8 Common Creationist Beliefs: Part Two

In our last article, we discussed four of the eight most common beliefs held by those who subscribe to Creation. (You can read the article here).

In this second and final instalment, we take a look at the remaining four beliefs held by Creationists.

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5. That a Global Flood Took Place

The record preserved in Genesis 6 is clear: a catastrophic event took place, which covered the entire surface of the earth, causing extinction for every land-living thing that was not on the ark. An event such as this one is the only way to explain the peculiar location of sea fossils at heights hundreds of metres above sea level such as The Grand Canyon and The Himalayas.

Though geologists argue that rock layers were formed over millions of years, we have no witnesses that can attest to this theory. It is becoming more common now for scientists to acknowledge that sediment layers are mostly formed through a rapid deposit under circumstances such as a catastrophic flood.

6. That Dinosaurs and Humans Co-Existed

Genesis is clear that every kind of animal created was created on the same day as Adam.

Though science tells us that dinosaurs are millions of years old and can now be seen in the evolved form of birds, God claims that he created them at the same time as he created other animals, and human life. This means that dinosaurs could not have been long extinct before humans came into being, but rather co-existed with them before becoming extinct through environmental circumstances. The presence of dragon legends all over the world recorded by humans reinforces the theory that dinosaurs were not predecessors to humans, but rather were co-inhabitants.

7. That Every Race Originates From One Common Race

The Biblical account in both the Old and New Testament is very clear: all of humanity originated from one man and one woman. We are all members of the one race – the human race – which descended from Adam and Eve.

In popular culture we tend to think of skin as either ‘black’ or ‘white’ but in reality this is incorrect. In order for anybody’s skin to have a dark appearance, Adam and Eve must have had DNA that contained brown pigment. This means that every skin shade is derived from one shade: we are all some amount of ‘brown’.

At the scattering of Babel, different groups of people were isolated from one another and probably went onto have offspring within their own groups. This would allow for certain gene characteristics to remain within their group and concentrate into dominant genes. This explains the way in which we still see certain groups displaying distinctive characteristics in their physical appearance.

8. That Death Was Brought About Through the Fall

A common argument made by those who do not accept God is that a kind, good God would not have, or continue to, inflict death or suffering upon the world. However, creationists believe that the solution to this argument is given in Genesis where we see God create a world that is inherently good, but fractured through the rebellion and disobedience of humanity.

By the account of God’s own word, we know that these disobedient actions ushered in the existence of death and suffering. We know from Genesis 1 that after the six day creative week, God looked at his creation and acknowledged its inherent goodness.

It is true that our world is marred by death and is fundamentally broken, but we must understand that this is not through the fault of God but rather through the fault of man who broke God’s perfect creation. Creationists also acknowledge that everyone, including each person who blames God for the fractured state of the world is imperfect. Through Adam’s rebellion humanity was marred with sin. Not one of us is perfect.

Creationists believe that God created everything, knows everything and should be trusted in all matters. The alternative to trusting God is to trust imperfect, fallible humans who are just making guesswork of these important matters. We must stand confidently on the word of God as revealed through scripture.

To honour God’s creation, be sure to sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday!

8 Common Creationist Beliefs: Part One

Though there is some diversity in what is believed among creationists, there are a few matters which are common to creationist beliefs. Here are four of the eight most common beliefs held by those who subscribe to Creation…

That The Earth Was Created in Six Literal Days

Genesis 1 describes God’s creation of the world in six literal, 24-hour days. Each day is framed by the indication of the ‘evening’ and ‘morning’ as well as a day number such as ‘fourth day.

A belief in six literal days counters popular scientific claims that the earth was created over millions of years. The original authors of Genesis were not scientists, but rather were writers who wanted to convey an understandable message to their audience. Their language needed to be clear to the common Hebrew person, including their children, so as to get their theological message across. For this reason creationists also reject the idea that the days described in Genesis are to be taken as metaphorical days, or that each day actually represents a longer period of time (such as several million years).

Genesis 1 makes it clear that each day had an evening, a morning and a number – just like the days that we experience. Each day was also given time indicators such as the creation of the sun and moon – this way humanity had a way of measuring days, weeks, months and years. Further to these indicators, is the command given in Exodus 20:8-11 to work six days and rest on the seventh. This commandment was modelled off God’s creative activity over a week. We have no reason to doubt that the account of creation over six literal days is the literal truth, therefore, we must take the word at its face value.

That Radiometric Dating is Unreliable

Radiometric dating is believed by scientists to prove that rocks are millions of years old, but in order to believe this, one has to make strong assumptions about the content of the original rocks and the rate at which that content decays. Because there are no scientists that have been around for millions of years to watch and record the rate of radioactive decay, science assumes that the rate has always been the same as it is now, and base their findings based on this assumption.

