Week Two Essay Nicholas Gilman

There were many interesting topics covered in this week’s video lectures and reading. Beginning

with the videos, this was my first time hearing the creation story in Genesis as spanning eons, not taken

as a literal seven-day creation story. While I appreciate the interpretation of the creation story being a

metaphor for God’s creation of the universe over billions of years, I find it hard to understand where the

distinction is drawn between the metaphors and what is to be taken literally. I was taught growing up

the story of Adam and Eve to be a literal representation of the first humankind. I found the

interpretation you presented of Eve’s taking of the apple and gaining the knowledge of morality and

choice, and the ethical consequences of their action defining what it is to be imperfect, and therefore

human, to be a beautiful expression of moment that separated humankind from all other animals.

Looking at the creation story now, I see it as a representation of the beginning of humankind, that

pivotal moment of self-awareness that has caused us as a species to question why it is that we exist and

for what purpose.

Your discussion of “sin”, its derivation and root meaning, also presents it as a more relatable

concept to understanding the human experience. Regardless of our religious beliefs we all should be

striving to be a better version of ourselves. Framing “sin” as falling short of an idealized human

experience is an empowering concept that should enable us as individuals to see our sins as opportunity

to pursue a better outcome, interaction, or better self, rather than the condemnation of our soul for

which we need to repent. This framing also forces us to take responsibility for our shortcomings. Sin is

“our” falling short of expectation and it is therefore “our” responsibility to endeavor on the path to a

better outcome or experience. This changes the concept from, “I made and mistake for which I am

forgiven, and therefore do not have to accept responsibility for my action,” to “I have identified my

shortcoming and now will take action to improve my outcome going forward.” I had intended to discuss
many of the interesting social, political, and religious parallels drawn by the Harris textbook between the

Old Testament and other early civilization cultures, but felt the concepts you presented on the creation

story and sin were too significant to limit my discussion.