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There are different ways to read and understand the Bible.

Some Christians believe that the Bible stories, including the Genesis account, should be taken literally. This means that the biblical accounts are to be taken as fact, ie that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, and that no alternative or scientific theory is considered.

Some Christians believe that the Bible accounts and stories have to be understood within the time that they were written. The authors of the biblical books had limited knowledge of science and the world, so the Genesis account was their way of trying to explain what they believed.

Other Christians interpret the Genesis account alongside science and reason to try and understand the key message – that God is responsible for the creation of the world. Science may be able to explain how the universe was created, but many Christians believe that religion explains the reason it was created.

• Literalist Christians may believe that God created the world exactly as it states in the Bible, ie God taking six days to create everything and resting on the seventh day.
• Non-literalist Christians may see biblical accounts as more mythical stories. They often agree with scientific theories such as the Big Bang, but many Christians believe that God caused these.