Genesis: Real, Reliable, Historical

ICR ^ | September 2009 | Andrew A. Snelling, Ph.D.

[GodGunsGuts]

Genesis: Real, Reliable, Historical

by Andrew A. Snelling, Ph.D.*

Introduction to (new book entitled) Earth's Catastrophic Past

Why Take Genesis Seriously?

The first eleven chapters of the Bible have been relegated by many to the category of myths, not real history. These are said to contain spiritual truth, but they cannot be taken seriously as records of real people and events. Many sincere Christians who believe the Bible do not know what their pastors believe about the historicity of Genesis. Is it safe to assume that these believe in the following truths?

1. God created everything in six 24-hour days.

2 Adam and Eve were real people.

3. God cursed a perfect world as a judgment for sin.

4. Noah constructed an Ark by which two of every kind of air-breathing, land-dwelling animal were saved along with Noah's family from a global flood.

5. The confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel produced the language groups that are found around the world today.

An alarming number of Christian leaders and teachers instead believe that God "created" through evolutionary processes over millions of years, that Adam and Eve descended from a hominid population, and that there has never been a global flood, suggesting that the account of Noah and the Ark is a story adapted from a Babylonian myth.

Mainstream Christian orthodoxy regarded the opening chapters of Genesis as just as real and reliable as the rest of the Bible until 150-200 years ago. So what has happened?...

[GodGunsGuts]

Ping!

[wastedyears]

Sorry

[tpanther]

“So what happened”?

Arrogant liberals decided they were smarter than God.

[Natural Law]

"An alarming number of Christian leaders and teachers instead believe that God "created" through evolutionary processes over millions of years, that Adam and Eve descended from a hominid population, and that there has never been a global flood, suggesting that the account of Noah and the Ark is a story adapted from a Babylonian myth."

Why is this alarming? Since these interpretations are accepted by the Catholic Church clearly the vast majority of the world's Christians believe this.

[Pan_Yan]

I've had this argument in a dozen different forms with a hundred different people. I believe God is all or nothing. Either Jesus was the Son of God as he claimed or he was a liar. Either the Bible is all accurate or a complete fraud. Either God is all powerful and can protect his Word throughout history or he is nothing. Either we are created in God's image or we are just modified mud. Either God created the world in six days, as he said, or God did not create us and therefore morals and conscience are meaningless.

[urroner]

Any physical evidence of Moses and the Exodus? Any physical evidence of Abraham? Any physical evidence of the flood? Any physical evidence of King David? Any physical evidence of Joseph in Egypt? Any physical evidence of a Garden of Eden? Any physical evidence that the Bible was created in 144 hours?

There is none, this is all accepted on faith. I have faith in God, but not in your interpretation of His word.

Do you really expect me to accept you belief that the Bible is a scientific textbook?

[GodGunsGuts]

Quite true!

[T Minus Four]

Yes, it seems that the Catholic Church, as dogmatic as they are on so much, leave the belief of a literal creation up to the individual.

Now that I am “escaped” from Catholicism, I find that stunning. If you don’t believe the bible is the truth, I guess you are free to interpret it to fit your purposes.

Me? I believe.

[Dr.Deth]

Sorry

[rawhide]

“Evidence That Demands A Verdict” by Josh McDowell.

[GodGunsGuts]

That's why I say that Bible-believing Christians in the conservative movement should begin to demand tolerance by evo-atheists. Those evo-atheists who remain intolerant of the Christian Right (such as the Temple of Darwin fanatics over at Little Green Footballs) should be purged from the conservative movement IMHO. Let the liberals have them. We are like canaries in the mine, for if the evo-atheists turn on us, it is only a matter of time before they stab the rest of the conservative movement in the back (as evidenced by all the evo-atheist "conservatives" attacking Rush Limbaugh these days).

[mitch5501]

"...the vast majority of the world's Christians believe this."

They believe it (assuming that's true)because,just like the vast majority of everybody else,they believe whatever they hear the most.

How many people would be able to logically lay out their world view (assuming they even know what that is)step by step enough to show that they had a reasonable grasp of what they believed and what the ramifications of that belief might be?

I'd wager the percentage would be miniscule,which therefore means that much is taken on trust.

"Faith cometh by hearing" doesn't just apply to christians.

Much of the church seems to not understand John 6:29

[wastedyears]

Have it

[onedoug]

Any physical evidence of Moses and the Exodus? Any physical evidence of Abraham? Any physical evidence of the flood? Any physical evidence of King David? Any physical evidence of Joseph in Egypt? Any physical evidence of a Garden of Eden? Any physical evidence that the Bible was created in 144 hours?

There is none, this is all accepted on faith. I have faith in God....

What is your physical evidence for God? Or is that just faith too?

[dcgst4]

Well, then if you believe that Genesis is literal truth, then you have to believe that Revelation is literal truth and all that stuff about the symbolism reflecting the European Union, Iraq or whatever is wrong. There will actually literally be four horsemen, assorted beasts, etc. You can’t pick and choose which books to interpret literally and which ones to claim contain some cryptic code.

[GodGunsGuts]

Have you looked into all the creation science research on the six days of creation? Noah’s flood? Etc, etc??? I’m not kidding. How much time have you spent studying the scientist who believe the evidence points to biblical young earth creation???

[urroner]

Read some of it in the early 80’s and found it to be rather loose with the evidence. He started with an agenda, molded the evidence around the agenda and if the data didn’t match up with the evidence, it was left out.

[GodGunsGuts]

Amen brother! You might want to think about joining my HMS Creation ping list :o)

PS Interestingly enough, a new book just came out that demonstrates the historical Catholic position re: origins is Young Earth Creation!

[tacticalogic]

When did hunting heretics get to be an exercise in political activism?