Problems with Genesis...what is it, and why

This blog is devoted to examinations of the problems with (literal interpretation of) Genesis in particular, but other portions of the Bible as well, as well as fundamentalist religion in general. Why? Literal interpretations of Biblical texts are the chief cause of much of the science denial and much of the misogyny and homophobia we see. It is my goal to illustrate both that fundamentalist interpretations of these things are both extremely selective (huge swaths of the Bible are ignored), for no good reason, and unsupportable in light of reality.

I do not intend to take cheap shots, and will be fair and as generous as is reasonable in discussions. I can tell you in advance, yes, sometimes I will mock, because, honestly, some of the claims purporting to be science are just too dumb to have to address (entirely) seriously. But I will not misrepresent creationist arguments in order to do so. My goal is not to misrepresent the texts and beliefs, but to illustrate that a fair representation makes literal interpretations and fundamentalist views unsupportable.

Some will argue that this cannot be effective, that "you can't reason someone from a position that they weren't reasoned into in the first place". I disagree with this assertion, because I have seen it demonstrated to be false with myself and others. While I fully acknowledge that some people cannot be reasoned from positions for a variety of reasons ("none so blind as those will not see" pops to mind as an obvious first, but there are others), many people simply need to examine what they've been taught and why. Fundamentalism thrives on closed doors; information is the enemy, reason "the devil's harlot". Open the blinds, and people will see.