Is Genesis Narrative or Metaphor?

[weinhold]

I continue to enjoy this discussion immensely.

Seth, I was glad to read of our consensus about Genesis, and I am also continuing to enjoy the discussion.

 

[gene_mingo]

Sorry about the delay in my response. Things have been busy at my house.

You certainly have a different understanding than Tennyson, one that I would say is informed more by the facts of your own experience with eagles than with their ontology, which is what I think Tennyson is trying to encounter in his poem.

My description of eagles is just as valid as Tennysons'. Ontology is based on personal experience. If you want I can write a short poem to address my point..

the truth is one just as God is one.

There is only one truth as there is only one God. The truth only comes from God.

But saying 2+2=4 is a very different type of statement than Ezra Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro”:

And yet neither of those are the truth. 2+2=4 is a factual statement, but not the truth. We should never look to math for the truth.
2+2=4.
2+2≄4.
Both the above statements are factual based on the mathematician's experience, but neither are the truth. Just as in poetry. It is a fact that the poem is a description of the writers experience, but it is not the truth.

I don't think that you can change my mind with any amount of poetry. Poetry is subjective to the authors personal experience. You might agree with the description of that experience, but agreement with a description of a experience is not the truth.

Anyway,
sorry for the delay.

Josh

 

[weinhold]

Hey Josh, I'm glad we connected after a hiatus in the conversation. Unfortunately, my schedule will require yet another pause before I can post a response. This next few weeks is very stressful for me, since I am finishing up my graduate coursework and taking comprehensive exams. But stay tuned, brother, because I'd like to continue our conversation when all that is complete. Sorry for the delay; I wish I had more time! Thanks for your response, and I look forward to continuing the thread. ~PW