Adam and Eve and Steve: Genesis 1 and 2
February 6, 2008
All ancient religions and cultures developed creation stories including the Amorites, Canannites and Babylonians, all which predate the creation story found in Genesis 1-2. These ancient stories tell of how the world came into being, who their deities were and how their deities played a part in the forming of the world and in relating to humanity. The Israelites needed their own story to answer the basic questions of how did we get here and why are we here. Even more they needed to not only explain how the world came into being and their God’s relationship with humanity but to explain God’s unique and exclusive covenant with them, the people of Israel.
The creation story is used in opposition to gays and lesbians in several ways. According to the creation story (and we would be more accurate to say stories since there are two separate accounts given in these chapters) God created them Eve from Adam’s side to be his helpmate, the woman being a complimentary to the man. Thus the argument goes that God made woman for man and man for woman and therefore same-sex relationships are in violation of this divine order.
The second argument is that God gave Adam and Eve clear direction that they were to “go forth and multiply” and because same-sex couples aren’t able to procreate they are again unable to fulfill this divine directive.
In responding to the first argument, Peter Gomes writes in “The Good Book,”
”The authors of Genesis were intent upon answering the question, ‘Where do we come from?’ Then, as now, the only plausible answer is from the union of a man and a woman…The creation story in Genesis does not pretend to be a history of anthropology or of every social relationship. It does not mention friendship, for example, and yet we do not assume that friendship is condemned or abnormal. It does not mention the single state, and yet we know that singleness is not condemned, and that in certain religious circumstances it is held in very high esteem.”
While we recognize that heterosexual coupling is the norm in human relationships (and since we’re all here aren’t we glad about that?!) there’s nothing in the Creation story to suggest that heterosexual relationships are normative or exclusionary. Genesis doesn’t elevate them as such or set them as the ideal relationship for all humanity. Because Genesis is concerned with explaining how the world, including its population, came into being it’s only reasonable that the first family would begin with a male-female relationship, yet that doesn’t come at the cost of excluding, minimizing or denying all other varieties and combinations of human relationships from friendships to partnerships. Were male-female relationships the Divine ideal for all humanity (one man + one woman = one marriage) then one has to contend with Paul’s negative view of marriage and a single Savior. After all, wouldn’t Jesus have followed God’s divine order if marriage were the ideal?
An argument against homosexuality based on the inability for child-bearing is all the more problematic for those who wish to defend it given the vast number of marriages that never lead to procreation. Couples marry at ages when childbirth is no longer an option. Other couples are childless because of impotence, infertility, health restrictions, or genetic concerns. Still others opt to not have children for a variety of reasons. The lack of children doesn’t invalid these relationships nor does it devalue them. Neither should it for gay or lesbian couples.
We’ve heard it all before, that “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” but what Genesis makes abundantly clear is that all creation came forth from God, including Adam and Eve, Sara and Lisa, Frank and Diane, Linda, Bob, Terrance, and all who are God’s children, each and every one.
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Posted in The Bible and Homosexuality
February 25th, 2008 at 6:44 am
I’m so lost when It comes to this topic. I spent 8 years getting prayed over and still no answer as to this question.Will i go to hell? I can only continue to pray and hope i will not go to hell
February 25th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Kathy, if it were possible for me to string together a few words that could bring peace to your heart, I’d spend all day trying to gather up all the words in the world and give them to you. While words from another can offer comfort and insight, when it comes to questions about where we stand in our relationship with God, we need to know from God alone that things are okay between us. I know I needed that and like you there was a time I prayed and prayed and no answer came to me. After weeks of being in that place I went to a pastor and shared my frustration at God’s silence over the question of my sexuality. The pastor listened to me pouring out my frustration, fear and anger and then asked me to consider that maybe there was an answer in the silence after all. Perhaps what had become such an overwhelmingly critical issue in my relationship with God wasn’t an issue with God at all. What if God just had nothing to say because God had already said everything through the life of Jesus and the gift of His Spirit. Coming to a place of hearing God in the silence began a turning point in my own journey. I don’t know what it will be for you, but until then I hope you can hold on even more tightly to the love and grace of God than you are doing with ideas of God’s judgment and punishment. NOTHING will separate you from the love of God. NOTHING.
