Scientific and Related Responses to Biblical Questions
The
following questions and answers were collected from non-copyrighted materials
posted on the Internet in the early 1990s. Further questions or communications
should be forwarded to the source of this material:
Dr. Hugh Ross, Reasons to Believe, P.O. Box 5978, Pasadena, CA 91117 (www.reasons.org)
Does Genesis place insects as being created last?
The Biblical creation
account tells us that the creatures that creep along the ground were created
on the sixth day, toward the end of the creation sequence. Many have interpreted
these creeping creatures as insects and, therefore, have concluded that the
Genesis record of creation is out of sync with the scientifically established
facts.
Let's look more closely at the text. The creeping creatures are mentioned
as a sub-set of a broader category of animals referred by the Hebrew noun
nephesh. This word, translated as "soulish animal," refers to those
creatures endowed with the capacity to think and feel and choose.
These are the animals we domesticate or choose for pets. Birds and mammals
would fit the meaning of nephesh. Therefore, the creeping creatures of Genesis
must be mammals. Insects are ruled out. Most likely the reference is to rodents,
prairie dogs, rabbits, and the like, creatures which have appeared relatively
recently according to the fossil record.
So, the order of events in the first chapter of Genesis is in perfect accord
with the established facts of nature. This is just one of many evidences that
the Bible is the error free word of God.
How
does the Bible explain cavemen?
By cavemen I mean not the recent cave-dwelling humans, but earlier creatures
such as Homo erectus, Homo habilis, and the Australopithecines. These man-like
creatures did exist. The fossil evidence is undeniable.
However, these species went extinct before God created Adam and Eve. The planet
was empty of them when God specially created Adam and Eve.
The key distinguishing feature which separates modern man, Adam and Eve, from
these prehistoric hominids is the quality called spirit. Spirit is what drives
man to worship, to ponder the meaning of life, and to distinguish right from
wrong. The hominids were mammals, but only Adam and Eve and their descendants
qualify as spirit creatures. This conclusion is confirmed by anthropology.
The oldest religious relic ever uncovered dates back only 8 - 24,000 years.
This time frame is in agreement with the best Biblical date for the creation
of Adam, namely, 8 - 45,000 years ago.
Why would the Bible omit mention of the hominids? I don't believe it does.
They are included with the other mammals. They simply do not warrant special
mention among the top eleven creation miracles selected for discussion.
Was
the Sun really created after the plants?
Some people think that's what the first chapter of Genesis says. After all.
it does say that plants were created on the third day, and the sun, moon,
and stars on the fourth day. Let's look closely at the text.
The first verse of Genesis states that the heavens and the earth were created
in the beginning. This would include the stars, one of which is the sun. The
second verse indicates that the creation story will be told from the perspective
of planet earth, more specifically from the perspective of an observer on
the surface of the earth's ocean under the atmospheric layers.
What happened on the fourth day was not the creation of the sun, but rather
a change in the earth's atmosphere from translucent to transparent. The continuous
overcast now broke, and now the form, and not just the light, of the sun,
moon, and stars became visible. The Hebrew verb nathan is the one used in
reference to the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day. From Hebrew lexicons
we learn that one definition of that verb
is to "cause to appear."
Isn't there a contradiction between Genesis and nature?
Do you know what
excuse people give more than any other for rejecting the Bible? According
to our surveys, it's the seeming contradiction between the creation story
and established facts.
What they need to know is this: as each year goes by, more and more evidence
accumulates to confirm not only the fact that God created, but also that the
Biblical record of His creation is totally accurate. There is no conflict
between the facts of science and the words of the Bible. The same God is responsible
for both. The problem lies with our misunderstandings of one or both.
Here is an example. Bible commentaries typically place the viewpoint for Genesis
One out in the heavens, looking down on the earth. But, the second verse of
Genesis One tells us that it's under the clouds, down on the surface of the
waters. That one small correction eliminates the contradiction between the
Biblical order of events and the scientific order.
Creation
or evolution -- what is truth?
Definitions here are important. Evolution means change with respect to time;
evolutionism or Darwinism has come to mean changes by natural means only;
while creation means that at least some of the changes come by supernatural
means. Natural process evolution adequately describes, for example, the formation
of rain drops and the burning of stars. It cannot explain the origin of the
universe, the capacity of the earth to support life, or
the origin of life. In fact, in all three of the latter cases, well established
facts of science prove beyond any reasonable doubt that supernatural input
was required. This does not mean, however, that natural-process changes never
occur. Nor does it negate God's superintendence over the natural processes.
