Our third of 13 emphatic beliefs affirms "a literal six-day creation." Millions of Years (MoY) thinking, necessary to justify evolution, runs contrary to several important Bible doctrines. Creation Ministries International's Creation Answer Book illustrate the problems with MoY.
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Bible Account Of Creation |
Evolution/Long-Age Speculation |
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Earth before the sun and stars |
Stars and sun before Earth |
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Earth covered in water initially |
Earth a molten blob initially |
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Oceans first, then dry land |
Dry land, then the oceans |
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Life first created on the land |
Life started in the oceans |
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Plants created before the sun |
Plants came long after the sun |
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Fish and birds created together |
Fish formed long before birds |
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Land animals created after birds |
Land animals before whales |
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Man and dinosaurs lived together |
Dinosaurs died out long before man appeared |
The book points out five faith-shattering impacts of MoY thinking, as well as issues with fuzzy theology such as the framework hypothesis, theistic evolution or progressive creation. Such views undermine –
(1) Genesis-based Doctrines – The Bible's teachings on marriage (from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female), the moral law (for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is), the wearing of clothing, and meaning and purpose of our existence are all based on the literal history of events in Genesis.
(2) Hermeneutics (how we understand the Bible) – If Genesis isn't real history, how should we understand any Scripture? Where does history begin? If Genesis is a metaphor, was there a real Adam? If Jesus said the flood came and destroyed them all, was He lying? Perish the thought!
(3) The Gospel – God through Paul concludes that since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. The meaning of Jesus' death and resurrection depends on real history in Genesis 1-3. If death over MoY was a part of 'creation', how can it be the last enemy?
(4) End-time Doctrine – We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth. If God 'created' with death and suffering intrinsic to the universe, why would God destroy it and create a new one? What will that fix? Shall we be 'restored' to MoY of death and suffering?
(5) The Goodness of God – How can we believe God is love when there's so much suffering in the world, if suffering was an initial condition?
Fooey on MoY. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.
