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Trouble in Paradise: Why the Young Earth Paradigm Fails the Test of the Biblical Worldview
http://www.godandscience.org/youngearth/paradise.html#6TG1J8iOCFH4 ^

Posted on 05/01/2010 8:40:54 AM PDT by truthfinder9

Introduction

The standard young earth paradigm says that God originally created the heavens and earth as a perfect paradise in which God's image bearer, mankind, was to live. However, Adam and Eve's sin resulted not only in the fall of mankind, but the fall of creation itself to its current imperfect state. The fall of creation is usually attributed to the curse - God's judgment on mankind and His perfect world.1 Changes attributed to God's judgment include the initiation of death for both mankind and animals, the creation of weeds, parasites, disease, carnivorous activity, and any other aspect of creation that causes either pain or suffering (including natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, etc.). Nearly all young earth creationists believe that God will restore God's original perfect paradise (Eden) at the return of Jesus Christ.

Was the original creation perfect?

It should be noted that the Bible never says that original creation was perfect. It is described as being good2 and very good,3 but never "perfect." How does one determine what God's perfect creation would look like? It turns out that young earth creationists have assumed that God would not have been able to create any world less than "perfect" - based upon biblical descriptions of the millennial kingdom and the new creation. Unfortunately, the Bible never indicates that either the millennial kingdom or the new creation represent the state of the original creation. In fact, the Bible indicates that this creation was not created to be perfect, but is only a partial representation of that which is to come,4 which will be perfect. The new creation will be the perfect tabernacle - the city "whose architect and builder is God",5 which will not be of this creation.6 Old earth creationists agree that the creation was perfect for the purpose for which it was created. However, the Bible indicates that the purpose of creation is not what has been claimed by young earth creationists.

The purpose of creation

The young earth paradigm assumes God created the earth for mankind to give us a perfect place to live, "designed for our enjoyment."7 However, nowhere does the Bible indicate that God created the earth for our pleasure or enjoyment. In contrast, the Bible indicates that the earth was established to accomplish the purposes of God.8 What are the purposes of God regarding this creation? First and foremost, the creation is designed as a place where evil can be conquered.9 Jesus Christ, through His sacrifice on the cross, provided a sacrifice to remove our evil and reconcile us to God and each other.10 Our role in this purpose is to choose between good and evil.11 By choosing good, we participate in God's purposes and bring glory to Him.12 According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, "Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."13

According to the young earth paradigm, mankind's sin thwarted God's original perfect plan, requiring Him to institute "plan B." Henry Morris says, "it seems unthinkable that the God of the Bible—the God who is omniscient and omnipotent, merciful and loving—would do anything like that. Surely He could devise and implement a better plan than this."14 What was plan B? God created weeds, caused some animals to become carnivorous, cursed mankind with pain and suffering, and instituted death for humans and animals - all because of the sin of mankind. The problem with this thinking is that it contradicts the nature of the God of the Bible, who is described as being omniscient and omnipotent. If God is truly omniscient, He would have known that mankind was going to fall into sin. In addition, the Bible says that no purpose of God can be thwarted.15 So, maybe weeds, carnivorous activity, and suffering were all part of God's original plan?

The problem of evil

Of great importance to young earth creationists is the problem of evil. Since the days of David Hume16 and Charles Darwin,17 skeptics have claimed that a benevolent God who is omnipotent would never create a world in which suffering was allowed to exist. Young earth creationists have bought into the atheists' argument and attempted to circumvent it by shifting the blame for the presence of evil and suffering from God's original plan to God's plan B response to human sin. The failure of this explanation is that it brings into question God's omniscience. Shouldn't an omniscient God have known that human beings were going to rebel, and plan His course of action accordingly? In addition, young earth creationists claim that God is justified in condemning all mankind to a life of evil and suffering just because Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Although God can and does judge sin, not all "bad" things that happen to people are the result of sin. When Jesus' disciples passed a blind man, they asked Jesus if his blindness was due to his own sin or the sin of his parents. Jesus replied that it wasn't due to sin at all, "but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him."18 Peter tells us that those who do what is right will be reviled for the name of Christ, although it will bring glory to God.19