The Bible makes it clear through accurately recorded genealogies that the age of the earth is only a few thousand years, thus promoting the theory of a young earth and universe.

God’s omnipotence transcends our human understanding of time so we must trust his word about how old the universe really is.

That a Variety of Kinds Were Created

Genesis 1 tells us that God created separately according to various kinds. We can still see this variety in the world around us.

The account in Genesis tells us that God created every living thing on days three, five and six of the Creation Week. Ten times throughout Genesis 1 we are told that God created according to its ‘kind’. This word is again used in relation to Noah’s Ark.

What does this all mean? It means that despite theories of animals evolving from single-cell organisms, animals are actually all varieties of their own kind. For example, there is a large amount of variety within the existence of dogs in the world. Different breeds of dogs are able to breed and thus create hybrid offspring, but they are still dogs. Dogs and cats are not able to interbreed simply because, God instated several kinds.

For example, donkeys and horses are all from the Equidae family. They can interbreed to produce mules, but they cannot breed with birds – they can only procreate according to their own kind. God placed the potential for variety within the created order, but it was, and continues to be done within the framework of the created kinds. Though God has allowed for variety, every species still belongs, inherently, to its own kind. Dogs are still dogs.

That Man Was a Unique Creation

Genesis 1 tells us that God created humanity in his own image. Men and women do not descend from apes, dolphins or any other mammal. Though we may share some anatomical similarities, we know from scripture that human beings are distinct, and created in the image of God. Claiming the theory of evolution means placing humanity as a consequence of evolution rather than the goal – an idea which stands in sharp contrast to the picture we get in Genesis.

Apart from obvious evidence that humans and apes are distinctly distinguishable, Bible-believing Christians also recognise the other distinctions that the human world has from the animal world – including our ability to be in relationship with our God, to pray, to read his word and to engage in his presence in a very real way.

Be sure to look out for part two of this article, where we look at the last four beliefs that are commonly held among creationists!

To honour God’s creation, be sure to sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday!

Adam and Eve: Matters of Original Sin

It’s the age old question: who actually sinned – Adam or Eve?

When we read Genesis 3, it can be difficult to decide who it was that was really responsible for the fall of creation. Satan was the first to display rebellion and Eve was the first to eat the fruit, yet Adam is placed with the blame throughout the bible. Who was at fault?

Eve

A common argument that Eve was blameless follows from the fact that the command was given to Adam before the creation of Eve;

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Though God did not directly command Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge, it is clear that she knew what the rules were;

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’

Rather than deliberately disobeying, Eve allows herself to be deceived into thinking that she has misunderstood the command;

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Though she wasn’t present to hear the command directly given in Genesis 2, Eve knew what could be eaten and what couldn’t. In a moment of weakness, she allowed herself to be tricked into thinking that perhaps she could eat the fruit after all. The Apostle Paul wrote;

And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

Eve herself told God that “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Satan

The serpent’s very presence in the garden makes it clear that sin, in one form or another, already existed. We know from prophets such as Ezekiel and Isaiah that Satan’s sin was steeped in pride and delusions of grandeur that led to his being cast out of the heavenly realm. The difference between original sin and the sin of Satan is the limitations on Satan’s sin. As an angelic being, Satan was never given dominion over creation as Adam was, nor was he ever going to produce any offspring who would be affected by his sin. Satan’s sinfulness affected only himself…UNLESS…he could deceive someone else and cause damage through them.

Satan needed Eve in order to carry out his destructive plans for the created order.

Adam

It is a common idea that Adam was the first sinner, responsible for the consequences of Genesis 3. This line of thinking has come from Paul;

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned

Adam is credited with the introduction of sin into the world, and the consequences that follow as a result. Why is Adam to blame?

One argument that Adam was blameless is that Eve took of the fruit while he was not aware. Where was Adam while all of this interaction was going on?

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Right beside Eve. Adam was created from creation itself and Eve was created from Adam. These verses and others from Genesis make it clear that Adam’s role as husband was one of leadership. If Adam was privy to the conversation that took place between Eve and the serpent then he should have exercised his headship and corrected her misunderstanding, instead of passively standing by while she ate and then following in her footsteps. German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer once famously declared;

Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.

In remaining silent and inactive, Adam reinforces the serpent’s sin and fails to defend his household from sin. This does not mean that Eve was without sin, or that she does not share in the guilt, but as the head of his household, Adam had a responsibility to exercise this headship.

Adam was also responsible for stewardship over creation, another command given directly to him, and eating the forbidden fruit was surely a failure to live up to this directive. It’s interesting to note that when God calls out to them, he asks for Adam alone;

But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

Though Satan initiated the event, and Eve was the first person to actually sin, it is Adam who must answer to God. Adam, as head of his family, was responsible for his own sin, as well as providing adequate protection for his wife – especially given that the account makes it clear he was standing by and watching the scene take place.

