Which is more likely?

[Athetotheist]

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
(Genesis 11:1-9)

Is it more likely that this literally happened, or is it more likely that this was originally someone's answer when a child asked why people in different places have different languages?

[Athetotheist]

[Replying to RBD in post #48]

Since the builders of the tower were certainly building without God, then God would contradict Himself by saying nothing would be impossible to them...

So, of course, I was wondering of that were the intent of the retranslation...

It loses nothing in the "retranslation".

[Athetotheist]

[Replying to RBD in post #49]

My interpretation is that Nimrod was one of the earlier great men in the presence of the Lord, along with Abel, Cain, Enoch, and Noah, who went the way of Cain from before the LORD, to stand against Him to His face.

Disagree with scholars all you want.

[Athetotheist]

[Replying to RBD in post #50]

What? I'm supposed to make a serious answer to every foolish statement? I prefer making fun of it.

I suppose that's easiest if you don't have a comeback.


Do I have to quote Galileo's "sense, reason and intellect" line again?

Get a sense of humor already.

Adam and Eve had already clothed themselves in the garden. Transgression is why souls die, not why people wear clothes. The LORD's wisdom and mercy showed them how to wear proper clothing...

You're leaving out the talking snake....