JewelSong wrote:
In addition, there are two different stories in Genesis. The first chapter is a complete story in and of itself. God creates man and woman together, in God's own image, male and female (BOTH in God's image.) He plunks them in the garden and it's all good...
This is an interesting observation. I've noticed, during the creation story, it says this:
26Then God said, "Let us make man[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
In other words God made man (not a man) and told them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.Then we come to the story of Adam and Eve.
I've often wondered if it is a case of first there was an overview and then a refocusing on the details (which would seem to imply that the Sabbath is something different than we think it is). OR if the stories should be taken chronologically. In the latter case it would appear that man was created and sent out over the world, and then two people, Adam and Eve were made to be his people. All of this is to say I'm not sure of what was intended here.
What I do know is understanding the whole Bible for all time is not something easily accomplished. As far as I am aware doing so is not a requirement of salvation (though giving it an honest try is probably commendable). Since the gift of salvation is free, requiring that a person even read the Bible first would seem to contradict that teaching.