Evil

I think that evil exists because there has to be a balance with good things. Not everything can be perfect, and not everyone can be good. There has to be evil so there can be good. Without evil, there is no good. We wouldn’t know what good is if there weren’t any evil. I don’t think we can blame anyone for evil’s existence. We can blame the people who do evil, not whoever is responsible for evil to exist. If there was a god that created our planet, evil was made since the start. People blame God for evil because they can’t explain why evil is present in humanity.

Against All Odds

The first book of Samuel has one of the most well known stories of all time, the story of David and Goliath. The truth is I had never actually read the story, I just heard people talk about it,(and watched cartoons). I actually feel better having read the actual story from the Bible. Now I see the story as much more. Before I used to think that it was a cool story where this guy kills another guy with a slingshot; but having actually read from the Bible I see that there is a lot more to the story than what cartoons show.

After I read the first few lines, I immediately felt a Deja Vu. No I didn't challenge an army of Israelis; I saw the movie Troy. The first scene of the movie shows Achilles fighting one man to decide a battle. Achilles' contender was as fearsome as Goliath, but he was no match for the greatest warrior ever born. The fight in Thessaly lasted as much as the fight in the Valley of Elah. Even though there were two enormous warriors being defeated, David and Achilles are completely different people.

Achilles was King of the Myrmidons; being born to the nymph Thetis and Peleus. He was the world's greatest soldier, and had fought many battles. David, was a shepherd with humble parents. He had no combat experience before he faced Goliath (except a bear and a lion). What amazes me the most is that he was very young, and he had the guts to face the most feared warrior. Unlike Achilles, David used a slingshot and one stone to take down his opponent. Everyone asks themselves, how did the kid do it? The answer is just a word long; faith. David went to fight Goliath for a cause; Goliath was challenging God and the Israelis. David had so much faith in God, that he was able to defy all the odds that were against him. This was the part of the first book of Samuel that amazed me the most. I can't think of any person in the world today that is capable of accomplishing something as amazing with faith. There is no doubt that people have lost faith in religion over the years which is really disappointing.

11 Chapters in 3 Sentences

Abraham was born to Terah, and married Sarai who was barren. Abraham followed all of God’s commands all his life and was rewarded for his efforts. He counted stars, fought to rescue Lot, changed his name, and even attempted to sacrifice his own son Isaac.

In the Beginning

"[1] In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
[2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
[3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."

This is the beginning of The Beginning. The book of Genesis is an interpretation of how the earth started. My prediction was that the book was a guidebook, or an "answerbook". I thought the book would have the answers of how the earth was created in a religious sense. The book turned out to be more than what I expected. Instead of finding steps, I found a novel with a story. I didn't have much hopes, but I know understand why people say that you must read the book of Genesis for literature, not just for religious views.

The way the earth was created reminded me of Metamorphoses. "Before there was earth or sea or the sky that covers everything, Nature appeared the same throughout the whole world: what we call chaos: a raw confused mass, nothing but inert matter, badly combined discordant atoms of things, confused in the one place."(Metamorphoses Book 1) Both versions of creation agree that the earth was a mass with no form, but the most common feature is that both versions state that the earth was created by a god."This conflict was ended by a god and a greater order of nature, since he split off the earth from the sky, and the sea from the land, and divided the transparent heavens from the dense air."(Metamorphoses Book 1) The fact that both versions are very similar makes me wonder if they are actually the same story. The version in the King James Bible might be more detailed, but both versions have the same backbone.

Even though I liked what is written in the Book of Genesis, I dislike how it is written. I understand that it's and old text, but I felt I was rereading the same sentence every time. I reread the text, and I managed to understand what is actually said. Even though this is an obstacle, I was expecting it because of the age of the text, and I am confident I can cope with the book.