The most recent supreme court statement on the teaching of creation and science
emphasized the importance of teaching only that which is based on established
fact. Research breakthroughs of the last four years powerfully confirm that
the established facts of science perfectly match the account given in the
Bible. Let's focus our attention and efforts on teaching those facts.
Is
creation or natural process evolution responsible for life?
A good test is to study what's happening right now. This is a fair test because
physicists and astronomers confirm that physical conditions now are largely
the same as they have been since life has been around.
Recently, ecologists have determined that one species of life goes extinct
every hour. Obviously, many of these extinctions result from man's activities
pollution, deforestation, and the like. However, these same ecologists concede
that at least one species goes extinct every year without man's influence.
The question is, how many new species do we see coming into existence every
year? The answer: zero. The emergence of a new animal species in nature has
yet to be documented. This means that life is not in natural balance.
If it were not for God's involvement during His time of creating, His supernaturally
replacing the species that naturally go extinct, our planet would have been
void of life long ago.
Is
it possible for life to evolve by natural means?
Evolution of anything, organic or inorganic, by natural processes alone can
be seen as a reasonable conclusion only if we can demonstrate the existence
of the following four essentials:
1. the existence of physical mechanisms or processes to generate all the necessary
changes
2. the existence of reasonable physical conditions for the mechanisms to work
both before and after the
changes
3 . the existence of sufficient results per unit time from the mechanisms;
that is, enough surviving individuals of the new type to ensure their survival
4. the existence of real-time observational and statistical verification of
the natural change process and mechanisms
We can demonstrate that these essentials are present for rain drop and star
formation.
We can demonstrate that none of them exist for the formation of life. Therefore,
we can conclude that rain drops and stars form by natural processes, but we
must conclude that strictly natural causes are insufficient to explain either
the introduction of life or the subsequent development of life.
How
could Noah's ark hold all those animals? Part 1
Have you ever wondered how Noah's ark could possibly have held all the species
of life on the earth? The ark was big, nearly the size of an aircraft carrier.
However, even a boat of such size would be too small to hold the millions
of animal species found on planet earth, let alone a fourteen-month food supply.
Don't panic. I'm not saying that the Bible is wrong on this point. What you
need to know is that the Bible does not claim that every animal species on
earth was aboard the ark.
In Genesis 6, 7, 8, and 9 two Hebrew words, nephesh and basar, are used to
describe the animals on board the ark. The word nephesh includes birds and
mammals only.
The word basar refers more specifically to those birds and mammals that contribute
to man's livelihood. Further, the word for world refers to mankind and the
area he occupied rather than the entire globe.
Several hundreds of species, at most a few thousand, were indeed brought on
board the ark. In any case, the ark was plenty big enough, both for the animals
and their food supply. And, Noah's family of eight would be fully capable
of caring for these animals on board.
How
could Noah's ark hold all those animals? Part 2
Did all the creatures of Earth really fit on Noah's ark? No ship we can imagine
would be big enough to house over 2,000,000 species. And, besides, how could
just eight people care for all of those animals? The Bible tells that Noah's
ark was roughly 500 feet long.
That's big, but still inadequate to house pairs of 2,000,000 species plus
their food. The crucial point, here has to do with the purpose of God's judgment.
God's stated purpose was to cleanse the earth from the infection of wickedness.
So, His destruction would only reach as far as the people and animals irreparably
affected by man's rampant sin, namely. Only two Hebrew words are used in the
Genesis flood account to refer to the animals taken on board the ark. These
are
nephesh and basar.
The
word nephesh refers to birds and mammals, the only creatures on earth whose
behavior can be affected by
man's sin.
The word basar is specific to those birds and mammals that have actual contact
with man.
So, the number of animals on board the ark probably numbered in the hundreds,
certainly no more than a few thousand. The ark, then, would have been adequate,
and eight people could have cared for all the animals.
Might
Noah's ark still be found on Mount Ararat?
Some Christians have suggested that Noah's ark still rests on top of Mt. Ararat
and that its discovery will provide definitive proof of the Genesis Flood.
What does the physical evidence say, and what does the Bible say?
First, the Genesis account does not say that the ark came to rest on top of
Mt. Ararat. Rather, it says "the ark came to rest on the mountains of
Ararat." The Hebrew word for mountains, har, has a very broad definition,
from a 50-foot high hill to Mt. Everest. Thus, the expression "the mountains
of Ararat" would encompass more than 100,000 square miles of territory
north and east of Ninevah.
Second, the dove that Noah released came back to the ark with an olive leaf.
