Can We Take the Bible Seriously?
[Thanks to Sammis Reachers]
It sounds so ridiculous
that Balaam would actually talk back
to the donkey. It’s like it doesn’t startle him at all, like it’s perfectly
natural for donkeys to start talking. (Nm 22:29-30)
Why would Adam and Eve actually pay attention to a talking snake? It ruins the story. They would have known that animals don't talk.
Related -> Gn 3:1 I don't get this. The snake is just an animal, Satan isn't an animal, so the snake couldn't be said to be craftier than any other animal, nor could Satan be called a beast of the field. And how could God punish the snake (the physical animal) by making it crawl on its belly, if it was actually innocent (I assume that Satan had decided to possess an animal to tempt the two, probably to disguise his true nature)? Furthermore, how could this be called a punishment, since 1)how can we know whether a snake cares about its manner of locomotion or not and 2)who says crawling around is really a bad thing, inherently?
Why would Adam and Eve actually pay attention to a talking snake? It ruins the story. They would have known that animals don't talk.
Related -> Gn 3:1 I don't get this. The snake is just an animal, Satan isn't an animal, so the snake couldn't be said to be craftier than any other animal, nor could Satan be called a beast of the field. And how could God punish the snake (the physical animal) by making it crawl on its belly, if it was actually innocent (I assume that Satan had decided to possess an animal to tempt the two, probably to disguise his true nature)? Furthermore, how could this be called a punishment, since 1)how can we know whether a snake cares about its manner of locomotion or not and 2)who says crawling around is really a bad thing, inherently?