Research Article
Metaphor or not metaphor: Harmonizing cosmological and scriptural-text account of creation
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.4108/eai.14-3-2019.2292047, author={Willem Willem and Andrew P.L. Tobing and Suardin Gaurifa}, title={Metaphor or not metaphor: Harmonizing cosmological and scriptural-text account of creation}, proceedings={Proceedings of the 1st International Conference of Global Education and Society Science, ICOGESS 2019,14 March, Medan, North Sumatera, Indonesia}, publisher={EAI}, proceedings_a={ICOGESS}, year={2020}, month={2}, keywords={metaphor cosmological creation}, doi={10.4108/eai.14-3-2019.2292047} }- Willem Willem
Andrew P.L. Tobing
Suardin Gaurifa
Year: 2020
Metaphor or not metaphor: Harmonizing cosmological and scriptural-text account of creation
ICOGESS
EAI
DOI: 10.4108/eai.14-3-2019.2292047
Abstract
Development of scientific knowledge had previously undermined people’s embrace of the scriptural-text account of creation when cosmology established its explanation of the coming into being of the universe. From the perspective of those who embrace the scriptural-text account, there are two main strands of responses to the cosmological proposition, i.e., first, those who reject it and hold on tightly to the scriptural-text account literally and, second, those who receive it and consequently have to find an alternative metaphorical interpretation of the scriptural-text account. Schroeder’s (1992) evaluation of astrophysical and cosmological principles resulted in an unexpected account that the coming into being of the universe fits into the literal interpretation of the six-day process (six times 24 hours), but that the observation was made from the point of view of an observer present at the very initial stage of the process. The paper concludes that a harmony between scriptural-text and cosmological explanation cannot be achieved without allowing a level of metaphor involvement in the interpretation of the account.