There are many creation myths from many different cultures throughout history. If you believe in one of them (any of them), what do you make of all the others? If yours is true, then must all be false, right?

Basically, when your creation story is part of a group hundreds, if not thousands, of such stories, how do you know that yours is correct and every single other one is incorrect?

You mean Christians dont you?

All other creation stories are either A. Spin-Offs of the truth or B. Counterfeits of the truth.

There is only one truth about the creation of all things, and this truth was handed down and passed along from generation to generation over thousands of years.

I forgot to add, this is in the bible.

Many of these stories have some of the same key ideas, but they have been changed overtime.

The Bible being the word of God is what distinguishes its version of creation from, say, the ones described by the Theogony, ex nihilo materialism, your cousin Bob, etc.

You didn't answer the second part of the question: How do you know? Or rather, why do you believe?

Fist answer this:

How do you not know?

Why do you not believe?

That seems beyond the scope of this thread, so I didn't go into it. The point is, someone first believes the Bible is true. An account of creation comes with it.

Since empirical confirmation is impossible in this case, there is no way to distinguish one version from another on that basis: e.g. the respective accounts of Carl Sagan and the crazy homeless guy down the street, handwavy special effects of the priesthood notwithstanding.

Not necessarily. If we have any believers in non-Christian creation stories they're certainly welcome to answer the question as well.

But how do you know that?

Because there is no proof or reason to believe in an impossible story.

I trust you do not believe the Native American story about the mountains and valleys being created by the flapping of the wings of a great hawk. I suspect your reason for not believing it is that the story is not possibly correct in light of other evidence; it is an obvious work of fiction. I don't believe in your creation myth for the same reason.

But this isn't really about me or any other atheist. I'm curious why you believe in the myth that you do, and so readily exclude every single other one throughout the history of time. I'm curious why you're so convinced that you want it taught in schools as if it were fact. What is the source of the certainty?

I believe the Christian creation story is true because the Bible says it's true.

And I know the Bible is credible because it describes independently verifiable things we know are true, like that humans used to have centuries long lifespans, and that there was a recent near extinction event in which the human population was reduced to just 4 breeding pairs. Modern genetic analysis and archeological evidence confirms it.

Not to mention we can observe modern day miracles and that prayers are often answered, such as when amputees regrow limbs, and that Christian cancer patients go into remission much more often than non-Christians, etc.

I'm more interested in why you personally believe the Bible is true, not necessarily whether doing so is epistemically permissible. Just curious.

Not sure why I'm supposed to answer this first but I'll do it anyway:
1. I don't believe it. Knowledge is usually taken to be justified true belief, therefore I also don't know it.

2. Because I think it is epistemically impermissible to believe the creation story of the Bible and non-epistemic reasons aren't sufficient to make me believe in this matter. (In others they might..)

If this is not a level I will go hang myself.

only in RGT is it even questionable...thats how bad it can get.

(but its a level)

I believe the other creation stories are there because Man is innately religious. He sees all these wonderful things around him and doesn't know how to explain it, he sees people die and wonders what happens to them after they die. God places in each man's heart the desire to be with Him. Man wants to thank his Creator, or he wants to be a part of the Spirit, etc.

Man then creates myths in order to explain phenomenon - even Genesis has mythical elements to it, events that may not be historically accurate but present a theological idea, such as the talking serpent.

I believe in Genesis as the true creation story because I believe in Christianity. So I'd go through my basis of why I'm a Christian, historical evidence, prayer, miracles, testimonials, etc. Faith, logic, and reason.

How can you say this when there are creation stories (and even others) that predate the Bible?

Pre-Date the bible? What do you mean?

Nothing predates "In The Beginning" .

How can you get more accurate than that. Something does not have to be written first to be true, does it?

As for the dating of whatever other stories you are talking about, dont believe the hype. NO matter what anyone says the oldest a nation or group of people on this earth could be is 6,000 years old, unless they came from the group of people that existed before the first earth was destroyed.

The claims that some people make about India and China as to their age are not accurate, meaning if they say that these nations existed longer than 6,000 years ago. The earth is older than that but all nations that presently exist came from Noahs family. Look up the "Table of Nations".

All the people that existed before that were drowned during the flood and it would be impossible for any stories to have survived the flood other than stories by Noah and his generations. Because no one else was alive to tell them.

so pletho, you;re loving God created a species of imperfect humans and then destroyed them because he wasn't happy with HIS work?


nice chap.........

God is therefore the biggest mass murderer in history is he not?

What about the creation stories of Native Americans who posit earth-inhabiting gods instead of a sky God?

ah sure those crazy native americans would believe anything..............


christians on the other hand..................

is this for real?

"We think the bible is right and the other stories are wrong that's how we can distinguish them."

Lol.

Well, "In" is a kinda vague term ... so "In The Beginning" could be pre-dated by "Just As The Beginning Was About To Begin" ... or "At The Beginning" ... or maybe even "Shortly After The Beginning Began, But Before It Ended"

Nope, but just because it's written don't make it so.

Woah Noah ... he must've been real busy gettin' jiggy with his sisters and daughters. Which means that my great-great-(x6000/80)-grandfather is also my great-great-(x6000/80-1)-grandfather, and might even be my great-great-(x6000/80-2)-grandfather? Probably explains my fallen arches and the Deliverance branch of the family ...

Just a few question ... maybe Noah was actually a Mormon?

By proxy that's true even ignoring Noah and his divine speedboat.

Please, please read the bible carefully, go to a proper bible study class and learn how to use a bible commentary and a concordance. Research OT topics before you post. If you think this is an unreasonable request then check out this thread:
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/13...t-dung-605107/

The Israelites offered peace to all nations before entering the Promised Land. Offering peace was standard and only one nation out of 33 accepted peace iirc. Also when they entered the nations were steeped in iniquity and practicing child sacrifice regularly.

Then after you spend a couple of years reading and re-reading the bible come back. Be sure you can explain the following:

1) why God doesn't have the right to control life and death since he's the only one who can create it....

2) how people would be able to evolve into better people if they could never die yet were sinful at the same time.

3) Explain how your personal interpretation on the nature of God is more valid than the one we have received from the ancient Hebrews.

4) What makes you worthy to judge a being of much greater superiority than yourself.

5) Why you bother to opine on the nature of God at all if you say he doesn't exist.

"What makes you worthy to judge a being of much greater superiority than yourself."

What good fortune for governments that the people do not think.

"Be sure you can explain the following: 1) why God doesn't have the right to control life and death since he's the only one who can create it...."

So you are admitting that he has the right to control life and thus, if he chose to become the biggest mass murderer in history, it would be his right to do so?

Yet you refuse the same courtesies towards the myths of Marduk. It makes it impossible to take you seriously. You must be an Enuma Elish illiterate.

Like I said, it's off-topic in this thread. Let's just say the Bible best accounts for and accords with what I have lived and learned.

That is a very general statement and not meant to epitomize my reasons for believing, which I don't think is possible anyway. Ultimately, belief is not founded on reason, rather the reverse is true. Only half-baked epistemologists believe otherwise, as you no doubt already know.

What about the creation stories of the pseudo-science charlatan on the TV or the crazy homeless guy down the street?

Etc, etc.

Nice self-ownage. Having the right to kill precludes it being murder.