Tag: flood

Literally: Sad, Frustrated, Distracted. But Love. Church Heresies Then and Now.

So, the latest intra-Christian controversy to blow up is popular Christian worship act Gungor’s denial of the ‘literal’ reading of scripture, particularly Genesis, the creation account, Adam and Eve, and the Flood. This of course triggering the day before our traditional day of worship when Christians come together to worship God their saviour in spirit and truth. This, of course, all comes on the heels of the Tim Lambesis story who allegedly attempted to hire a hitman to murder his wife. It’s hard to try to move one’s heart towards God when we’re distracted by emotional issues like these. Here’s a few of the articles circulating:

It’s saddening, frustrating, and distracting…

Continue reading “Literally: Sad, Frustrated, Distracted. But Love. Church Heresies Then and Now.”

The Bible and Uniformitarianism

In modern geology, “Uniformitarianism is the assumption that the same natural laws and processes that operate in the universe now have always operated in the universe in the past and apply everywhere in the universe.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniformitarianism

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.” 2 Peter 3:3-4

“Gould explained Hutton’s view of uniformity of rate; mountain ranges or grand canyons are built by accumulation of nearly insensible changes added up through vast time. Some major events such as floods, earthquakes, and eruptions, do occur. But these catastrophes are strictly local. They neither occurred in the past, nor shall happen in the future, at any greater frequency or extent than they display at present. In particular, the whole earth is never convulsed at once.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniformitarianism

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. 2 Peter 3:5-6

“The uniformity of state hypothesis (i.e., steady-stateism) implies that throughout the history of our earth there is no progress in any inexorable direction. The planet has almost always looked and behaved as it does now. Change is continuous, but leads nowhere. The earth is in balance: a dynamic steady state.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniformitarianism

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 Peter 3:7

Mediterranean Might Have Filled In Months

Slashdot is carrying the story. As it turns out, large-scale flood theories are not uncommon. The Black Sea deluge theory is well supported. Discussion, on the slashdot story, have some suggesting that these large-scale floods are most likely the source of the many flood myths around the world.

Slashdot is carrying the story. As it turns out, large-scale flood theories are not uncommon. The Black Sea deluge theory is well supported. Discussion, on the slashdot story, have some suggesting that these large-scale floods are most likely the source of the many flood myths around the world.

The problem with theories that try to avoid the global flood idea is that most flood myths explain that it was a global flood and the survivors had to repopulate the earth. One would expect large-scale yet localized floods to produce myths of mass migrations.

No large-scale flood theory appears to propose a situation where the flow of water would exceed the inhabitants ability to escape. These are not flash-floods which are very difficult to escape. They are theorized large-scale, sea-flooding events, which just don’t happen that quickly.

Whenever I see a headline like this in the news, about a new discovery or theory that is purely and naturally sound, I think back to the bible and wonder how it could apply to the tremendous events in the bible. How does Noah’s Flood relate to this theory that the Mediterranean could have filled in months?

The way I see it, these discoveries lend credence, ever more and more, to the biblical account of human history. Things we said in the past were absolutely impossible and out of the question we slowly begin to see they weren’t so far fetched. Still supernatural, yes, but impossible.

The reason it’s important is because it solidifies the bible’s foundation (in our minds) and requires more thought  before one can dismiss the bible as simply anti-science. One must begin to consider the bible a little more deeply before dismissing it. And that is critical for those considering the faith, or those young in the faith, to have a solid foundation to believe in.

Rainbows

Rainbows are beautiful artistry. They’re also an intriguing interaction of light and water.

Update 2010-12-14: When I wrote this piece, it was my understanding that rainbows did not form in a pre-flood world. It appears I’m wrong on that (See “There was no rain before the Flood.”). This is a belief placed on scripture and not told by scripture. While still possible, one can not absolutely hold this view. As a thought experiment, however, looking at the possibility and considering why it might have been like that could possibly lead to better understanding the pre and post flood environments which appear to be significantly different from each other.

Rainbows are beautiful artistry. There’s nothing quite like the majestic arch across the wide rain washed sky.

They’re also an intriguing interaction of light and water. And, yes, I’m bringing this back to creation.

Some may say I’m tainting a natural wonder and it should be left well enough alone, but I find greater pleasure in understanding the rainbow because it’s so much more than just a beautiful thing. The rainbow is woven into the very fabric of our faith. It means something beyond just a creative, awe-inspiring physical artifact crafted by the hand of God. It is so much more and, in this particular case, it’s a hint about the pre-flood world.

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:
13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,
15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.
Genesis 9:12-16

God revealed His rainbow to Noah and his family after they got off the ark after the world-wide flood. This might have been an utterly new creation but, more than likely, it was a release, a revealing of the physical makeup of the atmosphere of that day. Let me explain.

In the atmosphere of the pre-flood world, apparently rainbows did not form in the sky  Now, rainbows are “an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth’s atmosphere.” (Wikipedia) What does that say about the pre-flood existence if rainbows could not form? That there was no light? That there was no air? That that was no water in the air?

No to each of these. But, as we understand the scientific principles behind rainbows quite well, we can see in our present world when they can form and when they can not. If they did not occur in the pre-flood world, then we can make some predictions about that world’s makeup and we can predict what we might see in our present day to lend credence to those predictions.

If rainbows could not form in a pre-flood world, then, more than likely, one of a few things might have been different then. I say more than likely because it is “possible” that world lived in a realm of physics that is alien to our existence and God changed up everything with the flood. It could have been. But it’s not likely. Occam’s Razor here applies.

So, those “one of a few things” could have been anything that would be differentiations in the light, or the air or the water. Another option is that it had not rained up to that point (see Genesis 2:5), but this option is less likely as it appears a huge amount of time exists between the creation and the time of the flood. I say huge, but it was about a thousand years between them. Adam died 126 years before Noah’s birth (genealogy). So, Noah’s father would have known the first man alive. Selah. At any rate, this is a significant amount of time for their to be no rain and, really, there’s no reason to think it hadn’t rained.

So, what was it about the pre-flood world that did not have rainbows in the sky? It may help us support creation and explain things we see today.

Dinosaurs Heads Held High…?

Whatever position you take, that position should be able to stand on its own, right?

Recently there’s been talk about how dinosaurs with long necks actually held their necks. Did they hold them high or stretched out? The concern is that holding a long neck very high might put more strain than is reasonable to expect from what we know of their heart and blood systems.

The second two links appear to give dissenting views and they’re here just because it’s good to have more than one perspective on an issue.

But, if it’s true the strain was too great and our biological predictions (heart strain) don’t match up with our habitual predictions (eating from the tops of trees with necks held high), then there might be an area here connected with creationism.

It’s been well noted in science that in the far past things seemed to be able to grow to gargantuan size. Not just dinosaurs but plants, too. Musquitos could even be freakishly large.

Perhaps more subtely, the bible tells us mankind used to live quite long ages, 900+, years before the flood. But as soon as the flood occurs, lifespans drop dramatically.

Is it possible the pre-flood earth had a fundamental difference with our current earth which would allow for gargantuan plants and animals and also for dinosaurs to have no problem at all holding their necks high?

Creationists have long theorized about something being fundamentally different that would cause what we observe today.

This is an area that, with some astute scientific thinking, could be built upon and a reasonable model for what might have occurred during the flood could be developed. It would predict what environment contributed to plants and animals so large and, if the model were true, it would tell us what we would be observing today that would support the model.

God’s Word is fascinating and awe-inspiring.

If you’re a believer, try starting from the presupposition that the bible is the truth and, if that’s the case, than science should prove it to be so – if you’re not already in that mindset. Secular and popular science will never lend any credit willingly to faith-based ideas, though, so you’ll need to keep marching past the immediate results that tell you the bible is wrong. It’s too easy to stop there. Anyone and everyone can and does do that. You need to start from the idea that God actually might be telling the truth. When you retain that thought, keep plugging away at the research and eventually you will find the scientifically sound answers you’re looking for. It just takes someone to give God some credit…

If you don’t believe in God or the bible, try seeing if any of the ideas that the bible presents (a global flood, long lifespans pre-flood, short lifespans post-flood) might actually lend support to popular topics, like the dinosaur necks, assuming for the moment that the bible is true. I think you should find some interesting tid bits even if you don’t end up believing the biblical account.

The important thing is to analyze an issue using all possible data without being married to a belief, whether that’s current secular or popular belief or a faith, to a point that it actually detracts from your original position.

Whatever position you take, that position should be able to stand on its own, right?