Olive branches would be found on the lower hills of Ararat but not on the
high mountains. If the ark came to rest on the foothills of Ararat, we can
reasonably conclude that its wood was used up long ago for construction projects
in and around
Mesopotamia.
I
tried to read the Bible, but I can't seem to understand what it is saying?
First, I'd like to comment that the Bible compared to the other holy books
of the world is remarkably simple, with prose that is direct and specific,
and with poetry that is more musical and informative than symbolic and esoteric.
Sometimes difficulty comes from our starting in the middle, or getting bogged
down on one tough point. The Bible is meant to be read in its entirety. Many
Bible authors assumed that the reader would be familiar with the works of
other Bible authors.
Just as we will never learn everything there is to know about the world of
nature that God has created, so too, we will never learn all there is to know
about the Bible, the book God has inspired. God is infinite. We are finite.
But, the good news is that the Bible clearly reveals the information that
is important for us to know, both for our life and relationships here and
now, and for the eternity to come.
If
you would like to learn more about the Bible's most important message, ask
for the introductory free offer of Dr. Hugh Ross's booklet What Is Christianity? Write:
Reasons to Believe, P.O. Box 5978, Pasadena, CA 91117.
Why
do some people try Christianity and leave?
Have you ever run into someone who said he tried Christianity but it didn't
work? There can be several reasons for this. One is that a person may want
magic rather than God. I'll talk about this issue another time. A more specific
problem might be that the person wants to hold onto a grudge.
It won't work. Jesus said that we receive God's forgiveness to the extent
that we are willing to extend forgiveness to others. In the New Testament
book of Ephesians, God gives us instructions on how to be set free from bitterness.
First, we must name names, identify who and what hurt us. We must let ourselves
feel that pain and say what we needed and wanted instead of what we got. Then,
with God's help, we can gain the
ability to look beyond people's faults and failings in order to see the unmet
needs in them that gave rise to the faults.
Having developed this new perspective, we can become tenderhearted, compassionate.
We can become more realistic in our expectations of those who wounded us,
and we can let go of the need to change them or to take vengeance on them
for the way they hurt us. Then, we can experience the freedom that comes from
forgiving and being forgiven. God doesn't ask us to go through this process
without help. All He asks is that we become willing.
What
is God's relationship with the Hebrew people?
Does God play favorites? Is God a Zionist because He has been supernaturally
assisting the Jews? In Ezekiel's prophecy, chapter 36, we are told, and I
quote "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to
do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned
among the nations å The nations will know that I am the Lord, declares
the Sovereign Lord, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes."
In other words, God is performing miracles today in and around Israel not
as a favor to the Jews, but as a testimony to the truth of His word, and not
to gain the attention of the Jews but to gain the attention of the entire
world.
Further proof
can be seen in events between Israel and her Arab neighbors since 1948. Whenever
the Arabs sought to move beyond what God had predicted, they were struck down
by God's miraculous intervention.
And, so were the Jews. In both 1948 and 1973 the Jews found themselves miraculously
prevented from achieving certain military objectives˜ objectives clearly
beyond what God, through His prophets, had predicted.
Where
are God's miracles today?
When I first read the Bible, I was envious of the ancient Israelites. They
saw such mighty works of God as Moses parting the Red Sea and David defeating
Goliath. Where are the mighty works of God now, I wondered?
Fortunately, I continued reading the Bible, and as I did I discovered many
interesting predictions. More than 200 concerned the rebirth of Israel as
a nation. I read in Ezekiel how Israel would be born at a time when other
nations would declare the Jewish national movement finished, dead, as response
to their seeing huge valleys filled with the bones of Jews. In the Psalms,
King David prophesied that the key battles for founding this new nation would
be fought by those who had once been sentenced to death. In Jeremiah I read
how Jerusalem for the first time would expand outside the city walls with
nine new suburbs, names and locations specified.
Microfilms of newspapers printed in my lifetime confirmed to me that everything
the Bible predicted about this second rebirth of Israel had come true. No
longer could I view the Bible as archaic. It was up to the minute, speaking
personally to me, giving me and my generation solid proofs of God's ongoing
activity.
Apparent
contradiction in the Old and New Testament
treatment of an "eye for and eye"
Skeptics often claim that the Bible contains contradictions. When pressed
for an example, it's not uncommon for them to quote an "eye for an eye"
from the Old Testament in contrast with Jesus' words in the gospels to "turn
the other cheek." Are the skeptics right, or are they failing to examine
the Biblical context?
