scientific facts. They are presenting faith statements based on their reflections, experience, and knowledge. There are two accounts of creation. The Priestly account of creation is in Genesis 1:1-2:4a and the Yahwist account of creation is in 2.4b-25. According to the priestly account, after creating everything, on the sixth day God created man and woman in his own image and likeness. God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was particularly good. God blessed man andಲ womanಲ andಲ saidಲ toಲ them,ಲ “Beಲ 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 sky, and over every living creature that movesಲ onಲ theಲ earth.”ಲ God gave plants, birds, fishes, and animals as food for them. Man was appointed asಲ God’sಲ administrator.ಲ Thisಲ subduing does not mean exploitation of the environment by industry, technology, etc. Rather, it means that man has to overcome every sign of the chaotic forces in various spheres of life and lead this world towards its God appointed destiny.
According to the Yahwist account God created earth and heavens, there was no one to work on the ground. Hence God created man. Later he created plants and animals. He placed man in the garden of Eden to till it and take care of it. God commandedಲ theಲ manಲ saying,ಲ “Youಲ may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”ಲ Sinceಲ manಲ wasಲ alone, God then created woman fromಲ hisಲ rib.ಲ Theಲ expressionಲ “toಲ tillಲ theಲearthಲandಲtakeಲcareಲofಲitಲ(2:15)”ಲ need not be restricted only to farming. It includes every human endeavourಲ toಲ harnessಲ theಲ world’sಲ latent energies, be they material, cultural or spiritual. Man must help and guide the world to evolve towards its God appointed perfection.ಲAsಲtheಲstoryಲofಲman’sಲlifeಲ on earth unfolds in the following chapters of Genesis, sin makes its appearance and seriously impairs the relationship of love and trust between Adam (man) and Adamah (earth). Every creature, except we humans, lives by God given instinct to it.
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