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October 26, 2005
If You Want to be a Biblical Creationist You Need to Take the Whole Package
Bob Mullins, an archaeologist and biblical scholar, writes a very interesting piece on evolution and the Bible. While I could nitpick a few of his points, in general he is on target. At least he is on target for those who believe that a creator god is somewhere in the mix.
For those able to read Genesis 1 and the other relevant passages in Hebrew, it is clear that we are not dealing with a modern understanding of the universe, but with the common perception of the world at that time. The earth is a flat disc (not a globe). The sky is a solid expanse (not outer space). The sun, moon and stars are set “within” this vault, and the birds “fly up against the face of the expanse.”If the hymnist of Genesis 1 used a pre-modern understanding of the universe to address certain theological issues alive at the time, then who are we to impose a modern understanding? Quite simply, evolution by natural selection, despite all its randomness and, yes, even “mistakes” (an argument against intelligent design), is how it pleased God to bring about life on earth.
The Bible and Science provide complementary views of the universe and human existence, with no need for the truth of the Bible to conflict with the truth of science. The Bible is instructing us in faith; not in the facts of science (2 Timothy 3:16). This frees us to affirm God as Creator and to accept the results of modern science.
The point that I want to emphasis from Mullin's remarks is that if one wants to take the creation account of Genesis 1, and other Biblical accounts, literally one need also take the underlying cosmology literally. And there are few people who would openly accept the tripartite universe with the flat disc on which we live, the vault that encloses it and the waters below it. In simple fact, no rational person has believed this cosmology for a very long time. Why? Because of the evidence. So certain are we that the Bible does not describe the universe in any objective way that we often miss the fact that the very creation story is a story of the creation of a physical universe in which few if anyone believes. And you don't need to be able to read Hebrew to see this.
And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters. So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. God called the dry land earth and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. [Genesis 1:6-10, NRSV].
You can see the same cosmology in any translation. If you want to take Genesis 1:11-2:3 as an alternative to science, you better be willing to take Genesis 1:6-10 as an alternative to science also.
Posted by DuaneSmith at October 26, 2005 11:17 AM | Read more on Evolution |
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