Last Class

This week we put the wraps on a semester of discussing "Science and the Bible." It was a varied group of interested and enthusiastic folks, and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. As a small sample of the great subjects we covered over the 14 weeks, here's the three (or so) topics with which we wrestled in the last 2-hour class...

The origin of human beings--We compared the evolutionary and biblical ideas about how to explain humanity, and assessed each idea with regard to the paleontological, archaeological, and genetic evidence.

Hebrew genealogies, with special attention to those in Genesis 5 and 11 and whether they can be used to arrive at a date for the creation of Adam.

The origin of consciousness and the mind/body problem--We looked at the materialist and the dualist understandings of consciousness, and examined the evidence for the existence of an immaterial mind and the existence and immortality of human souls.

Just a typical class, and the students hung with me all the way. I can't wait to teach this course again in a year or two.