not created until the fourth day (1:14-1:19), the light of the first three days is of a different order from what we know” from experience in this universe

1:4 we begin to see a pattern in that G-d is powerful: that from His utterances, we are the residue of His spit.

1:5 “Day” “Night” “evening” “morning” – These were all a part of the first age (Yom).  Evening and morning are a part of each age.

1:6 “Separate water” – There are layers of atmosphere, as well as layers of the ocean.

1:7 by the authority of G-d there is density, and buoyancy.

1:8 “Sky” – Liquid (water, oil, or air) are all very similar, except that they different in resistivity.  This means that we should treat air and water as being very similar.  For example, one can pass an alternating current through them.

1:9 “Land” – Solids

1:10 “Earth” – Pangaea, the land is completely connected.

 1:10 “Seas” but “the” – Indicates that all the Seas were connected.

1:11 “Vegetation” – This is cyanobacteria that could live without the sun.  Or the ancestors of chloroplasts, an organelle within a eukaryote plant that was once a separate bacterial cell.

1:12 “Two great lights” – The sun and the moon “Stars” – Ours is not the first sun.

1:20 First there were fish.  Then, there were insects, including those that are winged.  These insects are, “Owph,” meaning flying things, not inclusive of birds. 

1:21 “creep,” amphibians

1:24 “cattle,” mammals, then “creep” dinosaurs [Probably not “cattle,” but mammals (hairy creatures not “cattle”), such as the first monotremes (egg laying mammals, such as platypuses)] [Mammals existed in the fossil record at the same time dinosaurs supposedly walked the earth.]

26-28: “Some have seen in that commission a license for ecological irresponsibility.  The fact is, however, that the Tanakh presents humanity as not the owner of nature but as its steward,”

“Be fertile and increase.  In Jewish law, this is a positive commandment, although it is obligatory only on Jewish men, not women (b. Yebam. 65b)” The Lubavitcher Rebbe disagrees, and professed belief that Jews are to encourage gentile men to procreate.  There is no context suggesting that this only implies Jewish males, and not all males of humankind.

1:26 “Us” – G-d is a collective singular.  This possibly explains how G-d may appear both merciful and punitive and/or good or evil.  “Man” – Meaning humankind.  The first creation story of Genesis 1 is exactly according to the fossil record. “Image” – That of creation in that creation is visible.

1:28 the first command of the Torah.  It is for men only, and it does not imply make a baby every chance that you get.  This command has been accomplished (Bill McKibben – ref. book Maybe One).  The world population has an estimated 6 billion humans. We now need for our charity to extend to animals, such that human’s don’t crowd out the beautiful biodiversity of our planet.  That is that we need to be careful not to make earth the above mentioned vast waste dump upon which G-d sits as king.

2:2 “Rested” – This is Shabbat or in other pronunciations “Shabbos.”  The 7th day is never mentioned as having ended even up to the time of King David (Psalm 95:11.)  The next part of the text of Genesis is another creation story with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  It is my opinion, that mankind originated in the Garden of Eden on the 6th day before G-d entered His rest.   There are laws of Shabbat that require transgressing Shabbat, such as saving a life, such that it is correct to use medicine to save a life on Shabbat.  Thus, it is such that if we are still in a period of the 7th age, then there is a certain degree of deism relative to G-d’s interactions with the world, such that Gd intervenes primarily to heal, in the same way that Doctors/Rabbi’s often do.  Additionally, it is such that G-d might take a break to rest even if the Lord’s Sabbath has ended, which also suggests a certain degree of deism.