Reflect (Babylonian vs.

Genesis Creation story):

 What were humans created for?
 What is God like?
 What is our relationship with God?

Humans are and always have been…

 Stewards of the Earth
 Stewardship – the authority and responsibility to care for the earth; it is one of
the meanings of being created in the image of God
“We are made in the image of God”…
 Human beings are built different!
 Self-knowledge = intellect
 Self-criticism
 Self-reflection

 Ability to choose to think about and know God

 Ability to choose to think about and know love
 Free will

We have capabilities that go beyond all other creatures!

 Soul = something of God in us! (God’s DNA)
 Male and female = meant to live in loving community

What was life like in the Garden BEFORE?

 Original justice/Original Holiness
o Original holiness: The original state of human beings in their relationship with
God, sharing in the divine life in full communion with God
o Original justice: The original state of Adam and Eve before the Fall, a state of
complete harmony with themselves, with each other, and with all of creation.

Is life still like this?

 No! There’s
 o Death
o Want
o Work
o Pain
o Separation – from God and each other
*These are effects of Original Sin

 Figurative language – a literary form that uses symbolic images, stories, and names to
point to a deeper truth
o It can teach us religious truths, but it is not meant to be scientifically or
historically accurate
 Etiology – a story that explains something’s cause or origin, or a story that answers a
perplexing question