David Sparks

I regularly have thoughts that bring on an immediate “AH HAH!” type feeling however the Internet has changed things. Not to far back a man with an idea such as mine might have the market cornered because it took so long for information to travel and it was so hard to nurture ideas. But now, everybody has access to the fastest information around and with there being no original thought left in the world, my “AH HAH’s” are immediately followed by “I’m sure this is already on the Internet somewhere” as well as “no way I’m the only one to think of this” lol. That said, i had such a moment last night before nodding off and have been thinking about it non stop. Far as I’m concerned, these thoughts/ideas were conjured up in my head are mine. Somebody has likely already thought about this, but it’s a new concept to me, and in the unlikely case that this actually hasn’t been considered before, it shall now be documented. So here we go!

Fire. The greatest achievement man has ever accomplished. All animals run from fire. There are two scenarios in which man laid claim to fire.

1. He found it. Maybe a fire in the heat of summer. Maybe lightening stuck.
2. He accidentally created it.

Either way, the following step showed a clear difference between man and animal. We didn’t run. Instead we curiously conquered. Fire immediately became a game changer. Providing heat during the cold, a weapon, a way to clean and cook things, protection from predators etc. Any adult and probably child could easily comprehend the importance of fire.

Up to this point, these statements should be accepted by anybody regardless of really any affiliation. There’s nothing revolutionary or mind boggling here, nothing controversial. But then comes the “AH HAH”.

I grew up as a Christian. In a Christian home. Went to a private Christian elementary school. Grew up going to one of the biggest churches in the US. My point here is make it clear, I was constantly absorbing in one form or another the bible. Though I’m not as “on point” as I once was, I do know the bible very well. I’ve been studying it all my life up till my mid 20’s I’d say. 22, 23 or so. And while I may not be actively studying the book itself, I am still driven by an incurable desire to know what the hell is up with this book. Having the answers to all it’s questions and filling in the blanks has been a main motivating factor for me since my teens when I realized the concept of cuss words had nothing to do with the bible or Christianity but the human mind in all its splendor </sarcasm>.

The thought that’s been driving me crazy is this: If fire was the greatest achievement of man, which it should be considered such, and God created man a long with the plants, animals, clouds, lightening, etc etc etc… Then why does the bible never document the arrival of fire or the harnessing of its power?

According to Christianity, the origin of the human species takes place in the garden of Eden when God takes some dirt and breathes life into it. 3 or 4,000 years ago, give or take (which is also scientifically absurd but beside the point). This takes place in the book of Genesis which goes down the list of where all this got started. Laying in bed I quickly ran through all areas of the bible that mentioned fire aside from “lakes of fire” and hell. Meaning literal, ouch i just burned my hand with this bic liter, fire. I could only recall a few. The burning bush which hardly counts. Only one man saw it, isn’t that always the case, they already had it because as i recall they burned their idols etc that they created while Mosses was up on the mountain (or so the movie goes hah), but if that was the origin surely bringing a torch down would have further validated the importance of the stone tablets. “God gave me these commandments as well as this thing called fire to prove it”. Didn’t happen.

Enter the 2nd greatest invention after fire, the Internet. Turns out, there’s a fully search-able bible online. Enter your keyword and viola, all instances are before you. The burning-non-burning bush occurred in Exodus 3:1-3. Man arrived in Genesis so that’s close but not close enough. Issac tried to burn his son alive and was such a con had his son himself convinced this was a good idea. This was probably the most memorable early occurrence, chronologically, any of you have of fire. They burned a goat instead that was caught in a bush no less, I see a pattern. Regardless. In Genesis 22:6 Issac carries the fire and knife up the mountain. Meaning, pre-made, in a container, fire.

there’s only one more left but you can see for yourself. http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=fire&version1=31&searchtype=all&limit=none&wholewordsonly=no

In Genesis 15:17 there is reference to a smoking firepot and a blazing torch. That’s it. the earliest mention of fire, and it’s not a new concept, or new word, or idea or invention. Just plain, old, regular boring run of the mill fire.

So my Issue is this, like I already stated. If God created all, and fire is the most important achievement in human life, why is it not stated that God either himself created fire being that it’s so important, after all, Lucifer had to have somewhere to go correct? Or that his creation, man, discovered, harnessed or created fire himself? All mentions in the bible show no indication of fire being a new concept but one that was common and an everyday part of life.

I’m of the belief that if one part of the bible is incorrect then by proximity and principle all parts have to be considered incorrect or at minimum be taken with an epic grain of salt. I find most Christians agree and believe all parts of the bible have to be true for it to be accurate and that you believe in all of the bible or none of it. Of course until some part is proven wrong. Then that rule is tossed aside. For me, the fact that the bible does nothing in terms of resolving the invention or capturing of fire is a huge flaw and gap in the reality of the origin of man therefore proof that the bible is wrong and as a result that religion is a farce. Most every religion is actually the documentation on the origin of a culture or civilization. They all have creation stories, all very similar. Science has proven the earth is older than the bible claims and that such a claim is impossible. Instead it’s more likely that Christianity and the bible are actually documenting the origin of Jewish people and their ancestors. Which is funny to me because I’ve known so many Christians who believe Jewish people are going to hell for not believing in Christ. This would make sense when taking into account that at the very first mention of fire, its already considered common knowledge what fire even is. By then it would have been used for hundreds of thousands of years. Possibly even a million or 2.

So that’s my “AH HAH!”. My deep thought, my proof of the fallibility of the bible therefore Christianity and then logically of all religion