RE: Atheist Bible Study 1: Genesis
October 29, 2018 at 10:36 am
(This post was last modified: October 29, 2018 at 10:38 am by GrandizerII.)
The Tower of Babel
Genesis 11:1-9
While Genesis 10 established the differences between the nations of the ancient world in terms of descent and language, this passage is an attempt (in the form of a myth) to explain how these differences emerged. God, upon seeing the human race so united on building a tower that could reach the heavens, prevents the completion of the building process by confusing their language, thus causing various divisions among the people by language and having them scattered across the whole world.
Why, in this passage, did God not want the people to build such a tower? One interesting answer I thought up just a short while ago is because such a tower being completed with such unity would indicate a utopian type of society that God had no intention of allowing to exist (especially if it was not dependent on him). He wanted man and woman instead to experience struggles in life and learn and grow in the process. As man and woman had already eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the paradise of Eden was no longer an option for humankind. Thus, God's scattering of the people to prevent another Eden.
Genesis 11:1-9
While Genesis 10 established the differences between the nations of the ancient world in terms of descent and language, this passage is an attempt (in the form of a myth) to explain how these differences emerged. God, upon seeing the human race so united on building a tower that could reach the heavens, prevents the completion of the building process by confusing their language, thus causing various divisions among the people by language and having them scattered across the whole world.
Why, in this passage, did God not want the people to build such a tower? One interesting answer I thought up just a short while ago is because such a tower being completed with such unity would indicate a utopian type of society that God had no intention of allowing to exist (especially if it was not dependent on him). He wanted man and woman instead to experience struggles in life and learn and grow in the process. As man and woman had already eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the paradise of Eden was no longer an option for humankind. Thus, God's scattering of the people to prevent another Eden.
