Problems with progressive creationism

From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science

There are theological and scientific problems with progressive creationism that need to be addressed. The main beliefs of Progressive creationism 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.

1 The Days of creation
2 Noah's Flood Was Local
3 The Earth Was Created Over 15 billion Years Ago
4 Suffering Before Adam and Eve
5 Pre-Adamites Roamed the Earth
6 Related References
7 See Also

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 in doesn't always have a specific 24-hr limit, he believes he can take a non-literal meaning of 'yom' in Genesis 1. But by God claiming that there was a morning and an evening, it was as if he was trying make it crystal clear that these were literal days.

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 Genesis 1:11 And God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth." And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. 14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

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.

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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

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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.

Genesis 7:19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered
Genesis 7: 21-22 Every living thing that moved on the earth perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.

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:

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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]

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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.

2 Chronicles 2:6 6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?

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 & 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.

Genesis 9:3 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

They believe that physical death did not originate with the fall of man; only spiritual death did.

Genesis 3:16-19

Genesis 3:16-19 16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." 17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

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.

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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]

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God never mentions these 'hominids' in the Bible. They believe Adam and Eve were created 4,000 years later (B.C.) But Mark 10:6 says

Mark 10:6 But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female.

Humans were created at Creation--that was Adam and Eve, not years and years later after hominids had roamed the earth.