Was the Garden of Eden(Bible) story copied from Babylonian Dilmun epic?
824187
Nope.  \n\nSecularists especially, use these "Didn't the (whatever Bible story) get copied from (whatever extra-biblical source)?"  all the time.  These have been discredited over and over again, yet they keep coming back.\n\nWhile it is true that there are similar stories in various other ancient texts, they are also very dissimilar.  You can look to the Amarna Letters, Babylonian Theodicy, Elba Tablets, Hammurabi's Code, Ishtar's Descent, Ludlul Bel Nemedi, Mari Tablets, and innumerable others, and find stories that are similar to the Bible's.  That hardly allows for them to be sources.\n\nKeep in mind also, when the Flood occurred, it was world-wide, and every ancient civilization recorded it.  These are also descendants of Noah, who abandoned YHWH as God, and followed idols instead.  The veracity of the story remains.  You can look to other stories in the same vein.
1160947
I don't think they were. I don't think there was a singular Adam and an Eve, as much of the writing of the times was symbolic, and written to convey an idea, not necessarily fact. That is not to say that it was not a divinely inspired story to show that early mankind willfully disobeyed God.\nTechnically speaking, if they were from the same geographic region as Jesus, they would have physical attributes representing the origins of all races. \nToo many European artist renderings muddy the waters.
275460
The bible is a book of stories passed down thro generations. Don't take it seriously
712049
The story of Noah's ark is only a retelling of a much older Mesopotamian flood account. However, the Mesopotamian's didn't have the god and punishment of sin in their story. It was added for the drama and fear that is seen throughout the bible.\n\nHow big would it have been? Well the bible tells you! A cubit is about a foot and a half long. Do the math. And how did Noah get 2 of each species from all the continents from all over the world?\n\nModern day shipbuilders don't believe the story. He had tools made of stone! It is simply not possible. (just watched a National geographic show on Noah's ark)Why should we? \n\nGrowing number of scientists who believe? Where? Can you give your source of info? Oh do you mean they believe in a flood or in the story of Noah?\n\nThere is much to doubt not only about Noah, but about the entire book.
615826
Scriptural metaphors shouldn't be taken literally.  The notion that we are created from earth is based on truth. You were created from your mother's food, which was created from the earth by the power of the sun, mediated by genetic programs for plant growth.  You were what she ate!  Now you are what YOU eat.  We are constantly re-"creating"  ourselves by what we eat, all of which comes from the earth, or from the dirt, if you will.  \n\nIt was this basic insight that lead to the metaphor of God, (the sun or the Son) creating people out of the earth.  A quite natural process was turned into "God magic" for the sake of supporting a new religious belief which Muhammed was building up out of a synthesis of Judaism, Christianity, and Arab Paganism and tribal customs.  But it's not magic; just Mother Nature doing what She normally does.
697954
Chapter two is just rehashing of the creation. Not another creation. It is like a synopsis of what happened in the first chapter.\n\n Chapter 2 of Genesis apparently adds some details. However, it is not, as some have concluded, another account of creation in conflict with that of chapter 1. It just takes up at a point in the third “day,” after dry land appeared but before land plants were created, adding details that were pertinent to the arrival of humans—Adam the living soul, his garden home, Eden, and the woman Eve, his wife.—Genesis 2:5-9, 15-18, 21, 22.\n\n The foregoing is presented to help us understand what Genesis says. And this quite realistic account indicates that the creative process continued throughout a period of, not just 144 hours (6 × 24), but over many millenniums of time.
1030895
This Scriptural passage discusses three from among the first offspring of Adam and Eve. We know that Adam and Even also had other offspring.\n(Genesis 5:4) And the days of Adam after his fathering Seth came to be eight hundred years. Meanwhile he became father to sons and daughters. \n\nClearly, Cain's wife was either a sister or niece of his from among Adam and Eve's other offspring. There is nothing in this passage on which to base the idea that Cain's wife was of a race of mankind different from Adam and Eve. Similarly, there is nothing in this passage on which to base the idea that Cain was of a particular race or that his "sign" was anything more than a public proclamation by God.\n\nSince all of mankind was wiped out by the Noachian flood, none of the names in Genesis chapter 4 can relate to post-flood nations.
745427
The disicples wrote the bible
376180
Nope, not possible.  It is simply a work of fiction, albeit a very interesting one.\n\nThe bible was created merely as a means to further control and establish fear in the people of its time.
204888
There;\n\nhttp://www.gotquestions.org/garden-of-Eden-location.html
1028373
No.  The Bible is a compilation of stories written by different authors.  Consider it more of an anthology put together by the Catholic Church around 324 AD (the New Testament... the Old Testament is the Jewish Holy Book, which is also a compilation of stories written by different authors).
177235
Its a metaphorical story taken from even older texts.  If you read your Bible, it states that the serpent tempted Eve and not Satan.
