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If you will notice the people described in the Bible lived a long time. As time went by they lived shorter and shorter lives. That is because they got further and further away from their genetic perfection in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve's children could marry each other and have children because they were still very close to genetic perfection. As mankind's sin increased and he got further from God and genetic perfection, God gave them commandments to not marry within families.

Freespirit, it has been widely accepted by many leading theolgians and even some of the most prominent church leaders, that the Old Testament is an eclectic mix of a hefty dose of fantasy (used as a means of teaching and illustration) and a small trickle of significant history (many of the events that took place in the Bible have ocurred - just not quite as the Bible describes them...)

For example, they've worked out the great flood theory, and in fact such a flood did occur. It was catastrophic. But of course, it didn't cover the whole earth.... It probably did to them, at the time though, because a lot of people were of the opinion that the earth was flat.....
The plagues that descended upon Egypt because the Pharaoh would not release the Israelites, also occured... But not as described... and certainly not for that reason! They took place over hundreds of years and were caused by climate anomalies... even today there are 'plagues of locusts' and weird stories of it raining fish, or frogs in odd places... Due to typhoons and hurricanes, you know?

Remember that whosoever wrote the Bible did not have access to the enormous scientific measures available today....Research in Science, Geology and astronomy have done much to decipher, clear up and explain an awful lot of the apparent mysteries in both the Old and the New Testament.

The Creation story itself is a pure fantasy. Designed to instruct people on the origin of the world and the species. Putting it in the hands of a God, because at that time, there was no other theory. Remember the Egyptians did the same, with Osiris and Isis, and other cultures and belief systems had their own theories and ways of working this out.
Take it with a pinch of salt.
Some people will excuse anything, or find a reason for anything, when they need to. It usually boils down to 'God's Will' which is a handy way of saying 'I don't know, I haven't worked that one out yet, and I'm not sure I want to.'

The Bible is the inerrant Word of God. There are no mistakes or fantasies. You say that to discredit a God that will someday judge you. You want there to be fantasies so you can more easily dismiss the moral teachings of God's Word. The stories are real. They occurred and for exactly the reasons the Bible says they did.It is the truth. Denying it only changes your heart, not reality.

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Actually, I have read theories from Christian theolgians (and then done some of my own reading, too.)

I fully believe in the creation story and expulsion from Eden and everything else. After the fight between the brothers Cain and Abel; Cain leaves and goes off to another people and marries. So it is reasonable to believe that there are other people, even if it is not specifically stated.

As for the difference in life times - it is after the great flood that man's lives are shortened to the lesser time periods (more compatible with today) rather than the hundreds of years like we think of when we picture Adam. You can read in the Bible in Genesis and see where the drastic life changes occur right after Noah and the Ark. Noah's family is the last to live the amazingly long lifespan.

Maybe this was God's way of keeping man from commiting the atrocities that made Him want to wipe the earth clean with a flood - that's pure speculation on my part. But i do know we sin enough in 70- 80 years, I can only imagine how much we could do in hundreds of years! <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Yes, it is amazing how many people have been brainwashed by the devil to believe his lies.

The "creator" story is a common thread through many cultures/religions--even those that pre-date Christ. The concept of a spiritual vessel (like the Christian Eve) is also another common thread.

I believe that the Bible is a series of stories put together by man to explain the unexplainable. That doesn't diminish its value as a teaching tool. After all, you can learn a good many life lessons from Aesop's Fables too. Its merely a matter of perspective.

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I would never say or do anything to dissuade anyone from their path or belief structure. I would never say that what I do is right, and whatever anyone else does is wrong. But one has to apply a certain amount of logic, thought and reason to matters.
Archaeologists, historians and theologians are doing much to decipher and untangle the fantasy, fiction and fact the Bible holds...
Throughout the centuries, it has been re-written, translated, adapted, deconstructed and reconstructed, so that many passages put forward today as 'The Word of God' have been found to differ startlingly from the original text and intention....
Moslems would say that their Koran (or however one would wish to spell it...Qu'ran is another way...) is the only true Word of God, and is only transmitted in Arabic...the original language used by the Angel Gabriel to communicate God's Word to Mohammed... any translations are seen as mere interpretations:
And if you could read a copy of the Koran printed and produced today, it would not differ by one single comma, space or line from one printed and produced say, three hundred years ago... the two are identical, such is the perfection, exactitude and accuracy with which they "spread the word"...
One cannot say the same about the Bible.
What one can say, however, is that the central core teaching of the New Testament is Universal Love and Compassion. Jesus spoke of loving ones' neighbour as ones' self... And a New Commandment: 'To love one another, as I have loved you.'

He himself often found fault in the ancient scriptures..
'You have heard it said...'

And would then introduce a new slant:
'But I say unto you....'

So even he regarded them as flawed or questionable, at times....

There is nothing wrong with examining the origins and messages of the ancient scriptures. in a way, removing the mystery and fantasy may be a shame, because such a work risks losing its' majesty. But if such research can in fact help us understand more, the reality of those times, the basis of the faith and the reasoning behind the worship, then it can only help to open our eyes and perceive God with a better, more modern, more enlightened understanding.

I do not believe in God.

But I will defend to the death the Right of others who do.... providing they reciprocate, and respect where I stand......