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The Biblical creation story forms the framework for most of this book. The initial key player in the Bible is Adam, which more accurately translates from Hebrew as "mankind" or "human beings."3.93 The creation stories each stress how God was intimately involved in the creation of men and women. Examples of how scriptures bear witness of this intimate relationship include:
- "Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory to their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." Psalm 90:16-17
- "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48
- "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be glorified together." Romans 8:16-17
- "For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Moses 1:39
Some other scientific pundits might say this argument is circular, or in other words religion was created by man, and to feed man's ego man plays the central role in the religious stories other men created.
The point of developing an open mind is to step into this circle and to listen for the spiritual witness,
he spiritual witness which I think taught those "other men," the ones who created the religious traditions.
Given a willingness to take this step, with a contrite heart and a humble spirit (as described in: Psalms 34:18 "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."; Isaiah 57:14-15 "And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people. For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."; and Matthew 11:29 "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.") one can gain a sure knowledge the importance of mankind as a key actor in life's play.
There are natural laws which govern the interaction between mankind and other life, and between all life and physical things. Theologians, like all of the rest of Adam's family, live within the bounds of these laws. In many cases the religious have been intimately involved in discovering these laws.
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paradoxes