Posted by Walker on August 27, 1998 at 01:51:28:
In Reply to: Please continue. posted by racko on August 26, 1998 at 21:40:56:
: Evolution seems totally incompatible with Genesis.
: I wonder why this would be so. I've managed to believe them both for nearly twenty years now. As long as you view the "days" as steps in formulating what would occur, I don't see where you would have any problem.
That would help. However: Genesis 1:5 "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." This sounds to me like day means day, not several million years or some other length of time. My friends say that "light" could mean "light of Christ" and not sun light. I guess that might get us out of the "7 day creation problem" but "light of Christ" in this context doesn’t make much sense to me. Where would you find evidence that "day" in the Genesis creation story means anything other than "day"?
: : I tried to disbelieve Genesis and still believe in God for a while, but I wasn't able to do it.
: A logical conclusion if you don't believe Genesis. But why are you so hard on Genesis, especially after one biology class?
In my biology 100 class at BYU, I was stunned when the four biology teachers pronounced in unity that men evolved from apes. I was also fascinated by the comment of one of those professors who said something like, "Next time you go to the temple, notice the order in which the species are created. You will see that the temple movie, God creates the species in the same order that biology says they evolved."
I’m fascinated because this correlation between Genesis creation and evolution is minor compared to the contradictions.
1. The order in which the earth/heaven was created doesn’t seem right. 1) Light and Dark were created. 2) Heaven/sky was created. 3) Earth, oceans and plants created. 4) Sun, Moon and Stars created. 5) Whales and fish, fowl are created. 6) Land animals and Adam are created. 7) God rests.
This is roughly in order of what science says but I can’t figure out what the light of day 1 is without the sun in day 4. Wasn’t the sun created before plants? Weren’t some land animals an creeping things created before whales and fowl?
2. God in Genesis creates Eve in a special way (taking a rib from Adam) whereas evolution says male and female evolved together the same way as the rest of life forms.
3. Adam lived for 930 years. Others mentioned in Genesis lived for several hundred years. I know of no scientific evidence to support this. I would guess there is evidence against it but I’m not sure.
4. The genetic diversity within individual species and observed mutation rate is not consistent with the idea that life was started 6000 years ago. The "one day = millions of years" argument doesn’t help here since all fowl and land animals were wiped out by the flood (Genesis 7:21) except for the pairs of animals that Noah saved on his ark.
5. During the flood and for several months after the flood (about 1 year total) all these animals were housed in the ark which is described as being about the size of a football field. Note that there would have to be at least two species of elephants (African and Asian), several species of rhinos and hippos, several kinds of bears, apes, ruminants, actually thousands of species. Where would they store all the food these creatures for a year? That must have been some year supply of food storage.
Some have argued that the various species could have evolved since the flood. (for example African and Asian elephants maybe diverged less than 6000 years ago) I don’t think that is compatible with the evidence.
6. Some people say evolution is the tool God used to create man in his image. But we have some more evolving to do: 17:14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. So is God circumcised? If not then why is He asking us to alter our bodies to be different from him. Are we saying that God used evolution to create man in his image except the foreskin which He intends us to cut off for a token?
Well, some of this may be more philosophical than biological. We could also talk about other types of problems with Genesis if you like.
: Also, would you mind if I copy your post to share with friends?
Sure. But wouldn’t it be better to get the facts and opinions of an expert in this area? You would only be sharing the thoughts of a truth hobbyist.
Note: I reserve the right to change my opinion in light of compelling evidence.
[ Follow Ups ] [ Exmormon.org- Honest Inquiry Message Board ] [ FAQ ]