Sigh.
I really don’t want to turn this thread into a debate about evolution, since it’s not the main point of the thread. Let’s just say this:
I think we can agree on the fact that not every word of the Torah is to be interpreted absolutely literally. I suspect you would agree that Chava was not the literal mother of all life (including lions, tigers and bears — oh my!). I think you’d probably agree that HKBH does not have a hand in the literal sense.
I’m also pretty sure that we can agree on the fact that there is far, far more to Berashis 1:1 (and the rest of the parsha) than a simple, literal reading would indicate.
What we don’t necessarily agree on (and, in fact, what I’m pretty sure that we vehemently disagree on) is exactly what *must* be read literally and what *can* be interpreted differently. In addition, while we would probably disagree on just what the meaning behind the simple, plain reading of Beraishis is.
Does that mean that I think you’re wrong? No, it doesn’t — in fact, I don’t know the answer. Is it possible that animals evolved for millions of years (including man-like primates) with HKBH creating a brand new “model” of man? I suppose that’s a possibility. Is it possible that Gosse is correct? Yeah, it’s possible (even if I don’t agree with it). IOW, there are plenty of possibilities out there that can conform to the Torah (provided you don’t hold to a completely literal and simple reading of Beraishis — which I don’t think you do.)
So, what does this mean? It probably means that we have to agree to disagree. I’m willing to admit that I don’t have all the answers to the origin of the universe and of life on this planet. I never claimed to. Nor do I claim to know the ultimate truth that the Torah reveals on the subject.
If you want to discuss evolution, perhaps another thread would be best suited for that. This all started because one careless poster chose to make a joke about a user’s name. Let’s put this topic back in it’s place — the zoo. If you want to discuss evolution, abiogenesis or anything else, I’m more than willing to do so in a thread dedicated to that topic.
The Wolf