The Bible clearly states that God created the animals, but He breathed into man the breath of life and man became a living soul. It also says that God created man in his own image. So you look like God, as the entire world does.

This statement does away with the notion of evolution because if we were made to look like God and He was a monkey, then we would still look like monkeys. Man has a soul where as animals do not. Animals have a body and that is it. They have no soul or spirit to commune with God.

God also created man to rule over the animals and have dominion over them. He made man to have fellowship with Him so that He could enjoy His handiwork. God could have made you like a puppet or an animal without the ability to think for yourself, but what pleasure would He have gotten out of that. You would obey Him like your dog obeys you when you speak. This is what God wants from all of us, but He gave man a soul so that we could live forever with Him. If man did not have a soul that never dies, there would be no need to believe or worship God. Without your soul, when you die, that would be the end of your being. The soul is the essence of man and that is how you are to worship God with all of your heart, mind, and soul.

According to the Christian and Jewish religions, Adam and Eve were the first humans. Referred to as the first parents, it is written that all humans have descended from them. These parents were created by God for the purposes of taking care of his creations to populate the earth.

Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. In the book of Genesis 2:15, God instructed them to maintain the garden. They named all of the animals and ate the gardens fruit. God instructed both of them to eat plentifully from the trees, except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God stated that Adam would die if he ate the fruit. This was a command from God and all commands were to be obeyed. One day in the garden, Satan spoke to Eve as a serpent and convinced her to eat the fruit. Eve took the fruit to Adam and he agreed to eat the fruit. This was disobedient to God’s commandment, and therefore, Adam and Eve used their free will to disobey God’s command. As a result, God condemned them from the garden.

This act of free will brought sin into the world. This sin has caused many forms of evil in the world today including slavery, torture, pain during birth, plagues throughout the world, and men and women laboring to obtain food. This sin in some religions is known as the "Original sin." It is called the original sin because it was the very first sin committed when Adam and Eve disobeyed one of God’s commandments.

The bible inspirational power comes to us in many different ways. Some people get inspiration from the bible during times of pain and lost. Then some can just use a daily quiet time to get inspiration from the bible.

People can get inspiration from the bible during the time of the loss of a loved one. Because of the scriptures that are used, the message can be very heart-warming and thoughtful for the person that may be struggling with the loss.

During a time of loss of a family member many people are so sad that they find it hard to find any inspiration in people and the truth that comes out. But after time for them to sit and have some time to think about what is said, you then can see the inspiration that was stated during the message that was given during the funeral.

Oswald Chambers' devotional book "My Utmost for His Highest," has devotions that take on the inspiration of the Bible. His devotions can be very inspirational to people because the devotion for that day may be the same thing that they are going through at that moment. The daily devotions are best used for quiet times in which it is just you and God. During your quite time you can be inspired by God to do things that you may not have thought you are able to do, but you can do it through his help. Some days the devotions may not mean anything to you, but then on other days it could mean the world to you.

Inspiration is also used in may different forms to show you things such as guidance or just give you a little pick me up during the day.

Perhaps the most talked about contemporary issue in recent times as it relates to Christianity is the debate over gay marriage. It is seen as an extension of the increasing trend towards open homosexuality. Once taboo and forced to be practiced in secret, the taboo is now more openly accepted in today's society

Religious leaders around the world have almost always agreed that homosexuality, and the relatively new extension of gay marriage is not of God. The biblical background to this belief is that sex was designed by God for procreation, hence the creation of male and female. Christian philosophy is almost always based on The Holy Bible, in the book of Leviticus, chapter 20 and verse 13, it states “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

Proverbs 6:29 and Ezekiel 22:11, clearly speak out against adultery as another form of sexual immorality.

A well read Christian may also argue that homosexuality was such an abomination in the sight of God that He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorra, to unseat the blatant practices there. While Jesus himself is not recorded as having addressed the issue of homosexuality specifically, the word of God does not change. An Old Testament scripture definitely condemns all forms of sexually a sin.

It is important to remember however, that while Christians are expected to uphold biblical values, Jesus himself does not condemn any one for their sin. Instead He expects the church to embrace everyone and minister to them. He said in Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Interpreting the Bible can be a daunting process. With today's liberalism and focus on philosophy, determining the meaning of the Word of God can be very confusing. There are so many interpretations of the written word that finding meaning often requires a great deal of study. Luckily, there are many resources to help interpret the world's oldest book.

Tools for interpreting the Bible often depends on what your objectives are. If you practice a certain faith, such as Christianity, then churches offer many Bible study groups to help the process. Studying the Bible with others is an important tool in understanding each passage, as well as allowing it to take meaning in your own life, if that is what you hope for. Talking to clergy members such as local pastors, priests, and ministers can be integral in understanding how the Word is interpreted within each church's statement of faith.

If you are hoping to interpret the Bible on an educational level, clergy is still a wonderful resource. Libraries offer many books that help explain the meaning of stories, parables, and passages, as well. The Internet is also a great resource, as are college libraries. It is important to realize how many times the Bible has been translated over the last two millennia, as much has probably been lost over the centuries. A good look into historical situations and events, philosophy, different cultures, and religions is a good way to study how the Bible has been, and is currently, interpreted. As long as there is the written word, there will be resources to help even the most accomplished scholar understand the Bible and its many messages and meanings.