April 19th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
I worry about this too. I worry that I will be sent to hell because I cant hear God say that it isn’t wrong to be attracted to women and that He isnt even speaking to me anymore for the fact that He is so sick of me!!!. I am even too scared to talk to a pastor about it. It seems out of control for me sometimes. I see why many have committed suicide over it although I wouldnt. I try not to live a double life but there is much in my world that is hidden from church community. I know how they treat people who are different and I cant risk that kind of pain anymore, although I might have as a younger person. I wish I could have peace too but it has been a long time without it and I have searched far and wide and not much comes!
April 19th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
reallytruly-
Wow, I feel your pain and I’m sorry. Although I only lived a double life for a short moment, I understand the pain and anquish that comes with all of it. It can all be very overwhelming.
I have recently gone through a period of reconciling my faith with my sexuality and some days I felt like I could do nothing but hang on.
God loves you so much, you are not going to hell and He is NOT sick of you! And although you may not be able to hear God right now, believe that the answers will come to you.
I agree with Anita, sometimes the answers come in the silence. It was hard for me to even find the silence with the voices of condemnation always speaking. I hope you find a communtiy of folks you can trust to talk to.
Hang on! I will be praying for you and hoping you find peace.
April 20th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Thank you Stephanie so much.
April 24th, 2008 at 8:06 am
Hello all,
I am relatively new here, and I wanted to share my two cents worth. I have grown up in a fairly conservative church, although i grew up believing about God’s grace and forgiveness. It saddens me so, that our society has placed such a negative spin on homosexuality. I do struggle with my faith and my sexuality, however, it’s not about whether I am going to go to heaven or hell because i’m a lesbian. My issues are more about finding the truth of God in and through the Bible about who I am as a person.
I often believe, and myself included in this, that we forget that there is so much more to who we are than our sexual orientation. I know when I have read through the Bible reading the stories I don’t recall any anti-gay passages. My personal issue is more about how I can convince other believers that I am OK with God.
Through out the Bible God displays his love for his people. His people being all of human kind. Some stories I don’t understand, but within time, and if not on earth, maybe in Heaven I will understand those passages and stories. But if you go back into the New Testament and read about who Jesus loved and hung out with, his disciples were mostly people that the religious people looked down on and that gives me great hope.
Jesus and the woman at the well is my favorite story. One, Jesus wasn’t supposed to be talking to a woman according to the pharisees. And she was also a Samaritan. she didn’t believe what the regular jews believed. She had 5 husbands and the person she was with at the time was not her husband. Jesus knew all of that, and yet he spoke to her as a friend. He never asked her to change her lifestyle and then come back and talk with him - he accepted her as she was!
Sometimes when I do struggle more with my faith and my sexuality I think about the core values of the Bible. I go to church and listen to the sermons and remind myself that I can still hold the moral values of the Bible and be a lesbian!!
It is a difficult path, and I am really just at the beginning of understanding my sexuality, however, I am confident of this - That God, and Jesus started to work in my life, and he is not going to let me go!!
April 24th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
babyrose, I understand too well the path you are on. It is a long and hard journey, but if you are like me, one day you wake up and realze that God is still right next to you and loving you. He will not let you go, and neither will the sister friends on this site.
April 25th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Hi babyrose,
I just wanted to say hi and thanks for sharing your two cents worth. I too understand the path you are on as many others here do too.
It sounds like you are continuing to ask, seek and knock with much hope!
I believe that’s exactly what we need to do. Well, maybe some wrestling too!
Peace!
