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Arguments against progressive creationism
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
Arguments against progressive creationism are the theological and scientific criticisms derived from Biblical exegesis. They address the main beliefs of Progressive creationism (also known as day-age creationism), which are:
- The days of Creation were extensive and not literal 24 periods of time.
- Noah's flood was not global, but a local flood.
- The Earth was created over 15 billion years ago.
- There was blood, disease, and suffering before Adam & Eve.
- There were Pre-Adamites that roamed the Earth-a different human race without a spirit.
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The Days of creation
Progressive creationists hold the belief that the 6 days of creation in Genesis 1 occurred over vast ages of time. The word 'yom' means 'day' in Hebrew, but since it doesn't always have a specific 24 hour limit, they believe that they can take a non-literal meaning of 'yom' in Genesis 1. However, the meaning of the word day is made clear by the authors repetitive use of the phrase "evening and morning", which clarifies that the period of time was equivalent to the solar day.
The most obvious problem with the day-age perspective is the order of events in the Biblical creation week. In Genesis 1 the Bible clearly describes the creation of plants on day 3, but the sun was not created until day 4. This poses a conundrum as plants can obviously not survive for prolonged periods of time without the sun, and the description seems to provide an obvious testament to a creation over a very short period of time.
Creation Days 3 & 4
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day." - Genesis 1:11-19 (KJV)
Noah's Flood Was Local
- Main Article: Local flood
Progressive Creationists believe that the flood of Noah was only a local event because the population of the earth was so sparse that it was not expanded over the entire globe. Instead, they claim upon that theory that it simply would not be necessary to wipe out the entire earth if there was no civilization around the globe.
Dr. Ross professes in the following statement that because of the fact that humans were not inhabited throughout the world, that it would not be necessary for God to destroy that portion of the earth.
| “ | But here are some reasons why, physical reasons why, the flood cannot be global. Number one is the limited extent of sin. Given that human beings had not yet civilized and inhabited Antarctica, there'd be no need for God to flood Antarctica because there'd be no sin there in Antarctica. Dr. Hugh Ross's Quote | ” |
Dr. Ross could have a feeble stab at proving this statement to be true--but if we are looking at the original Hebrew text, the word kol is used, which translates to mean all/every. The English example of using the language "all" is found in these next passages where God is putting it into our language for us to understand today that it was a global flood.
"And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered." - Genesis 7:19 (KJV)
"And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died." - Matthew 7:21-22 (KJV)
So, why then would Noah need an ark to be built? Why would it be necessary for all the animals to come there? Why not God just instruct them to gather somewhere else where the local flood would not be? Ross claims that the ark was the platform on which he was to prophesy to the people about what was about to happen. Every prophet needs a platform. (Okay, then why so big?)
There are particular passages that Dr. Ross believes that "the whole world" are used in a reference that doesn't necessarily mean global.
The Earth Was Created Over 15 billion Years Ago
Dr. Ross comments on the age of the earth:
| “ | It only works in a cosmos of a hundred-billion trillion stars that’s precisely sixteen-billion-years old. This is the narrow window of time in which life is possible.
Therefore it allows me to make an interesting paraphrase of John 3:16, if you’ll permit—For God so loved the human race that he went to the expense of building a hundred-billion trillion-stars and carefully shaped and crafted them for sixteen-billion years so that at this brief moment in time we could all have a nice place to live.’ (Dallas Theological Seminary Chapel Service, September 13, 1996). [1] | ” |
One can not claim that "It only works in a cosmos of hundred-billion trillion stars that's precisely sixteen-billion-years old." Or "Life is only possible when the universe is between 12 and 17 billion years.’ (Toocoa Falls Christian College, Staley Lecture Series, March 1997) [2] If he was to secure his faith in Christianity, he would be limiting God, which cannot be done because as Christians, we believe in God being all-powerful. We can not put limits on His works.
"But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?" - 2_Chronicles 2:6 (KJV)
God is majestic and not to be bound by time.
Suffering Before Adam and Eve
Progressive Creationists believe that there is no way around death, disease and blood before Adam and Eve committed the original sin. Even in the most stable and fool-proof environment, there would be ways to be scratched and poked. Progressive Creationists believe that it is never specified that there was no meat to be eaten - They were given grass and vegetation, but it never ruled out meat. Therefore, there were predators and prey... But we see in Genesis 9:3 that God specifies that in that point in time, he gave them "permission" to eat more than just grass.
"Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things." - Genesis 9:3 (KJV)
They believe that physical death did not originate with the fall of man; only spiritual death did.
"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." - Genesis 3:16-19 (KJV)
Adam's life began at the dust where the hands of God created Him, and God was saying, to the dust will he returns when he dies...physically.
Pre-Adamites Roamed the Earth
An advocate for the Progressive Creationist faith is Dr. Ross.
| “ | Starting about 2 to 4 million years ago, God began creating man-like mammals or ‘hominids.’ These creatures stood on two feet, had large brains, and used tools. Some even buried their dead and painted on cave walls.
However, they were different from us. They did not worship God or establish religious practices. In time, all these man-like creatures went extinct. Then, about 10 to 25 thousand years ago, God replaced them with Adam and Eve.’ (Reasons To Believe Web Site, updated July 8, 1997) [3] | ” |
God never mentions these 'hominids' in the Bible. They believe Adam and Eve were created 4,000 years later (BC). But Mark 10:6 says
"But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female." - Mark 10:6 (KJV)
Humans were created at Creation - that was Adam and Eve, not years and years later after hominids had roamed the earth.
See Also
References
Further Reading
- Sarfati, J., 2004, Refuting Compromise
- Progressive Creationism Timeline Chart
- Creation Compromises Gap Theory, Theistic Evolution, Progressive Creation
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