Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Creation Science-Is it really science? Is it really Christian?

So, I know this post is gonna ruffle some feathers and make people mad. I just want to pass some information about the subject along, and also make you think. There has been this whole debate about evolution and creationism and how God fits into all of it. I will say that I have some background knowledge about creation science because I just took a class called Religion and Science. I have some hard core facts about the Creationist movement. I think I need to shed some light on who the Institute for Creation Science is and what they stand for.

First of all, they were founded in 1972 in California by a guy named H.M. Morris. He was big into creationism back in the 1960s and wrote a book called the Genesis Flood. He was actually a professor of civil engineering and has a connection to Virginia Tech. He was also the author of a creationist textbook that completely rejected evolution.

The goal of this institute is posted on their website and it says:
The purpose of ICR is to serve as an education, research, and communications media institution specializing in the study and promotion of scientific creationism, Biblical creationism, and related fields.

But it goes on to say: As a research organization, ICR engages in laboratory, field, theoretical and library research on projects which emphasize creationism, but are not necessarily limited to it.

"Emphasize" Creationism-aka-If your research does not point to creationism, it's not right. No matter how many times you do your tests or double check it. The outcome must be creationism.
(I wonder if that last clause means that they have had some evolution proved and they won't admit it, sounds fishy)

What kind of science requires a certain outcome? Not any science that I know. If your science points to another theory other than a biblical one, then you're kicked out. That's that.

Another thing posted on their site is this:
The Bible consisting of the thirty-nine canonical books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven canonical books of the New Testament, is the divinely inspired revelation of the Creator to man. Its unique, plenary, verbal inspiration guarantees that these writings as originally and miraculously given, are infallible and completely authoritative on all matters with which they deal, free from error of any sort, scientific and historical as well as moral and theological.

So now the Bible is not just a theology book, its a biology book and a history book without errors.
Uh huh, sure, that doesn't fly:

There are two creation stories-Genesis 1 and Genesis 2:4b-You've got your six days and a seventh day sabbath, and then the world gets created again right before Adam and Eve. This is because there are two authors of Genesis. (Go look it up in a commentary, I'm not dreaming this)

So if the Bible is infallible, then do we have two worlds? Do Adam and Eve live on Mars? I mean really people, the Bible has problems all in it. Who's to say how the world was created when there are actually two accounts of it?

All that counts is that Jesus died on cross and rose from the dead. That's what we base our religion on, not what the Bible says.

(More posts to come...)

2 comments:

Nathan said...

Maybe I'm simpled minded... the Bible is the sole authority and we believe in its 100% inerrancy yada yada yada... yet we need to pump millions of dollars and energy into proving it?

Didn't really see Jesus issue that call to Christians in the Bible, and as far as I can tell, Paul doesn't touch that either.

What happened to the least are first, feed and clothe the needy, love one another deal? Instead of getting in pissing matches w/ fellow Christians, why don't these folks refocus their energies on more issues that Jesus actually talks about?

We need more walking and less talking.

Joshua said...

Found it :)

Amen to that post. It made me remember going to a seminar taught by a worlds-famous Physics professor at Mason on evolutionary theory and creation science. I was the only outspoken Christian in the group, and I about killed everyone there when I told them I wasn't a literalist. "Can you even be a pastor and think evolution could happen?" Seriously.

There's a reason the rest of the world sees us as unintelligent and brash. It's because of "science" like you cited that makes that steriotype true. Somewhere along the line we all decided to axe the whole loving God with your mind part.

Nathan got it right- Jesus was all about spiritual truths given straight from the Kingdom. I don't see us putting the Bible on a pedestal and arguing with secular science as a solid way of living out this faith and walking in Christ.

How about we stop trying to light our own path and instead share that light with the world?