talking snake

[justin]

And yes i know it was called a serpent, which is a mythological talking snake...

Serpent definition from Biology Online

1. (Science: zoology) Any reptile of the order ophidia; a snake, especially a large snake.

The serpents are mostly long and slender, and move partly by bending the body into undulations or folds and pressing them against objects, and partly by using the free edges of their ventral scales to cling to rough surfaces. Many species glide swiftly over the ground, some burrow in the earth, others live in trees. A few are entirely aquatic, and swim rapidly. See ophidia, and fang.

Serpents only talk in myths and legends.

that`s why i said mythical......

There's a recent discussion about the Genesis story and snakes in this topic - What things causes stupidityy,ignorance? . Reading through it will save everyone from having to post everything again.

oh didn`t see that thread

[fr0d0]

If you believe in the bible how would you defend the Genesis story? It is beyond crazy to believe in these stories so why does that not affect your beliefs in this religion?

Read John H Walton " the lost world of Genesis one". It's atheist friendly, even written with you in mind in part. Although I'd more like fundamentalist Christians to read it. I know a few have revised their opinions after reading it.

The crux is, that you can take Genesis literally, but what we've become accustomed to calling literal is just about the opposite of what is actually written.

This is no fly by hypothesis either. This guy has been onto this for years. This thorough study gently reasons against all objections until you cannot see anything but the obvious conclusions and must agree with them. This is no theist bias. The book is for everyone.

[Nine]

I don't much care if its a snake or serpent if either start talking to me I'm doing one of two things.

1) Throwing whatever I have in my hands at it and running away.

2) Start convincing it to be my friend and start making a ton of money.

[Confused Ape]

I see it as them being one with nature until they became self-aware, then the garden went to hell in a handbasket. Everything that was "good" became dualistic. I can also see the so-called punishments as simply being the consequense of a new thought process. Of course your interpretations may vary, but I'm not forcing anyone to adhere to my thoughts.

I see that as being symbolically true. The myth was developed by people who had no idea what caused natural disasters etc. They thought that bad things only happened to bad people so if things went wrong in their lives they put it down to being punished for sinning.

(this cherrypicker can also see the creation account as an almost accurate metaphor for the big-bang too).

I've always loved the first three verses of Genesis.

I found an interesting Comparison Between Egyptian And Hebrew Creation Myths using the Heliopolis version.

Day One Egyptian Version

- Creation of light
- In the beginning there was only water, a chaos of churning, bubbling water, this the Egyptians called Nu or Nun. It was out of Nu that everything began.
- Then the sun god Ra emerged out of primeval chaos, he came out of a blue giant lotus flower that appeared on the surface of the water.
- Ra gave light to the universe


Day One In Genesis

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

Day Five, Six And Seven

Creation of Life - Khnum created the living creatures on his potter's wheel.
- He modeled the animals, plants and people of the earth.
- A detailed description of how he created humans is found at Esna Temple. It describes how he orders the bloodstream to cover the bones, and makes the skin enclose the body. He then makes the respiratory system and the food digestion.
- In contrast with the Hebrew mythology, the work of Khnum was seen as a continuous task, he was seen as a deity sitting on his potter's wheel constantly working in creating life.

Knhum

In working with the silt, the very soil that the ancient Egyptian potters used, he became the great potter who not only molded men and women, but who molded the gods themselves and the world.

The ram-headed god was 'Lord of the Cataract' a god of the yearly inundation and the fertile black soil that came with the flood. Khnum was also seen as a fertility god because of his association with the fertile silt. Pottery was created out of the soil of the Nile, and it was believed that he created the first humans - and the gods - on his potter's wheel with this silt. In Iunyt (Esna) it was believed that it was he who molded the First Egg from which the sun hatched, and thus was a creator god who was 'Father of the Fathers of the Gods and Goddesses, Lord of Created Things from Himself, Maker of Heaven and Earth and the Duat and Water and the Mountains'.

Hmmm. The Hyksos were thrown out of Egypt and some of them ended up in Canaan.

[Drich]

If you believe in the bible how would you defend the Genesis story? It is beyond crazy to believe in these stories so why does that not affect your beliefs in this religion?

Are you of the opinion that animals do not communicate with each other? Or is it your opinion that man is at his zenith now,and every other incarnation of man is inferior to man as he stands today?

The creation account says we were created perfectly, and at the fall that perfect creation died.

In short maybe snakes didn't loose the ability to communicate, but maybe we just lost the ability to interperet.

[Cyberman]

So now we've gone from a serpent getting quite chatty with a pair of humans, telling them not to worry about the tree and everything, to snakes hissing to each other? Just how much of this stuff are we willing to jettison in the name of not looking silly before we get to throw the whole thing in the bin?

(Side note: I actually drafted, and rejected, half a dozen versions of this reply before settling on this one. This is the politest I could manage.)

[Confused Ape]

In short maybe snakes didn't loose the ability to communicate, but maybe we just lost the ability to interperet.

Eve was having a conversation with the snake. This makes me think of Harry Potter. Parseltongue

Parseltongue is the language of serpents (as well as other magical serpent-based creatures, like the Runespoor) and those who can converse with them. An individual who can speak Parseltongue is known as a Parselmouth. It is a very uncommon skill, and is typically hereditary. Nearly all known Parselmouths are descended from Salazar Slytherin with Harry Potter being the notable exception.[1]