Weeds and work

In contrast, the old earth paradigm says that, indeed, God has a purpose for weeds, carnivores, suffering, and death. Weeds don't seem like something a perfect God would create - at least from a human perspective. The reason why we think in such a way is that we are basically lazy. We don't like the idea that we have to work hard for our food and that we are opposed by "useless" plants, pests (such as insects, rodents, disease), and uncooperative weather and other natural hazards. What purpose could God possibly have in making us work? Going back to Genesis 2, we know that God created the man and placed him into a garden that He had planted with trees that produced fruit.20 My guess is that God did not plant any weeds in the garden, although the text does not specifically say. Even so, Adam was given charge over cultivating and tending the garden.21 If weeds never grew in the garden, Adams "work" would be virtually non-existent. What work did Adam have to do to tend the garden? Maybe God does have a purpose for work.22

Killing carnivores

Young earth creationists say that God would never create a world in which there were millions of years of animal death and suffering.23 However, the Bible indicates that God Himself is implicated in the death of animals. First, God killed animals to clothe Adam and Eve after the fall24 and then killed many animals during the flood.25 God set up the system of animal sacrifice for atonement for sin.26 In addition, scripture tells us that God created carnivores on day 6. Contrary to young earth doctrine, the scriptures indicate that God provides food for the carnivores of the Earth, therefore condoning the death of some animals for the survival of others:

"Who prepares for the raven its nourishment, When its young cry to God, And wander about without food?" (Job 38:41)

"Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions," [God speaking] (Job 38:39) The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their food from God. (Psalm 104:21)

There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great... They all wait for Thee, To give them their food in due season. (Psalm 104:25, 27)

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. (Luke 12:24)

If God is responsible for feeding the carnivores and brags about doing so, maybe the young earth creationists are wrong in their assessment that carnivorous activity is evil and not part of God's original design.

Purposes for evil and suffering

Part of God's original plan involved the defeat of evil. According to the Bible, Satan, God's highest created angelic being,27 rebelled against God, taking one third of the angels with Him.28 These beings attempt to deceive human beings into following them into rebellion against God.29 Jesus Christ came to earth as part of God's original plan to defeat evil30 and redeem mankind.31

God has a higher purpose for this creation than the prevention of evil and suffering. The Bible indicates that evil and suffering provides believers with a means to witness to others,32 including angels,33 about our faith. Suffering also produces patience and endurance34 and conforms us to the image of Christ,35 the purpose for which we were created.36

God's original plan or "plan B"?

Did God really change His plans because of mankind's sin? Actually, the Bible indicates that God's purposes are unchangeable37 and eternal,38 and that He finished His work at the foundation of the earth.39 In fact, many verses indicate that God's plan was formulated before He even created the time dimension of our universe.40 God had already prepared the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ41 and prepared a place for the redeemed in heaven.42 A passage from Isaiah summarizes what God has said about the establishment of His plans:

"Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'; Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it. Listen to Me, you stubborn-minded, Who are far from righteousness. I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; And My salvation will not delay. And I will grant salvation in Zion, And My glory for Israel." (Isaiah 46:9-13)

Contrary to the claims of young earth creationism, God is not going to restore paradise (Eden) at the return of Jesus Christ, but will deliver us from paradise into an entirely new and perfect creation that is eternal. For more information, see What Will Heaven be Like?

Conclusion Young earth creationists believe that God's original creation was "perfect" in every way - no weeds, no disease, no suffering, and no death. In reality, the "perfect paradise" paradigm fails in its lack of biblical support and also in the underlying assumptions that it forces upon a "Christian" worldview. Under the "perfect paradise" paradigm, God is relegated to the position of a poor designer, whose plans for the perfect creation are ruined by the disobedience of Adam and Eve. God is forced to come up with "plan B," in which He vindictively creates weeds, disease, carnivorous animals, and death to get back at humanity for their sin. Young earth creationists inadvertently buy into the atheistic worldview that suffering could not have been the original intent of God, stating that the earth was created "for our pleasure."

In contrast, old earth creationists believe that the universe was created with a perfect purpose, in which human beings are to choose good from evil and bring glory to God in doing so. The "perfect purpose" paradigm states that God created the universe as a temporary place, in which evil and suffering fulfill the will of God toward a higher goal than just to give us pleasure or a nice place to live. We, the followers of Jesus Christ, manifest the abundant grace of God, even in our sufferings, witnessing for the gospel to our fellow human beings and also the angels.