532026
The Bible and Mormon Writings—A Study in Contrasts\n\n  Bible: Although the exact site is unknown, the garden of Eden was probably in the Mesopotamian region by the Euphrates River.—Genesis 2:11-14.\n\n  Doctrine and Covenants: Garden of Eden was in Jackson County, Missouri, U.S.A.—Doctrine and Covenants 57, as explained by President J. F. Smith.
505453
only jews came from Adam and Eve...Genesis is the beginning of the story for the jews
7522
Yes. the Garden of Eden was around present day Iraq and Iran. In Genesis 2:14, it says "The 3rd river is named Tigris, the one flowing east of Assyria. And the 4th river is Euphrates." The 1st and 2nd rivers are Pishon and Gihon, which has since dried.
314249
Yes, the story of the dinosaurs is told by the Life Carriers, the higher beings intrusted with life development on new spheres.\n\nhttp://www.urantia.org/papers/toc.html\n\nIn our universe the administration of these affairs is overseen by Christ, the Creator Son of God who founded our universe. If you read the New Testament carefully, you will see that Christ created our universe: Hebrews Ch 1, vs 2-3, and other places. Gabriel, the highest and first created being in our universe, The Bright Morning Star, is the Chief Executive and right hand to Christ.  He is assisted by the Melchizedeks, one of whom taught Abraham:  Hebrews, Chapter 7 (Machiventa Melchizedek, no earthly parents).\n\nMortals are not created perfect, rather they are created with the capacity to evolve to perfection.  \n\nBoth planets and universes can evolve to ages of Light and Life, when few people die from crime, war, disasters, and aging.  Rather, most are translated to the next higher sphere for which they have qualified.\n\nAt the Center of the Total Reality there is one pattern universe containing one billion perfect and diverse worlds.\n\nBut the surrounding superuniverses (seven of them) are intended to evolve to perfection.  Each superuniverse is administered by three Ancients of Days, the oldest beings of historical record with respect to the time and space creations.  They are not ascendant mortals, rather were here long before any of the lowest planets were started.  \n\nThe Ancients of Days are of a type called Supreme Trinity Origin beings, flawless, and having authority with respect to the superuniverse like the Supreme Court has with respect to the USA.  However, they act as administrators more than judges, and have a huge staff to assist the execution of superuniverse affairs.  Periodic planetary judgment falls under their purview, thus one is mentioned in the Book of Daniel.\n\nEach superuniverse encompasses 100,000 local universes, each founded by a Creator Son of God, like unto Christ in Divine Endowments.\n\nI was about to write more, but the Spirit said, I will test my children, to see if they are diligent.\n\nTherefore I can only give a url for those humble enough to seek further light.\n\nhttp://www.urantia.org/papers/toc.html
382528
No.  The images and language of Revelation was a common literary type at the time.  This type of literature (called "apocalyptic") was characterized by visions filled with fantastic images, which were NOT understood as attempting to be a literal description but depicted major and cataclysmic events (esp acts of God) in human history, and the great struggle between good (God) and evil (his enemies).\n\nIn fact, the images found in Revelation have traceable roots to things that are by no means "alien" (that is in the "ET" sense). For instance, it uses symbolic language based on the Old Testament prophets as well as OT HISTORY -- those who knew their OT well would recognize it. \n\nIn particular, the descriptions of the plagues echoes things like the plagues on Egypt, preceding the exodus, expanded to a much grander scale with poetic embellishments.   Much of the description of heaven reflects the OT tabernacle and Temple (which were themselves meant to be a picture of "heaven on earth", that is where God comes down to meet with man).   Some of this language has been 'filtered' through OT poetic writings, such as the prophets.  (Thus, Ezekiel writing during the Babylonian Exile after the Temple in Jerusalem had been sacked, describes the hope of a more glorious new temple being erected.  Revelation picks up Ezekiel's language.)  \n\nSome of the most unusul imagery is derived from Daniel, who described four great  world kingdoms, beginning with Babylon in his own day and apparently extending to the Roman Empire, as horrible, powerful "beasts" cruelly taking over the earth.  (The end of that vision in Daniel 7 is the restoration of God's intent in creation when "one like a son of man" is given rule over the earth and overcomes these beasts [ompare Genesis 1:26-27].)   Well, in Revelation the images of the four beasts are COMBINED into one great, final beast (the Antichrist).\n\nThe notion that some of the poetic and prophetic language os Scripture was a description of encounters with aliens was put forth in a popular book of the 1970s, *Chariots of the Gods* by Eric vanDaniken.  Unfortunately, he had no real familiarity with the imagery he was reading and so saw things that simply are not there.  He did not recognize, for instance, when Ezekiel was poetically using the imagery of the Temple    (Esp. when Ezekiel describes a wheeled vehicle manned by four winged creatures, he fails to recognize that this is a vision of the ark of the covenant in the Temple -- a stylized 'throne of God' guarded by cherubim-- LEAVING the Temple because God has pronounced judgment on the city and Temple.   This misunderstood vision is the source of the book's name.)