WHY WOULD AN ALL POWERFUL GOD NEED BILLIONS OF YEARS TO CREATE THE WORLD?
Here CAT page 22 item 8 resorts to emotional, “logical” arguments to state their case. In this entry I will try to quickly address each question raised:
“If Christ is all of these things [All- POWERFUL, ALL-KNOWING, ABSOLUTE PERFECTION], He is certainly capable of creating the world in one blinding instant.
This is a very weak and emotion based argument. True, He is indeed capable of creating the universe in an instant. I dare say, in the light of His power and transcendence, that really six-days are just as much “over-kill” and unnecessary as 13 billion years. Yes- God could have done it all in six-days, six-hours, six-minutes, six-nanoseconds. But that is not the point. One can fill all the volumes of all the books in history with what and how God “COULD” have done things. The point is, “How DID God do it?” And the record of nature shows that He did take billions of years and not billionths of a second to create this universe as concluded independently in every major discipline of science. Meanwhile, OEC makes the strong case that the Bible supports this time-frame. [1]
Why would such a Creator use a slow process rife with dead ends (repeated animal extinctions) and new starts?
Excusing the pun, but these “dead ends” are not what they seem to the casual observer. Again, while maybe God COULD have done it differently, the reliable record of nature (Romans 1:20) shows that God pretty much did it as is observed by the main-stream study of His creation with respect to time scales and order of appearance.
One reason for billions of years of past life before the advent of humans was to prepare the earth for human civilization. The lives and deaths of plants, animals (even bacteria)- buried and subjected to high temperatures, pressures, and the actions of plate tectonics- has left the earth with an immense supply of biodeposits. Most people are aware of petroleum products- oil, natural gas, and coal. These God created resources power modern civilization and make our lives good. The Bible even mentions the benefit of these before the flood (contradicting the YEC assertion that oil deposits are the result of the flood) [2]. Also, past living organisms are responsible for the vast stores of limestone and marble (formed from the shells of countless mollusks, corals, etc.). From past bacteria comes many of the concentrated metal ores found in the earth. Without all these biodeposits, modern civilization would not be possible. In fact, RTB contends that modern communication methods and transportation (which depend upon these biodeposits) fit well into God plan to fulfill the Great Commission globally today. This alone is a great reason why God spent so much time (our time, not His) preparing the earth for human arrival.
Another reason God reason for God taking so long in creating the universe, is hinted at the in Scriptures (examples Isaiah 65:16-18 and Proverbs 8:27-31). God enjoyed creating, and most would agree- when something is enjoyed and a delight it is savored.
Last, Psalm 104:29-30 hints that God did use creation-extinction in the process in creating, “When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.”[3].
“Why stretch the process over the lifetimes of millions of generations of animals- all this before getting to the point, the creation of man?”
Why would such a Creator use a slow process rife with dead ends (repeated animal extinctions) and new starts?
Excusing the pun, but these “dead ends” are not what they seem to the casual observer. Again, while maybe God COULD have done it differently, the reliable record of nature (Romans 1:20) shows that God pretty much did it as is observed by the main-stream study of His creation with respect to time scales and order of appearance.
One reason for billions of years of past life before the advent of humans was to prepare the earth for human civilization. The lives and deaths of plants, animals (even bacteria)- buried and subjected to high temperatures, pressures, and the actions of plate tectonics- has left the earth with an immense supply of biodeposits. Most people are aware of petroleum products- oil, natural gas, and coal. These God created resources power modern civilization and make our lives good. The Bible even mentions the benefit of these before the flood (contradicting the YEC assertion that oil deposits are the result of the flood) [2]. Also, past living organisms are responsible for the vast stores of limestone and marble (formed from the shells of countless mollusks, corals, etc.). From past bacteria comes many of the concentrated metal ores found in the earth. Without all these biodeposits, modern civilization would not be possible. In fact, RTB contends that modern communication methods and transportation (which depend upon these biodeposits) fit well into God plan to fulfill the Great Commission globally today. This alone is a great reason why God spent so much time (our time, not His) preparing the earth for human arrival.
Another reason God reason for God taking so long in creating the universe, is hinted at the in Scriptures (examples Isaiah 65:16-18 and Proverbs 8:27-31). God enjoyed creating, and most would agree- when something is enjoyed and a delight it is savored.
Last, Psalm 104:29-30 hints that God did use creation-extinction in the process in creating, “When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.”[3].
“Why stretch the process over the lifetimes of millions of generations of animals- all this before getting to the point, the creation of man?”
Reading all the Bible has to say about God’s career as Creator one gets a different conclusion. We are not the “point” of the creation. The point of the creation is for His glory. Many OEC would argue that Revelation 21 and 22 are the end-point of God’s creation, when God fully reveals His glory and majesty, and not the advent of humanity.
“The Creator doesn’t need time; He doesn’t need to experiment. PC stains God’s true glory, majesty, and power- the very characteristics that define [H]im.”
Again, the question is not, “did God NEED the time?” The real question is “Did God TAKE the time?” The earth as He created it can only support so much biodiversity at a given time. I would contend that God really showed His glory, majesty, and power by taking billions of years. Using different eras and eon of creation and preserving these to point to His past miracles; displays the diversity and depth of His creative “imagination” from the past to the present.
In summary, according to the best examinations of the record of nature, God exquisitely fine-tuned the characteristics of the Earth for 4 billion years before the advent of humanity. This resulted in the maximum diversity of life, which translates into a rich abundance of natural resources (biodeposits) for humanity. COULD God have done it differently? Sure, He could have done most anything, including NOT create us. But that is not the question. The question is “DID He do it differently?”
“The Creator doesn’t need time; He doesn’t need to experiment. PC stains God’s true glory, majesty, and power- the very characteristics that define [H]im.”
Again, the question is not, “did God NEED the time?” The real question is “Did God TAKE the time?” The earth as He created it can only support so much biodiversity at a given time. I would contend that God really showed His glory, majesty, and power by taking billions of years. Using different eras and eon of creation and preserving these to point to His past miracles; displays the diversity and depth of His creative “imagination” from the past to the present.
In summary, according to the best examinations of the record of nature, God exquisitely fine-tuned the characteristics of the Earth for 4 billion years before the advent of humanity. This resulted in the maximum diversity of life, which translates into a rich abundance of natural resources (biodeposits) for humanity. COULD God have done it differently? Sure, He could have done most anything, including NOT create us. But that is not the question. The question is “DID He do it differently?”
FOOTNOTES:
[1] This will be shown in others postings but one can also go to: http://www.godandscience.org/youngearth/longdays.html (accessed 6.30.2007)
[2] This is indicated by the existence of pitch (a petroleum product) existing before the flood in Genesis 6:14
[3] The key to seeing this is the Hebrew word used for “created” is “bara”. This has meaning of creating something brand-new, never seen before.
[1] This will be shown in others postings but one can also go to: http://www.godandscience.org/youngearth/longdays.html (accessed 6.30.2007)
[2] This is indicated by the existence of pitch (a petroleum product) existing before the flood in Genesis 6:14
[3] The key to seeing this is the Hebrew word used for “created” is “bara”. This has meaning of creating something brand-new, never seen before.
No comments:
Post a Comment