leslie -
if you are a christian then you have to believe that women were made from a rib and this is simply irreconcilable with science. god doesn't give you a choice to believe that part or interpret it as you please. it's his word- believe it or don't.
if you are a christian you have to believe that all the species on earth fit nicely onto a 450 foot boat during god's first temper tantrum. this is also irreconcilable with what we know here in the real world. again, you don't get a choice- that's what god said, recorded by men, guided by his divine hand from on high.
god tells you over and over that 'the word' is the absolute unquestionable truth - if you keep trying to write off sections of it or see it's inconsistencies, he may also condem you to eternal pain and torture with the rest of us evil folk so be careful- he's watching you know and the slightest thing makes him furious;)
back in 1024 ad you wouldn't have heard a single christian trying to explain away genesis. they were too ignorant to even question it back then because there was no alternative-
the christian trend to try to interpret the bible to match science is a new trend that coincides wth our intellectual emergence as a species. science is built to grow, christianty will just crack under the pressure of truth some day because it's inflexible and presents an unrealistic account of our reality. it's creating a lot of conflict in educated christians already....
quite frankly, you guys are at the end of your rope and have been since galileo. the more we learn about reality the less your book will fit our sensibilities. christianity will perish in an educated world which is why you do so well in third world countries and trailor parks where they don't have as much trouble believing those stories and not so good where people have had a chance to learn.
is that an insult to you? it's just the truth to me- look at the next televised benny hinn revival....old widows.....lonely people....shut ins........some honduran chick with a 3rd grade education with 5 kids just dieing to see the virgin mary in some reflection...all these people believing they are being healed......etc etc. and he'll fit a big stadium full of em too - you can see the narcotic effect on their faces as they sway and cry.....no wonder they don't want to let go of the fantasy- and substitute that for cold hard science that doesn't watch you from heaven or give you a place to go when you die? i don't blame em i guess.
you can hold on to your beliefs because they give you comfort against the unknowns of the uiniverse and death or because it was your default setting growing up as a white guy in america but you just can't have science too. despite the great efforts of many devoted people to make it that way- hell, if it were relevant would you have to try so hard to make it match our observations? probably not.
