[jeffl]

Excellent; yes, it actually does come to the issue of consciousness. The question is bigger that just realities in the bible; but i can answer. I'm suggesting that there was a real, active collective consciousness from whos perspective the various grounded spiritual perspectives might be said to be 'true.'

The question becomes, how might this consciousness present to us after the fact? I would point to the fact that neurons communicate by 'smell;' which is to say, a chemical signal diffuses through a solvent to trigger a physical response at receptors: and consider this with the fact that a common notion in grounded mythology is the idea of 'odors pleasing to the lord.' To frame the question properly, one should also ask one's self how else information might be transmitted in prehistoric structures; the reading of the flights of birds might have a grounded place in a functional dynamic, prehistoric trade routes, etc.. It's also worth asking where the real power lies, and how might this present to the individual humans present in that functional niche at the time.

With all of this in mind, i can answer your particular question, SB, by pointing to Cain and Able as described by Daniel Quinn in Ishamael. I say they're real because spirit is real; they have as much reasonable ground as anyone in this forum. And i've answered all of your questions.