Problem: Genesis teaches that Cain and Abel were the first two descendents of Adam and Eve. But, in a moment of fear and panic, Cain told God that “whoever finds me will kill me” (Gen. 4:14), and later, Genesis states that “Cain had relations with his wife” (Gen. 4:17). Where did these other people come from?
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Problem: Genesis records, “So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell” (Gen. 4:3-5). Some commentators argue that God favored Abel’s sacrifice because it was a blood sacrifice, rather than a fruit sacrifice. Thus Abel’s sacrifice prefigures the ultimate sacrifice of Christ. Is this the case?
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Problem: How many Gods are there, one or many? The Bible speaks of both one and many. There is only one God in actuality, but there are many false gods that idolators believe in.
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Problem: Why would God increase the pain of childbirth because of Eve’s disobedience to Him? Some think it is an unfair penalty to make all women suffer for Eve’s sin.
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Problem: God tells Eve, “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Gen. 3:16). Did God really command that men should rule over their wives?
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Problem: The Douah-Rheims Bible (the standard Roman Catholic English Bible until the middle of the twentieth century) reads: “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and they seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel” (Gen. 3:15). Here, the descendant of Eve is a woman, who will crush the work of Satan (“She shall crush they head…”). Does this picture Mary—Jesus’ mother—as co-redemptrix?
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Problem: Doesn’t God saying “Adam, where are you?” show God didn’t know something? No, because it wasn’t a question for God to learn from, but to inform Adam about his condition.
“Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:9).
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Problem: God asks the first humans, “Where are you?” However, the Bible teaches that God is all-knowing (Ps. 147:5; Heb. 4:13). Did God really not know where they were? Why would an omniscient being need to ask questions like this?
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Problem: Critics argue that aspects of the Genesis account are simply too fanciful to be believed. For instance, this verse about talking snakes is a clear case of mythology.
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Problem: While Genesis 1 places animals before the creation of humans, Genesis 2 teaches that these animals were “formed” after humans were created.
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Problem: Genesis 1 declares that animals were created before humans, but Genesis 2:19 seems to reverse this, saying, “the Lord God formed every beast of the field … and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them,” implying Adam was created before they were.
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Problem: When God created Adam, he said, “I will make him a helper suitable for him” (Gen. 2:18). Many feminist critics of the Bible find this offensive. Are women merely “helpers” for men?
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Problem: Modern science tells us that animals have been killing and eating each other for millions of years. And yet, Genesis teaches that animal death began at the fall of human –thousands of years ago. Which is true?
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Problem: Critics argue that the rivers in Genesis 2 are purely mythical, which supports the notion that Genesis is mythopoeic literature. Is this the case?
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Problem: JEDP theorists note multiple names for God in the Hebrew text. In Genesis 1:1-2:3, the author uses the term “Elohim” for God, while Genesis 2:4 introduces the term “Yahweh” for God. Critics argue that a later author/editor must have come across two creation stories, splicing them together. One is from the Elohist (or “E”) source, and the other is from the Yahwist (or “J”) source.
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