With that said, the Bible never regards Adam’s sin as more serious than Eve’s. Both were held accountable and punished for their sin, as was the serpent.

Serpent:

“Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.”

Eve:

“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children”

Adam:

“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

To honour God’s creation, be sure to sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday!

Were Adam and Eve Created Twice?

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

Genesis 1

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul…but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.”

Genesis 2

The Problem

The accounts of Genesis 1 and 2 appear to offer two separate and somewhat contradictory accounts for the creation of Adam and Eve. Were Adam and Eve created twice?

The Solution

You might be surprised to see that Adam and Eve do not appear in the first creation account at all. We are simply told that God created people in his own image – male and female. In the second account we see that God fashions Adam from dust and places him in the garden he has previously prepared. Eve is created shortly after from one of Adam’s rib bones.

The two accounts are not intended to describe two different creation events. The two accounts are merely describing the same event, in a different way.

Source criticism seeks to establish the sources used by the authors of the bible and looks at editing work that was undertaken on biblical texts before the bible was composed into its current form. According to source critics, the two creation narratives found in Genesis derive from different sources – the account in Genesis 1 being composed in the sixth century by the ‘Priestly’ source and the account in Genesis 2 being composed in the tenth century by the ‘Yawhist’.

A Cosmocentric Account

Genesis 1, composed much later, describes the creation of humanity within the bigger picture – as part of creation week. It is cosmocentric. In this account, the male and female are both created on day six and given dominion over the earth. We are not told if the male and female creation is limited to one person, or what their names were. In this passage the word ‘adam’ is present, but Is used as a plural to describe humankind in the broader sense. The creation of the man and woman finalises the creative week before God steps back and declares that everything he has created is ‘good’. This account appears to place the creation of humanity, as a whole, at the culmination of the cosmic creation that has taken place, evident by the fact that the male and female are not named.

If this piece was indeed penned by the Priestly source, then it was written after the Hebrews had returned from captivity by the Babylonians. Regardless, its function is clear: creation is complete.

An Anthropocentric Account

Genesis 2, the earlier account, describes the creation of Adam and Eve in more detail, with a focus on the birth of humanity rather than the creation of the entire cosmos. It is anthropocentric. In this account the man is also referred to as Adam. In this setting the word is capitalized to indicate a proper noun – it is the name for the man. Adam is fashioned from the ground before God blows the breath of life into his nostrils. The woman, Eve, is then fashioned from Adam. This account ends with the establishment of primeval innocence, depicting the man and woman as both ‘naked’ and ‘not ashamed.’ This account differs from the cosmocentric account in several ways including using different names to describe God, using different methods of bringing about creation and ordering the creative activity differently.

Having been written by the Yahwist could place the composition of this story as early as 950 BCE. The function of this second account serves as a departure point for the subsequent narrative.

In Conclusion

What is being presented here is two different accounts of the same event, fashioned in different ways. The first account places the creation of humanity as the climax for the grandiose story where God creates on a cosmic level. The second uses the event as a ‘scene-setter’ for the narrative which is to follow, in which the man and woman will ‘fall’ through disobedience to God.

Each account uses its own choice of language, structure and detail in order to achieve the theological agenda of its composer. The first account was most likely written as a Jewish, monotheistic response to polytheistic beliefs being spread at the time. The second account holds many similarities to the Babylonian creation myth the ‘Enuma Elish’, suggesting that perhaps this account is a direct response to this, and a way of offering rebuttal to its polytheistic ideas.

What is clear is that regardless of the difference in time, author and agendas, Genesis 1 and 2 were meant to be read together. Each account provides a unique perspective on God’s creative nature and the origins of humankind, as well as God’s relationship with humanity.

To honour God’s creation, be sure to sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday!

Were Adam and Eve Vegetarians? The Biblical Basis for a Vegetarian Life

In recent years a movement has developed that explores the idea of Christianity as originally designed to be vegetarian. Authors who examine this idea encourage Christians to adopt a vegetarian diet and often claim that scripture itself demands it. Some people have even attributed the long lifespans seen in the early bible to the vegetarian diet prescribed by God.

What does the Bible really say about vegetarianism?

The Original Design

According to Genesis 1, at the end of the week, when God had finished his creation, he told Adam and Eve to eat plants.

^“Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.”

This directive suggests sufficiency in the finished creation. Human and animal life was able to consume freely from plant life, because God has supplied abundance as part of the original design.

Shortly after God created the perfect earth, He laid down the vegetarian mandate because death did not exist – it was not a part of the original creation design. Animals and humans were designed to live forever, and therefore could not survive by eating meat because ‘meat’ did not exist. There were only living things.

