A SECULAR HUMANIST’S ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE:

What I've done is take Genesis and put it into words that make sense to me. It is amazing what a difference there is when you just change "God" into "The Laws and Forces of Nature." Another thing that is amazing is how little is really changed. Break out your Bible and see what I've done.

GENESIS, CHAPTER 1
Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature created the heavens and the Earth. The Earth was at first a changing mass of chaos with all the natural laws fermenting within and above the primordial swamps. Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature let there be light, and the light did wondrous things within the swamps and to the gases above the swamps. Because of the rotation of the Earth mass, the light and dark periods were divided into what is now known as day and night respectively.

The laws and forces of Nature let there be an atmosphere between the liquids, the vapors and the clouds.
Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature let the liquids run together into basins, and dry land which is now called earth began to appear, and the liquid filled basins are now called the seas.

Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature let grasses, herbs and various fruits evolve which were seed bearing, and those seed brought forth more grasses, herbs and fruits.

Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature forced the atmosphere to clear enough that the stars and Moon shown at night, and the Sun was bright during the day. The stars, Moon, Sun, and the tilt of the Earth axis coincidentally could be used for directions, seasons, days, and years.

Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature let living things evolve in the seas; amphibians, reptiles, fish, and mammals. Every land creature that moves came from the seas. Above the dry land evolved the flying creatures which became birds.

Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature let evolve on Earth living creatures of all kinds. These creatures continued to improve, each giving to the next generation everything that was needed to survive in the changing world and leaving off things that might be detrimental.

Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature let humans evolve with the mental capacity to be able to dominate everything in the seas, in the air, and on the land.

The laws and forces of Nature had so evolved all living things, plant and animal, that humans now had everything that they needed to survive if they managed and respected the other living things as part of the human’s own survival.

Genesis, chapter 2
At this point the Earth became somewhat stabilized and all the creatures on Earth continued their evolution, taking with them what they could to survive. To insure the continuation of humankind, each had to work hard to feed everyone for whom they were responsible. The people soon realized that periodically their fragile bodies needed to rest in order to continue the work that was needed to survive.

These are the generations of the sky and of the Earth when they were created, in the periods that Nature made the Earth and sky, and let the plants evolve even before humans evolved, and when rains came, everything flourished. Nature promoted the evolution of humans, and humans drifted to places where there was water and various tree-growth so they could eat from the fruits of the trees. One of these cases was in Eden, where all sorts of fruit trees grew. In this great garden in Eden, Nature evolved two of many humans.

Because the humans had no work to do but eat of the abundance of the fruits and vegetables, they found plenty of time to contemplate life and the goods and evils that might be wrought. But, the humans found that if they tended the trees and vegetables, that they produced more, and for a longer period of time. So, if the humans worked at it, the garden would produce enough that they would never go hungry. By working hard they ate well, but never had time to contemplate life, and its goods and evils. The humans realized that if they ever stopped tending the garden, their food supply might stop producing, and they would go hungry or have to leave. The humans started to develop language and gave the animals and plants names.

Genesis, chapter 3
Now, free thought was more subtle than any of the vices which humans had acquired. One of the humans thought, “Why should we be working all the time? We should take time off from our toils, we can eat from all these trees but we have no time to relax and enjoy ourselves, and study about life and its’ goods and evils.”

The human looked around at all the fruits and vegetables in the garden. The human’s thoughts said that they would not die of starvation if they relaxed and didn’t tend the garden for just a few days. It is in the nature of humans to believe that good can be realized and evil overcome if one just thinks about it long enough. So, on human sat back and relaxed and studied about life and all of its great and evil things, and convinced an other to do the same. They both considered how they might do well for others, or take advantage of others to their own benefit.

Upon basic consideration they realized that what they had planned was evil, and they were ashamed of their thoughts. They hid their faces in their hands and realized that they had an evil nature, and the established society has since then considered independence or free thinking a basic evil.

LORE: (From now on, snakes and women will be enemies, as will all of serpent’s children and her children. The serpent will strike at her heel and she will strike at its head. The woman shall bear children painfully, yet women shall seek their husbands affections, and he shall be her master)

Because the humans had spent so much time in thought, nature had let grow thorns, thistles, and weeds. The fruits and vegetables stopped their production and the people were forced to eat weeds, thorns and thistles.

People worked hard and had to sweat to raise grain, to make bread to eat. People are made of the elements and shall return to the elements.

Adam, the man, called the woman Eve (Life), because all humans are produced by woman. Nature provided clothing for humans from dead animal skins. Humans became one with nature, and left the oasis and grew crops elsewhere. Now, humans and nature were equal, and the people possessed the knowledge to survive on the Earth till the end.