...for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)


TOPICS: Apologetics; Religion & Science; Skeptics/Seekers; Theology
KEYWORDS: creation; genesis; oldearth; yecs; youngearth
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To: AceMineral
Most cannot fathom and would not follow an a god that was not perfect. Does seem narrow minded.
21 posted on 05/01/2010 11:15:45 AM PDT by mad_as_he$$ (If you can read this you are the resistance.)
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To: onedoug
And what “evidence” would that be? The ages based on the assumptions of the dating techniques? Or the dating of the fossils based on the age of the rock layer it is found in which is dated based on the fossil found in the layer?

God did give us genealogies in the scriptures for a reason...one could be to show the age of the earth.

22 posted on 05/01/2010 12:00:14 PM PDT by WorldviewDad (following God instead of culture)
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To: Oztrich Boy
Abel was raising those sheep as pets? Riight!!

Ever heard of WOOL! Look around ye mate, I'm sure where you come from there are sheep raised for wool.

23 posted on 05/01/2010 12:03:26 PM PDT by FW190
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To: mad_as_he$$

18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that[i] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.


24 posted on 05/01/2010 12:23:52 PM PDT by Beavers
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To: Oztrich Boy
Sacrifices

Wool

Milk

Why is it so difficult for people to read the Bible?

25 posted on 05/01/2010 1:14:43 PM PDT by Anti-Utopian ("Come, let's away to prison; We two alone will sing like birds I' th' cage." -King Lear [V,iii,6-8])
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To: Oztrich Boy
Abel was raising those sheep as pets? Riight!!

Oh man ya gotta hope so. If ya can't eat em or have them for pets, what else is left? lol.

26 posted on 05/01/2010 3:01:55 PM PDT by Invincibly Ignorant
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To: truthfinder9
This is not an accurate portrayal of young earth believers. Also, it does not describe the God of the bible. If God calls something 'good' in the bible it is usually equivalent to righteousness and evil is synonymous with death. If God's version of 'good' is not 'perfect'...that doesn't describe the God of the Bible, it describes the God of Islam - which is the Quran God can be both good and evil.

Interesting post, but not really all that deep.

Also, if God didn't create the earth for humans...he seemed to have gone to an aweful lot of trouble sending Jesus his one an only to son to come a rescue such a lot as us humans.

27 posted on 05/01/2010 6:14:48 PM PDT by Taggart_D
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To: WorldviewDad

God gave us minds capable abstracting of information from our environment, which is what separates us from the animals. The scentific method is the best way of assessing why that is, no less using that same method in say, exploding an atomic weapon, lighting a city or flying an airplane from here to there, etc.

God wants us to know why it works. We couldn’t do these things otherwise.

The observational system turns out to be a much simpler way of ascertaining this information rather than just assuming that’s the way it appears so that’s the way it must be, which is usually in truth, much more convoluted.

The evidence is comparative, from as many sources as can be devised, and compared to it’s consistency with every other so studied system.

Simplicity and beauty are the keys, to God as much as to the way the universe works.


28 posted on 05/01/2010 7:20:37 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: Anti-Utopian

Good points, A-U. Thanks!


29 posted on 05/01/2010 7:38:44 PM PDT by swatbuznik
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To: onedoug
I would agree that God has given us minds to use but that does not mean that everything that we can think up is true.

I have no problem with the scientific method (a method of research in which a problem is identified, relevant data are gathered, a hypothesis is formulated from these data, and the hypothesis is empirically tested) but my issue is that when we get to the discussion of the age of the earth we can get to the point of hypothesis but cannot test it empirically. Neither young earth or old earth people can prove the age of the earth using the scientific method since that would mean we would have to replicate the formation of the world...not possible. That is when we need to switch to other forms of evidence such as historical writings...the scriptures come to mind.

And yes God does want us to know why things work. That is why He told Adam to have dominion over the earth, this would suggest that Adam should study the earth to be able to use it to the best of his ability (science).

The problem again is that we tend to make assumptions based upon what we want to believe. The dating techniques that I have studied all are based upon assumptions that can not be scientifically tested...and even several of those techniques give us a young age of the earth. Science can not answer every question we have about our existence, to try and apply science to everything would lead us into what is called scientism.

