Most debates on the age of the earth are usually centered around creation vs. evolution, but in reality they should center around the flood. Did the flood happen and if so was it local or global? Secular scientists argue from a “uniformitarian” point of view that sees the world steadily evolving from the beginning of time with no changes to environmental laws or conditions and no major catastrophes. This view says that the layers of rock and sediment found worldwide have been incrementally laid down through slow gradual processes over several billion years.
My university science education and subsequent secular teaching career only reinforced this idea, but then I began to look at the evidence from a Biblical perspective, only then did I discover a few things worth thinking about:
- Can the geological record be interpreted in more than one way?
- Are the rock layers, like those in the Grand Canyon, revealing the earth’s history of billions of years of slow evolutionary processes, or is it evidence of a worldwide catastrophe?
- Is a catastrophic flood that includes massive volcanic activity capable of laying down rock layers and fossilized life within a short period of time?
- If the Biblical record is true and there was a catastrophic worldwide flood, then should we be able to find evidence of this?
- If there is evidence of the Biblical flood of Noah’s time would that change the way dating methods are interpreted?
1. There is historical evidence of a worldwide catastrophe outside the Biblical record:
- There are over 270 cultures worldwide that have traditions and historical records that speak about a flood.
- Of these cultures: 88% say a favored family was spared; 70% say survival was by a boat; 95% say sole cause of this great catastrophe was a flood; 66% say the flood was because of human wickedness; 77% say animals also were saved; 57% say survivors ended up on a mountain; many of these traditions use a form of Noah’s name, speak of birds being sent out, 8 as the number of humans being saved, and the mention of a rainbow.
2. The geological and fossil records worldwide have water laid evidence:
- The Grand Canyon and other similar canyons around the world show signs of catastrophism and their rock layers are inconsistent with the evolutionary timeline.
- There are great inland Seas found in China, India and America.
- Many of the rock layers are compressed and in waves which indicate a rapid formation by water.
- Massive forests are found compressed in many of the rock layers and that can only happen in a sudden event.
- Trees and animal fossils are found imbedded vertically, not horizontally, indicating a rapid burial. These fossils also transcend through the supposed millions of years of rock layers.
- There are water laid layers of sediment forming coal all over the earth and even near the North and South Poles.
- There are marine fossils found in inland areas and at extremely high altitudes including Mt. Everest.
- Many animal fossils are found in “death poses” (heads back as if caught in a sudden disaster).
- Fossils do not form in calm water and dead things decay in open spaces. Scientists have found 7 tons of a T-Rex that fossilized immediately.
- Sedimentary layers can house thousands of animal bones that show evidence of being “pushed” there.
3. The magnitude of destruction in such a flood could be so catastrophic as to alter not only the topography of the earth but the decay rates as well.
The RATE Project, has explored and produced studies on the inconsistencies and problems with the dating methods used by scientists today, for example:
- There are at least six different radiometric dating methods available, and scientist will assume the age of the sample based on a uniformitarian presupposition, this will dictate what dating method is used because each method will give a different result.
- When dinosaur bones containing carbon are discovered they are not being carbon dated because the result would give only a few thousand years and since this would not match the framework geologists are under they use another method to give an age closer to the desired result, thus all radiometric results that do not match the pre-assigned ages of the geologic column are discarded.
- Nuclear decay appears to have been accelerated at different periods during earth’s history, thus the rate of decay cannot be measured at an assumed rate, yet this is ignored.
- There should be virtually no helium or Carbon 14 in rocks, diamonds or coal if they are millions/billions of years old—the fact that there is seems to indicate the earth is thousands not billions of years old, yet this is ignored.
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And the rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. Genesis 7:11-12
- Floods are catastrophic in and of themselves, but when coupled with “the great deep bursting forth” volcanic activity alone can alter the landscape in moments as evidenced in the 1980 Mt. St. Helen’s eruption.
These are just a few of the things I have discovered, let me know what you think: Do presuppositions play a role in scientific inquiry?
Watch this insightful presentation by Dr. Terry Mortenson on Noah’s Flood. Think seriously about who best answers the questions he poses, secular science or science that supports the Biblical account?
What does Jesus have to say about the Flood?
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:37-39
(Peter said…) Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 2 Pt. 3:3-7
(The great Psalm writer David said…) If the foundations be destroyed what can the righteous do? Psalm 11:3
For further study on this topic I recommend the following websites: icr.org; creation.com; creationtoday.org and for the Old Earth Creation view visit reasons.org.
Join us next week as we continue to look at the question: Is the flood account in Genesis true, and what about the Dinosaurs?
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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us this year as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.
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Teri Dugan
TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com