To the Closing of the Year:
Probably the most stretching I've had to do this semester is not in reference to any sport or type of physical exercise. Under the direction of various professors, such as Mrs. Gossard (who is currently candidating for her doctorate, and is my Intro to Natural Sciences professor), Dr Yoder (Philosophy), Dr Toews (Linguistics), and Pastor Tom Allen (Gospels) these courses have caused me to think in ways I never have before. Sure, that's what these guys are paid to do... but I honestly thought I had a fairly good understanding on why it is I believe the way I do, even in the realm of science - the study of the natural world.
Let me explain:
Pulling together some of the things I've learned this semester + some prior knowledge (although I should get bonus points for pulling together the things I've learned from four different classes)
I've grown up knowing not only how important it is TO believe in the Bible, but how learning about science (the natural world) can add to that knowledge. Because the Bible is not exhaustive. We must realize this. It's not a textbook. It's a plan of God's redemption for the people of Israel, and by extension the entire world. Science, though, certainly fits into this Plan.
How could it not? King Solomon was wise in the ways of the natural world as well as in wisdom in justice - as detailed (or implied, at least) in the book of Ecclesiastes, and 1 Kings 10. St. Augustine declared, "All truth is God's truth" -- there is truth in science, there is truth in the Bible, there is truth in the mind of a man, and it all belongs to the Lord. Even Aquinas, perhaps Christianity's foremost theologian and Scholastic philosopher, believed in 'two books': The Book of Scripture, and the Book of the World -- specific versus general revelation. Through these two mediums, God reveals Himself to man.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made. Romans 1:20.
The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world
Psalm 19:1-4.
So. Awesome. Now that I've made an apology for studying the world around us (why wouldn't it be correct for me to say "Now that I've apologized for studying...." according to my Linguistics course, it would be an ambiguous statement... but that doesn't mean I don't want to say it......) onto bigger issues... controversy....
I was raised watching the Kent Hovind movies (a Young Earth Creation Scientist); I remember having a good laugh at the evolutionists who look at a picture of a prehistoric primate, sentimentally saying, "Our beloved ancestor! ...Grandpa!" Haha... Fossil records were turned upside down, carbon-dating thrown out the window as far as credibility goes, and dinosaurs are still alive. The Bible is right, and whoever says otherwise is doomed. If you don't believe in a six-day Creation, you're outside of the will of the Lord. And here's why... blah blah blah, point after empassioned point.
In eighth grade, I went so far as to make proverbial waves in my science class. My teacher administered a test on the theory of evolution. I answered each question perfectly - exactly what he wanted... but with a sarcastic and almost disrespectful lining in each response, alongside my personal leanings toward Creation. My science teacher kept the test. He was not pleased. Later that week, I snuck into his office and left pamphlets on his desk, clearly displaying the absurdity of evolution, and the superiority of believing in a Young Earth, created by God in a literal six-day Creation. I, then, was pleased... a secret agent for the cause of Creation.
Looking back on this semester, and on my prior study with the aid of Kent Hovind videos... I'm not so dogmatic about my beliefs on science.
Ok... I'm not going to 'ruin the surprise' for you by detailing WHY necessarily my ideas/beliefs have changed or expanded or deepened because:
A) it would take a very very long time for me to do, and to do well and this post is long enough as it is.... and...
B) I think this is something that YOU should research and consider for yourself. For my Intro to Natural Sciences course, I know I read plenty of articles and blogs by people who believe one way or the other, and their points were never enough to sway me. And I don't want you to think this is in ANY WAY an attempt to sway you toward a specific belief.
I merely pray that the Lord works in you the way He has in me.
SO, now all that's said and done, here's my stance. My statement, if you will.
"In the Beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." YES, this is true. The Bible says it. It is not metaphoric, it is a literal Creation of all energy, all matter... God is the First Cause, the Necessary Being. The Creator. And He created everything by speaking it into being - that the Bible also says. But, rather than just popping up, appearing as He said the words, stages of development or natural processes occurred. Why would they not? God uses natural processes in our daily lives - He has control over them all! - why would He not use natural processes to create life, to create the world? Or, otherwise, it might be of interest to note that He created Adam and Eve fully developed (or, that's how we've taken the text to mean)... perhaps the Earth was created with age as well? But that's neither here nor there. I'm less concerned with that than I am with other points. It's interesting to consider, nonetheless.
(SIDENOTE: Depending on the Hebrew translation, the first phrase of the first verse of Genesis, "In the Beginning", could also be "By the firstling" or "firstborn". Think about that. The first few verses in Genesis, and you have the whole Trinity represented! "By the Firstborn, God created the heavens and the earth...and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water." So, you've got God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Wow. Just somehting to think about.)
Now, this world the Lord created was perfect. Everything functioned as it ought - and perhaps as it will when He establishes His Reign in the New Earth. BUT. There was no death. Adam and Eve hadn't yet sinned... and the 'wages of sin is death'... so there couldn't have been death before the Fall. Logically, the sin of man caused death to enter into the world (not only a physical death, but a spiritual death as well - separation from God) - condemning humans and the world around them as well for the sin of disobedience. Genesis 1:30 says that the Lord declared, "Everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." Death, then, must be different for plants as opposed to animals, bacteria, humans... that type of thing. Because the Lord said it was good that it be eaten. (Hmm. This, I hadn't considered till now. Oh well.) Another thing to consider: Did God create animals to be vegetarian forever? Or did He create them with the potential to eat meat... with the knowledge that they would eventually? ...Weird. And I don't know. We probably can't know. But we do know that adaptation is a very real and powerful force in nature. We adapt to our environments (in an obvious way in the color of our skin, think think about it), so I suppose it wouldn't be farfetched to believe that everything was created as a vegetarian (with flat teeth, etc), and then as specific needs developed, perhaps certain species developed sharper teeth to deal with that need better. The Lord had His Hand in it, whatever that 'it' might be.
As far as arguments go for how long Adam and Eve stayed in the paradise of the Garden... I'm not fond of the Old Earth argument that Adam and Eve were in the Garden for ages and ages... while the outside world developed 'normally' over hundreds of millions to billions of years. Please. Think about it. The nature of man? Do you think YOU would have lasted even a DAY perfectly obeying the command of the Lord? Personally, I don't think they did either. They didn't last long at all.
...
Just some thoughts. Above, I said this would be my sort of "statement"... well, it turned out to be much more than I had anticipated. Hopefully it didn't bore you at all, that it caused you to think in ways that you haven't before, and that, ultimately, you will direct all adoration and awe toward the Father. Because He is the focus. CHRIST is the pinnacle of Creation!!! BY Him and THROUGH Him and FOR Him were all things made. AWEsome. If you take away one thing from this post, I pray that it is the fact that God is Sovereign - that He has a handle on what has happened, what's going on now, and what is to come. The rest is speculation by human and flawed minds, trying to put formulate theories and make observations about the world and the LORD its Creator and His infinite faculties!
