Lesson 2: In the Beginning

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Comments

In its description of how the world began, Genesis speaks in the language of faith, not science. In the early 1600s (about the same time as the King James Version of the Bible was being published), Galileo was imprisoned for teaching that the earth revolved around the sun in contradiction to what the Bible taught. The church could have avoided this conflict if it had been willing to recognize that all truth is God’s truth.

Science seeks to understand how life came to be; faith seeks to understand why life came to be. Faith without science leads to rigid dogma that places a straitjacket on the pursuit of knowledge. Science without faith is equally problematic in that it leads to life without purpose, a random existence that lacks any ultimate sense of right and wrong.

In addition to speaking in the language of faith, Genesis also speaks in the language of mystery. It does not answer every question; it makes no comment on what existed before God. What it affirms, though, is essential: God was there in the beginning; everything has its source in God.

Reflections

Have you ever felt forced to choose between faith and science? If so, was it someone from church or someone from school that pressured you to choose? How did you respond?

How comfortable are you with unanswered questions about God? Do you feel more drawn to religious leaders who give clear answers or to those who allow honest questions?

Has there ever been a time in your life when you doubted the existence of God? What was that like? What ultimately brought you to faith?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe who was and is and ever will be.