In Genesis 3, sin entered the world, and so did death. The creation was no longer perfect but was fractured and unable to function according to its original design. The paradisal state that prevailed in Genesis 1 and 2 was ruptured, ushering in a new age of death, cruelty and carnivory that was not intended as part of the original design.

As a result, animals began to eat other animals.

Cain and Abel

One question often asked when this issue is explored, is whether or not Abel was a meat eater. This is assumed since Cain was a produce farmer and kept vegetables but Abel is depicted as a shepherd who sacrificed his animals.

This alleged contradiction comes from assuming Abel was doing something that Scripture doesn’t say he was. The relevant passages are:

“Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat.”

Abel’s intentions for tending flocks were probably not for meat. His flock could have been raised for the various other goods that lambs can yield – wool, milk, leather and for sacrifice.

Those who assume Abel was a meat eater are assuming that after the sacrifice, Abel was eating the meat. Since we know that God commanded all human beings to eat only plants, and directed this at Abel’s parents, it seems likely that he would be familiar with God’s intentions for humanity.

Matthew 23:35 indicates that Abel was considered a righteous man, and we know from Genesis 4 that God favored Abel’s offering over Cain’s. This would be unlikely if after the offering Abel was doing something that would displease God. We must assume that Abel would not choose to be so blatantly disobedient, and that given the glowing reports that Abel is given later in scripture, he was not going against God’s directive from Genesis 1.

If Abel did not eat meat, which scripture certainly doesn’t indicate, then there is no contradiction.

The Changed Design

In Genesis 9, God establishes a new covenant, and offers a new directive;

“Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.”

The state of humanity in Genesis 6 prompted God to take action. Human corruption had once again shattered the original design, distorting God’s plans for humanity. He was forced to take action.

After the flood, God’s directive regarding the human diet was altered. Noah and his family were given permission to eat meat. Although people may have sinfully eaten meat during the pre-flood time of immorality and depravity, they were not given permission to do so. Genesis 9 is the first time that God gave permission for humans to eat animals.

The presence of this permission further reinforces the directive given in Genesis 1. Human life was not intended to eat meat – it was not a part of God’s original design. Here, in the midst of a post-flood world, and at the defining moment of a fresh start, God allows meat-eating to take place.

With some arguing that long lifespans were a direct result of the vegetarian diet in the pre-flood world, it has also been further suggested that the sharp decline in the length of life after the flood can be attributed to the introduction of meat into the human diet.

Since the directive in Genesis 1 suggests a sufficiency, it could be argued that God’s permission in Genesis 9 is due to an insufficiency. After the flood, there wouldn’t have been an abundance of plants as there was in Eden. God may have felt that he needed to incorporate meat into the human diet for survival. It’s also worth noting that at the fall, God’s original design was permanently damaged, leaving a scarcity. In Genesis 3 God says to Adam;

“…cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you…”

In a time of vegetation shortage, God made a concession.

So is a Vegetarian Diet Mandatory?

In the modern age, people have struggled to come to terms with the fact that God’s original design did not include meat eating. Scientists have attempted to explain it away by claiming that certain animals cannot survive without meat, and even theologians have argued that God’s statements are a generalisation with a theological agenda: we are all fed by God, one way or another. However, the command issued directly from God was clear: eating meat was not a part of the finished creation. We must take God at His word and accept that created creatures were intended to eat only plants.

God’s permission given in Genesis 9 allowed humanity to eat meat, but we should not regard this permission as a rescinding of the original mandate, or perceive God to have conceded in any way. However, this permission was given to a family who were starting a new life amongst scarce natural resources.

When we come to the Gospels, Jesus’ life is an indication that a vegetarian diet is not mandatory. Jesus caught fish with his disciples (presumably knowing those fish would be eaten), ate lamb, ate fish, cooked it for his disciples and used it to feed 5000 men.

So if it’s good enough for the savior of the earth, then it’s good enough for us…right?

Not necessarily. Jesus acknowledged and lived out of the permission given in Genesis 9, but ate meat sparingly, and often in religious contexts such as Passover. We should not regard this permission as a free pass to kill for eating pleasure. Just because we have been given permission does not mean we have to, unless you are suffering shortage.

However, decisions regarding personal diet choices in modern life involve many factors including health, doctor’s advice and personal conviction. The best choice for one person is not necessarily the best choice for another, and choosing to live a vegetarian diet should not become a test of orthodoxy for any Christian.

We must also remember that any issue that distracts from the Gospel message is probably not worth getting too troubled by.

The Future

“The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox”

“The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain”

Isaiah makes it clear that for animals, at least, the primeval decree shall prevail: vegetarianism will reign in the new creation. Christ’s second coming will usher in a reinstatement of the original design established in Eden, and will restore the intentions that God had at the beginning.

So today – eat, drink and be merry, for whether we like it or not…eventually…..we may ALL be vegetarians.

To honour God’s creation, be sure to sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday!