Re: An Essay on Creation

On 2005-09-21, OldMan <edjarrett@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> I believe in God. And I believe that God has created this world and
> all that we see around us. I guess that makes me a creationist. When
> I first started on talk.origins I was asked a number of times to
> explain the mechanism that God used in his creation. I had no answer
> then. But I have thought long and hard on that and would like to take
> a stab at explaining that now.
>
> First of all I would like to take a moment to explain my
> qualifications for offering this explanation. My extensive training
> in science includes high school biology, chemistry and physics as well
> as a marine science class in college many many years ago. Plus I like
> to read. That should make me imminently qualified to offer expert
> opinions in all sorts of scientific fields.

*Pffttt!*

*cough* *cough*

Oh, man, milk just came out of my nose.

> Actually, and especially since I remember little of my science
> schooling, it makes me very dependant on others who are actually
> working researchers and/or scientists. I have no way of being able to
> personally judge the truth of the claims that are made in any of the
> myriad fields of scientific study.

Uh, and yet you think you have an expert opinion on science?

Curious.

> The other
> thing that I bring to this is a deep love for God and a reverence for
> his word, the Bible. I have no formal theological training but I have
> invested a significant portion of my life in studying God's word and
> seeking to understand it's relevance for my life. It is from these
> two perspectives that I have sought to develop an understanding of
> origins.
>
> So how did God create the universe? While there are many ideas as to
> how the universe began I am quite comfortable with it beginning 13.9
> BYA in what is commonly called the 'Big Bang'. Alternatively I
> suppose any of the oscillating or brane world theories would work just
> as well. Within the 'Big Bang' model God would have provided the
> highly compressed matter and energy that provides all of the matter and
> energy that continues to drive the universe. In addition he
> established the basic forces of nature like gravity, electro-magnetism,
> relativity and quantum mechanics. How he did that I have no idea. I
> am willing to just say 'God did it'. That doesn't mean that we
> will never come to a better understanding of how it came to pass, and I
> am not trying to fit God into some gap in our understanding. But it is
> currently a mystery to me. And I believe that God is ultimately behind
> it all.

In what sense can this be considered an "explanation" of origins?

You did say you were going to explain the mechanism that God used...

>
>>>From that point, the moment of creation, the universe has worked
> according to the natural laws put into place at creation. That
> includes a very rapid expansion and cooling period until the lighter
> elements began to form. The formation of stars under the influence of
> gravity, the forming of heavier elements in the ovens of super-nova
> stars, and eventually the formation of 2nd and 3rd generation stars
> with rocky planets. Eventually one of these rocky planets, among
> potentially a billion billion or more other rocky planets ended up at
> just the right distance from a star of just the right size and
> composition and in just the right part of a galaxy. On this planet,
> and potentially many others, the conditions were found that allowed
> life to come into being. This life evolved along with the planet it
> called home, producing the wide array of life that we see around us
> today. At some point in the development of life on this particular
> planet a species eventually evolved to the point that it became capable
> of communication with God. And he then endowed that life with an
> eternal spirit and began to reveal himself to us.
>
> So did God create me? I would say yes he did. He did it using the
> tools and process that he put into place way back at the beginning of
> the universe. But to me, that does not take away from his work in
> creation. If anything it enhances it. God was able to build a self
> contained system that would guarantee that life, capable of
> communication with him, would ultimately come into being. No guarantee
> that it would look like it does or be in the place it is. But that
> that life would come to be.
>
> Although I believe that God is quite capable of creating the universe
> fully formed and populated in 6 days, or in an instant for that matter,
> it does not appear like it happened that way. The evidence that we see
> all around us points to a very old universe and earth. It also points
> to many more species, mostly extinct, than would be required if God was
> creating each individual species as is. As a Christian, I do not
> believe we have anything to fear from science or from the discovery of
> how this world works or came to be. Even if those discoveries are
> contrary to what I grew up with. The church before the time of
> Copernicus is an example. They believed something that was later
> proven to be scientifically incorrect and fought hard to hold on to
> that. Yet in the end we have come to embrace the reality that the
> universe does not revolve around the earth. I believe the same thing
> is true today. While many are fighting against advances in science
> that seem like a threat to us, in the end the truth will win out.
>
> Romans 1:19-20 is often quoted here. But I believe Ray misses a lot of
> its meaning. "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in
> them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him
> from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by
> the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that
> they are without excuse:" To me, this verse challenges us to look at
> the creation and see how it is made. God wants us to be able to figure
> out how it works. And in that knowledge, we should recognize his
> handiwork in his creation. Please continue to research and come to
> grips with how this universe works, including the diversity of life on
> earth. While I reject the atheistic world view that many of you hold,
> I do not believe that invalidates the truth coming out of science or is
> any reason for me to reject it. Thanks again to all of you who have
> been willing to help in my education. It is helping me to grow in the
> knowledge of my Creator.

If you'd like to believe something which is unfalsifiable, I'm certainly
not going to argue against it.

.

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