Trialogus

Alithia.  Why does that sound crazy?

Phronesis.  What sounds crazy is believing in billions and millions of years of ancestral existence, or, roughly, only six thousand years of existence before the historical figure of Jesus arrived on the shoreline of Galilee, prior to which everything banged bigly into existence by some Trinitarian voice.

Pseustis.  I'm not sure what you mean.

Phronesis.  Here's an idea, a picture that's worth a thousand words. (It's a big picture, so brace yourself.). Everything we need to know about history past cannot be contained in a singular book, cannot be traced between biological father to biological father through all genealogies of all history past. That's also not the point of the "Biblical" genealogies. Also, origins cannot be explained by Darwinian evolutionary theories of millions or billions of years. We actually know very little about history long ago because history books and historical standards are mythological. Even contemporary history is thoroughly mythologized. There is so much guesswork and entertainment built into the reports and standards utilized around the clock that they are surely only right twice a day. The "Science" of history isn't as scientific as we are catechized to trust. The certainty is not as epistemologically sure as it is subjectively confident and manipulative. The story of mankind's genesis need not be knowable according to contemporary priests of culture who pontificate back and forth between science and the Adam/Eve narratives.

Pseustis.  Don't you believe in Adam and Eve?

Alithia.  You know that's a loaded question, right? Why would you ask that, as if a simple and concise answer would satisfy your concerns. Can you please ask a more helpful question?

Pseustis.  It is a simple question. Do you believe Adam and Eve were real?

Phronesis.  I believe Jesus was real.

Alithia.  How is that helpful, or relevant?

Phronesis.  I find it difficult to imagine what you mean by Adam and Eve being "real", like Jesus was real. I mean "real" like historical people, exactly as the "Bible" narrates it. I believe human life began with God's creation of one man and one woman, yes. Does that satisfy your concern?

Pseustis.  Did they live in a garden?

Phronesis.  That's like asking me, based on the oldest record of that narrative being preserved in paleo-Hebrew script (which is not true, by the way), if I believe Adam and Eve spoke Hebrew.  I realize that the Old Testament is contained in Hebrew manuscripts, but I do not personally believe that the first human beings spoke Hebrew (although I suppose it's possible). They could have also, theoretically, spoken English.

Pseustis.  So you don't believe the Bible is true?

Phronesis.  That escalated quickly.

Pseustis.  What do you mean?

Phronesis.  I mean, I thought I was very clear. I guess I was not. That's probably entirely my fault. It might be best to just speak translucently from now on.

Pseustis.  Huh?

Alithia.  Yes, what did you mean by that?

Phronesis.  That was partly a joke.

Alithia.  Ahhh...

Phronesis.  Could you please ask that last question again?

Pseustis.  Sure. Do you or do you not believe the Bible is true?

Phronesis.  Yes, absolutely, without any doubt, I believe the Bible is true.

Pseustis.  Now I'm confused.

Phronesis.  Philosophy, in general, is confusing; but that doesn't excuse me completely. I'm not trying to confuse; I'm trying to speak precisely, knowing that you can't read my mind and I can't read yours, and yet we each carry a lot of unspoken assumptions and pre-commitments of what we believe and why we believe them. I'm just trying to remain faithful to God with what I know and what I don't know, and to communicate to you the best of what I know in spite of all the frustrations that occur because of what is unspoken or misunderstood. I'm attempting to be precise for the sake of clarity.

Pseustis.  Now you're really confusing me.

Phronesis.  I believe you.

Pseustis.  And I don't even know how to believe what you're saying. It sounds illogical.

Alithia.  What do you think he's saying?

Pseustis.  You're saying that you believe the Bible is completely, infallibly, unerringly true, and plenarily-verbally inspired of God, and that the Biblical history of Adam and Even and the Garden and Creation-account is untrue, untrustworthy, and useless -- just like Darwinian evolution.

Phronesis.  No, I'm not saying that.

Pseustis.  Yes, you did say that; and you denied the pre-incarnate existence of Christ.

Phronesis.  No, I didn't.

Pseustis.  Yes, you did say that.; and you're crazy for thinking that anything you're saying makes any sense at all.

Alithia.  Why does that sound crazy?