From what I have seen in science that can actually be tested I see the handy work of God and a validation of scripture, which leads me to accept the rest of scripture as reliable in areas that science cannot answer.

30 posted on 05/01/2010 8:40:01 PM PDT by WorldviewDad (following God instead of culture)
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To: WorldviewDad
The Sun contains metals such as iron and nickel which would have to have undergone thermonuclear fusion in earlier generations of stars since the Sun is not hot enough to sustain the reactions for those elements to have formed therein.

The Sun, burning primarily H to He and up through the C12 cycle, is roughly ~5 billion years old, the age of which is known by thermonuclear fusion, which is what the H-Bomb was, so we understand "it" well enough for this.

Earlier, more massive, hence hotter fusion events making them shorter-lived, totals well for ~13by for the Milky Way, which can be optically (the science of “optics”) checked by all other known radiant material in the visible universe, and which by the observed rate of its expansion is itself is not so much older.

There’s also better geophysical evidence for the Earth having formed ~4.5by ago from these same principles, which are much simpler than for the “young Earth”.

This comes not from "assumptions based upon what we want to believe", but from simple analysis of what's there.

Science and God need be studied together.

31 posted on 05/02/2010 10:12:43 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: onedoug
This does make the assumption that the iron and nickel in the sun were formed in a thermonuclear fusion in earlier generations but since we cannot test this without creating our own star it still is an assumption. God could have created the sun with the iron and nickel as already part of it.

As far as the H to He through the C12 cycle “known by thermonuclear fusion” where is the 5 billion years of data that we have from following this cycle from start to finish stored? The answer is that we do not have this data...again making assumptions that because a certain element is present that it had to go through a certain process. These elements could have been in the original created sun, my point is that we do not have a sample of the original sun to work with so we can not empirically test it as to what elements were present when it came into being. With out the ability to test the original, any age given to the sun, earth, milky way, etc would be based on an assumption and thus can not be proven through the scientific method because the final part (testing) can not take place. This would be for both young and old earth people.

Please do not think that everything is set by what we currently observe...

2 Peter 3:3-7 To begin with, you must know and understand this, that scoffers (mockers) will come in the last days with scoffing;[people who] walk after their own fleshly desires and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the forefathers fell asleep, all things have continued exactly as they did from beginning of creation. For they wilfully overlook and forget this [fact], that heavens [came into] existence long ago by the word of God, and an earth also which was formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world that then [existed] was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been stored up (reserved) for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly people.

Again, we are testing things that are in the present and then assuming things about the past based upon the present data, this would be assuming that “all things have continued exactly as they did from beginning of creation”.

I would agree that science and God need to be studied but I will not put science over God or His Word especially when the science cannot be tested.

32 posted on 05/02/2010 12:15:44 PM PDT by WorldviewDad (following God instead of culture)
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To: WorldviewDad
God could have created the sun with the iron and nickel as already part of it.

So as to throw us off? There's no demonstration to that end. But okay for you.

33 posted on 05/02/2010 12:56:33 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: onedoug
Not to throw us off (that too would be an assumption about God's character)but to create the sun. God does tell us how He created the sun...

Genesis 1:14-19 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years: and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Why would we have to make the jump from the fact that we cannot scientifically prove the age of the sun to the accusation that God would be trying to deceive us? This is again using the idea that “all things have continued exactly as they did from beginning of creation". This is exactly what 2 Peter is warning us about.

34 posted on 05/02/2010 1:40:40 PM PDT by WorldviewDad (following God instead of culture)
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To: WorldviewDad
"...we cannot scientifically prove...."

...anything. Thus to ascertain the better probability.

I personally believe that God is more evident as a supra-natural mathematician than in other of His deeper aspects. Supra being outside nature, beyond space and time.

35 posted on 05/02/2010 2:03:17 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: onedoug

The better probability is that God has told us the TRUTH in His Word. If you want to continue to put faith in the theories of men that continue to change that is your choice. I will not...time for me to move on to more productive things.


36 posted on 05/02/2010 2:10:48 PM PDT by WorldviewDad (following God instead of culture)
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To: WorldviewDad

God’s Grace to You and Yours....


37 posted on 05/02/2010 2:23:03 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: onedoug

1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, [a] they found a plain in Shinar [b] and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel [c] —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.


38 posted on 05/05/2010 8:30:29 AM PDT by Beavers
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