>>As to the strata and so forth, I don’t think God made the earth this way in order to confuse us. I think the model of catastrophism is the best model - that the worldwide flood was responsible for a lot of the strata. This occurred after creation, of course. I don’t believe that God put dinosaur fossils several feet under Eden, just to confuse us. “For God is not the author of confusion. . .” 1Co 14:33<<
But there is no proof of worldwide flood. To posit that one occurred but that God covered the proof of such a calamity undermines your thesis.
>>No, billions of miles observed from red shift don’t predate the beginning of the Universe. When God created the stars, he created them “with age,” like the mature trees. The light was visible at the time He created them. It didn’t have to travel billions of years first, while God waited. God doesn’t have to wait.<<
You posit God the Trickster. The light doesn’t have to travel that distance in the timeframe, bit if it doesn’t then it means God has broken His own rules and is deceiving His children.
>>He created light, you know.<<
And He gave it immutable properties that are either a) consistent or b) arbitrary. Should it be the latter, then physics is meaningless.
>>He created Adam a mature man. He did not start him as an ovum, get him fertilized and etc., the whole 20 years or what have you until maturity. He was a full grown man on the day he was created. Eve was a full grown woman. After that, though, His design of reproduction began, and we got Cain and Abel and so on through history. That is what is normal to us. But God is not constricted to what is normal.<<
So you hand wave away the billions of fossils that point to the evolutionary process that created Man? Again, you posit God The Trickster.
The fact that God can do anything doesn’t mean He does everything.
>>“to what end would God create a consistent physical Universe that can be measured and evaluated, cross-checked and consistency checked?”
For His glory. God created a stable, checkable, explorable world. It reveals His incredible ability. Think of one thing. Think of the human eye. What a piece of work. How many mutations, all positive towards its current end, would need to occur to get that eyeball to its current state? Millions. But you would believe that, rather than believe a loving and sovereign God created it? I find the intelligent design of a great Creator to be a far smaller ‘leap of faith!’<<
I think that a God who created a fantastic Universe which runs by consistent rules that can, over time and effort, be discerned and harnessed by Man is truly the evidence of His awesomeness. To reduce God’s creation to something that laypeople can understand is to make God quite small, indeed.
>>One can be a successful and learned scientist and still believe God created this world and all that is in it in six days. Scientific exploration, then, reveals to us the amazing design and ingenuity of God, rather than chance mutations over billions of years. “The spacious heavens declare the glory of our God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto neight reveals knowledge.” (Psalm 19:2)<<
100% agreement here. It isn’t chance that created us. Evolution is a stochastic process — hardly chance.
>>Physics and chemical reactions were designed by Him. I see no inconsistency between physical and chemical processes and six day creation. My son has a BS in Physics (UCLA) and is a six day creationist. He sees no contradiction, and uses his degree in his work on a daily basis in medical research.<<
I suggest that your son cannot work in modern pharmecology if he cannot understand evolutionary processes. And Physics rarely crosses to medicine.
>>If the absence of human fossils next to dino fossils proves that humans and dinos didn’t co exist, than the absence of snail fossils next to dino fossils proves that snails and dinos didn’t coexist, etc. There are an awful lot of species on this planet. I don’t think all of them have to lie fossilized next to dinos to prove that they existed at the same time. I would be interested to see, if it were available, a list of all the known species fossilized right near fossilized dino bones.
<<
There are none.
>>I would say that fossilized humans next to fossilized dinos would be scientific proof of their coexistence, however.<<
There are none, thus Fred and Dino never co-existed.
“The fact that God can do anything doesn’t mean He does everything.”
The fact is, God said what he did. You can either believe Him or not.
“I suggest that your son cannot work in modern pharmecology if he cannot understand evolutionary processes. And Physics rarely crosses to medicine.”
He works on a research team which develops computer models and trials for nano delivered medicine. As best I understand it. His bosses seem to be very happy with him.
You know, the majority of people in this country and in this world believe that this universe was directly created by a divine being. I am not speaking from a bizarre little sliver of humanity. Presumably, most of us are able to do our jobs without embracing evolutionary theory.
“But there is no proof of worldwide flood. To posit that one occurred but that God covered the proof of such a calamity undermines your thesis.”
Wow. Oh yes there is. Besides the Bible, and the lore of many ancient peoples, there are the strata and the grand canyon and oil and coal and a wealth of physical evidence that supports a worldwide flood.
I know you have already sort of made up your mind, but a quick search of “catastrophism” (wouldn’t take you but five minutes) could at least let you know what the other side is thinking, even if you don’t agree with it.
“There are none.”
Are you saying, do I understand you correctly, that all dinosaur fossils are found alone, i.e., there are no other fossils nearby or in the same strata?
“You posit God the Trickster.”
No, God is clear about His attributes, including the fact that he is omniscient, is not bound by time, and is not bound by our physical laws. He raises the dead, for one thing. He appeared to Moses in a burning bush, but the bush was not burnt. Etc.
You posit God the Liar. Why would He lie to His people?