May 28th, 2008 at 3:12 am
“The Israelites needed their own story to answer the basic questions of how did we get here and why are we here.”
Would I be correct in my understanding that (to you) the Bible is but one of many manuscripts to choose from regarding the Creator of Heaven and Earth?
May 28th, 2008 at 6:40 am
M54–> M54–> There are other historical manuscripts written before and after the Genesis account by various cultures to explain how the world came into being. It was all the more important for the Israelites who claimed (and I believe rightly so) there was only one God and that this one God had chosen them to be his special people to explain how the world came into existence through this one God and how their special relationship with him was born. Now, does this mean I think the Bible is just one among many ancient books? No, since it’s the only one I’ve chosen among all of them to guide my life and that I personally hold as the Word of God. At the same time I also recognize that the Israelites weren’t any less human in their approach to laying an oral/written foundation for their lives and faith. There’s no need for me to deny very human motives and human hands had a role in the development of the Bible for it to remain God-inspired and holy. That’s my early morning pre-coffee response anyway
May 28th, 2008 at 8:57 am
anita: the “Readers Digest” version then is,
of course God used man He did not come down and write each Word Himself. He “told” the Israelites and the Christian Jews what to write.
Of course other faiths have “their version” of how things began. That goes on today with man. Just listen to any two people talk about their shopping trip, sporting event or whatever. Mankind always has to “one up” the other person or group. In the end there is only One way and the path is narrow. Not many and wide. (I don’t klnow how to make those smiley faces)
May 28th, 2008 at 9:42 am
M54–> The smiley faces are a carefully guarded secret and to access it you must put a “:” and a “)” side by side. That will unleash the power of the smile. I really do appreciate your thoughts on all this. While I wouldn’t argue with
I’d add a comma followed by a future thought “, and they wrote down what they heard.” Communication is part spoken and part heard. The spoken in this case was divine while the hearing was human and then in any communication you had understanding/interpretation into the mix. I’m not saying they were wrong in what they wrote, only that because humankind was involved in the process, there’s room for error. That doesn’t make the Bible less sacred for me or the Word less perfect because I’m not as concerned with the details down to numbers and locations but to the overriding message of Scripture that holds it all together. Thanks again for the imput as well as the questions.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:50 am
anita, anita, anita, sigh the way you frame this discussion is that ultimately it was up to a human to hear properly and then too put into a transcription what they heard.
I on the other hand come from the come from the “camp” that no matter what they wanted to write that God, Himself, made sure that what He wanted transcribed is what was actually Written. Kinda like those stone tablets.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:55 am
anita, I just wanted to add what an awesome teacher you are.
You see, I carefully followed your explicite instructions on the formation of those ever elusive smiley faces and IT WORKED!! Have no fear, even this is a carefully guarded secret while serving in the US Navy (back when I was a mere child) I (then) possessed a TOP SECRET CLEARANCE! So mum’s the word!
Who ever reads this, I pray that Jehovah-Jirah (The Lord our Provider) manifest His presence in our lives this very day and that we ALL are able to become the people of God He INTENDED us to be!! And remember “provision” is more than the proverbial “Wal-Mart” list!
May 29th, 2008 at 8:53 am
M54–> M54, M54, M54
I just leave room to accept that very real humans were involved in the process my friend. Just as very real humans continue to follow God, seek God, love God, and yet come to different understandings of the same words on Scripture. How it is that we understand differently when our hearts are all set to know God’s will remains the mystery but for any of us to do anything less than to respond to the Spirit and the Word as we cherish and understand it in our hearts would be to follow man and not God. So….on the details we stand differently, but in Christ we stand together. And while we might be coming from different places on the infallibility of the Bible or homosexuality or whatever, I would agree with you that all those who read these words would live as God intends them to live and to be. We might have have different ideas of how that would look but then what really matters is how it looks to God, nu? Now take the power of the smile I’ve given you and use it for good and not for evil 
<–A joke by the way!