Re: Genesis 9:1-4 - A Commentary on God's Concession to Eat Flesh by Frank L. Hoffman
Dear Batya and Others:
Thank you for the very thorough and illuminating insights into this Bible passage.
I agree that we are on a long journey back to perfection, but in Genesis 8:21 God does say that "man's heart is evil from his youth". Do you have another take on this?
I have more and more come to believe that the knowing indifference to the pain and suffering of any living being (human or non-human) is evil. This condition within most humans seems to be more of a deliberate act than an immaturity (unfinished state). The "Don't tell me. I don't want to know." response is in reality an acknowledgement of the evil being done behind the scenes.
Referring to your comment on "soul" and "life" in Genesis 9:4, the English Bible translation of "nefesh" is "life". My reference was to the English translation use of "life" rather than "soul".
In the Love of the Lord,
Frank
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