CREATION
SCIENCE: Noah's Flood
Non Christian!
Is Noah’s flood an obstacle to your accepting the Christian faith? Christian!
Do you assent to the teaching of Noah’s flood in quiet half-embarrassed
mumbles?
Did you
know, there are many credible scientists today who are of the opinion
that the earth’s geology is itself evidence of catastrophic flood activity?
They claim that what they see, when they look at the layers of earth in
the geological column, is the product of catastrophic upheavals of the
earth and flood activity of global proportions1. Some of these
geologists even make a living from accurately prospecting for minerals
and coal based upon this model. For fossils and coal deposits to form,
animals and vegetation require rapid burial and entrapment within the
earth. The sheer magnitude and diversity of fossils is evidence of catastrophism
of horrific proportions.
This flies
in the face of popular opinion. A primary assumption of the theory of
evolution is that of ‘uniformitarianism’: a principle which pre-supposes
that (by random chance) our world is a product of millennia of very gradual
uniform changes. In the context of the earth’s geology, this principle
is used to date all the fossils (of notable antiquity) within the fossil
record. Current rates of soil deposition and compaction are extrapolated
uniformly backwards in order to estimate the time period of a certain
layer within the geological column (the Jurassic period will be one familiar
to most people). The fossils then receive their age based upon the layer
in which they are found. If a fossil associated with a particular layer
is found, the surrounding rock is dated based upon the fossil find. So
goes the cyclical reasoning; based upon the primary assumption of uniformitarianism.
More recently, rocks are dated using radioactive isotope dating techniques.
Yet again, these methods are not as 'absolute' as some would claim. They
are formulated upon initial assumptions that are very presumptuous to
say the least. But this is another topic.
Interestingly,
the Bible has something to say about all this. This extract is taken from
2 Peter 3:
…as
reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking….First of 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 fathers 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 existed
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 being reserved for
fire, being kept for the day of judgement and destruction of ungodly
men.
1. It is
proposed that the layering is caused by something known as ‘turbidity’
currents (set off by earthquakes and other upheavals). According to
this theory, fossils were also laid down in these layers. Marine life
being generally found in the lower layers, and terrestrial creatures
in the upper layers. This would be synonymous with the progression of
the flood.
Becky Conolly
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For
more information and resources contact:
AFRICA CHRISTIAN ACTION
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