This Article: (5 Pages)
- 1. A new look at creation.
- 2. An ongoing making of the World... (day to day)
- 3. Why and how we make things
- 4. Why Six Days? Why Six Thousand Years?
- 5. Evidence the God of Israel called on
5) Evidence the God of Israel called on
When speaking of evidence, the God of Israel spoke of his power and his work but he leaned all the burden of proof of his existence to his witnesses.
Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God. (Isaiah 43:10-12)
When it came to putting forward evidence, the God of Israel did not point to creation instead he pointed to Israel. It has not been to their glory to be chased about the world as a witness, while their land as desolated. It has not been to their glory to become a nation again, as no nations has attracted such criticism, yet the very enmity of those who reject the Bible has established what was shown to Jews and meticulously kept by them, though it condemned them and spoke of future evil.
And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them show unto them. (Isaiah 44:7)
Logically, if these people witness to their living God who is a God of truth (Isaiah 65;16), and their witness is true (being fulfilled), then it follows the account given of creation is a true account (though written from a specific viewpoint and for an audience throughout the ages of varying abilities).
For more see God's witness of prophecy
Does acceptance of the account in Genesis as literal preclude scientific advancement?
The problem with thinkers is that they are often not doers. Scientific advancement was not achieved by pure thought. Great maths and theoretical physics would be like art, unless doing people had invented things and done things to use those ideas.
When people make things, they exercise choice and their will. Ask any designer to be honest as to why something is the way it is, and why they made it that way. Ask yourself why you do things. It is the people who do things who advance experimental science, and unless theory is useful to their choices, it has little bearing. In reality ancient history, and theories of origins, have little effect on people who do things with purpose, to solve modern problems or to meet new opportunities they see in the modern world. Compare a lifetime spent making up stories about what might have made things they observe (which they can't verify as they weren't there and it's not observable now) to the same time spent analysing how the complex mechanism works (which is verifiable and repeatable in many living samples) and how it might be imitated in a new invention.
Where humans have come from historically might be of interest, but it is only useful if it has some bearing on where we are now and where we are going. It is very telling which cultures like digging up the past now and why they began doing it.
There is an effect which is extremely curious called 'the protestant work ethic'. For some reason the more people read the whole Bible, and the more their culture takes from it, and they more they accept it as literal, the more likely they are to do things successfully. It might be because it is a book about a Creator doing things. It might be because of the Bible's insistence on literal truth without exaggeration, or respect of persons.
Also such people seem more ready to ask questions. It might be because unlike the great thinkers of the earth, the Bible has answers to unanswerable questions that don't close avenues of enquiry but rather open new questions. Some people might not like those answers, of course.
To those who love the Bible, and understand it literally, the world is full of beautiful integrated complexity within, and between, “kinds” or species which is evidence that fits this understanding. Literal creationists were first to notice variation in species (kinds). If there was no mechanisms for change in DNA from generation to generation, influenced by the environment, there would not be the beauty due to the variety that there is. The more they look the more they find evidence for the Creator of the Bible who loves complexity (as evidenced by the Bible itself). The more research is done, from the atom to the universe, the more complexity is found. The more we might find, the more we can delight in looking.
He has made every thing beautiful in his time: also he has set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God makes from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. (Proverbs 25:2)
It's worth asking whether evidence that seems to contradict the Bible hasn't a flaw. It is always interesting to see where apparent contradiction in the Bible itself leads as it often leads to underlying confirmation once context is considered. Therefore to apply it to new research might yield some surprising answers about the science involved. The tenet of research is that it must be capable of withstanding the same kind of scrutiny often levelled at the Bible. There is no certainty, or authority, in the world of human ideas, as is admitted by those who theorise about research itself. As for theories of science, it is hard to pin it down, but the sense is that research pragmatically focuses on observable repeatable mechanisms, and for convenience and ideology defines out a Creator as a cause. Then no wonder while there is more understanding of mechanisms there are increasing numbers of questions as to why things happen. It's profitable to read the bits about assumptions, limitations and margins of error.
When presented with new ideas you might ask, what would I think if the person telling me this was a carpenter? In this way the idea must stand on its merit. Fundamentally making human thought 'great', and having respect of persons is foolish. As a warning example a 'genius' of last century not only made a mess of his personal life, but in addition, though he was shown by experimental evidence to be right on some things he'd proposed when he was unknown, he was wrong on other things when he was famous. There are problems for those who serve, or make people 'great' and elevate them rather that God.
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: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (Romans 1:20-22)
For more The new Creation
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It has been in my heart to write about an observation regarding the movement in the heavens : weather, climate, sun and universe. It concerns me that people do not give the God of the Bible the glory for His gift of life, moment to moment, and the giving of rain and sun.
Three times in the Bible we are introduced to the creation of the heavens and earth. The first instance is in Genesis, the second is by the prophet Isaiah and the third is in Revelation.
Recent findings suggest once again that science reveals how much is not known. Venus was found to have a longer day than was measured by the Magellan in the early 1990's: a noticeably and significantly longer day. The motion in the universe might be more quixotic than many had thought.
