If the non believer looks at Genesis as a piece of literature and not as a religious doctrine he will benefit much more. Literature serves us as a community and provides us with many benefits as individuals. Literature helps us grow, both personally and intellectually. It helps us develop a base for knowledge and understanding. It provide us with an understanding of the cultural, philosophical,

and religious world which we are part of. Genesis is an important tex

Readers need to look at sacred texts such as Genesis in a different way. For those both of and not of faith it is important to put your beliefs aside and try to look at the bigger message of the text. Much can be learned if we are able to broaden the spectrum of which we see meaning and value in a text. Readers need to be willing to question themselves, the characters in Genesis, and even the God of the story. In

Like all other forms of literature, Genesis can teach us valuable life lessons. Genesis gives us many good lessons on justice. All humans are born with an innocence that can be shaped in many different ways. Before Adam and Eve ate the fruit of knowledge of right and wrong they had no need for a sense of justice. After they ate the fruit of knowledge, they realized that they had the freedom of choice, and with the freedom of choice often comes the choice to do evil. When someone has the freedom of choice to do right and wrong it is important that they understand that there are consequences for every action. In Genesis we learn that justice is not always perfect and is an ever-changing process. Genesis shows us that: “In the beginning all law is ad hoc. It involves random orders and threats from the powerful to powerless.” (Dershowitz, Pg. 205) It is only through experience and trial and error that we can learn what is an appropriate punishment for each individual act. There is no specific moral that can be taken from Genesis, but we can take the lesson that as humans we need a set code of conduct and the ability to enforce it. We learn from Genesis that it is impossible to create rules that will

common questions that can bring people of all kinds together for a common purpose. Through discussion our beliefs may not change, but we will change as people. The text forces you to question and “requires constant reinterpretation and struggle.” (Dershowitz, 3) Our understanding of others and our common struggles will come to light and we will find ou

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