In declaring an "eye for an eye," Moses in Deuteronomy 19 speaks
about the responsibility of the government to punish false witnesses. Whatever
court penalty intended for the accused victim is to be meted out to the false
witness. In saying "turn the other cheek" Jesus in Luke 6 states
that an individual is not to strike back when
persecuted or personally insulted by another, but rather to return good. "Do
good to those who hate you," Jesus says in the same paragraph.
Not only is there no contradiction, but the Bible, Old and New Testament,
is consistent both on its teachings about the exercise of justice by governments
and about the exercise of love and forbearance by individuals.
Is
the Bible the only source of truth?
Have your friends ever reacted to your belief that the Bible is the only book
of Truth? You may be glad to hear that your belief has a basis in scientific
fact. In this decade, astronomers and physicists have proven that the universe˜
and even time itself˜ has a beginning. And that beginning requires a
Creator who exists beyond our
dimensions of space and time.
In addition to this significant discovery, astronomers have gone on to show
that the Creator is personal. They have shown it in this way: more than thirty
design features of the universe and of planet earth reveal an incredibly sensitive
fine tuning. It is now more obvious than ever that God specially shaped and
prepared the universe, and the earth, for mankind.
Of all the writings forming the basis for the different religions of the world,
only one, the Bible, agrees with these on-going scientific breakthroughs.
We live in a day when findings every year at the frontiers of research in
astronomy, physics, and other fields, simply multiply the weight of evidence
for the unique and supernatural accuracy of the Bible.
Where
did Cain get his wife?
Have you ever been asked where Cain got his wife, plus all the people to build
and occupy his city? The truth is that people really did live to be about
900 years old. This fact is supported in writings other than the Bible.
Furthermore, in the last ten years, scientific evidence has arisen on the
effects of the Vela supernova to explain how these long life spans may have
been possible.
Given the 900 year life spans, a reproductive rate of one child every five
years per couple, and a reproductive period of 600 years per couple, there
could have been 6000 people on the earth by the time Adam reached age 350.
By his 900th birthday there could have been 4.5 billion. Hence, Cain would
have had no problem finding a wife or people to populate his city. Obviously,
Cain or one of his brothers must have married a sister.
This union is not a problem genetically, since genetic weaknesses from intermarriage
would not appear until after several generations. Neither is it a problem
morally, for the command against marrying close relatives did not appear until
the days of Moses. Abraham, you may recall, was married to his half-sister.
How
can the Bible be trusted if it contains scientific errors?
If the Bible includes scientific errors, either God is not totally knowledgeable
about the universe and the earth, or the Bible is not the word of God. As
a skeptical unbeliever and physics student, I studied the Bible daily for
two years looking for a provable scientific error. I could not find a single
one. No on else has either.
Rather, the Bible is filled with correctly stated scientific facts far in
advance of the discoveries that established them as true. The laws of thermodynamics
are correctly given; so is the water cycle, also the shape of the earth, the
order of creation events, and certain laws of health and sanitation, to name
just a few. These scientific forecasts are presented so specifically that
the odds of their being merely coincidental are astronomically small. Thus,
they constitute powerful proof that the Bible is indeed the inspired, inerrant
word of God.
How
reliable is the Bible?
When you walk out your front door on a warm summer morning, do you worry about
your blood turning to ice in your veins? I doubt it. My guess is that you've
never thought for a moment about that prospect even though it is a mathematical
possibility. You don't have to think about it because the laws of heat and
motion are so reliable, and that possibility is very remote. The laws of thermodynamics
are so dependable that we easily, in fact reasonably, take them for granted.
Did you know that it's possible to demonstrate to your skeptical friends that
the Bible is every bit as reliable as those laws.
Simply on the basis of fulfilled prophecies and accurately forecasted scientific
discoveries, we can show that
the Bible is a surer bet than those laws of heat and motion on which we daily
gamble our lives. If you wonder
how I can make such a bold claim, please put me to the test.
Did
God or man write the Bible? Part 1
How can we tell whether God or mere men were responsible for the Bible or
for any other book of "holy writ." One way is to examine the perspective.
Men will write from their own limited point of view. It is reasonable to expect
that God, on the other hand, would communicate to us from a perspective that
goes beyond our limited frame of reference.
Man's finite universe is limited to the four dimensions of length, width,
height, and time. No wonder, then, that a man- invented religion will confine
God and God's interaction with man to these four dimensions. But, since God
the Creator must live beyond these four He created, a message truly from Him
will reveal His perspective from extra dimensions. In this respect, among
others, the Bible is unique.
The Bible alone contains descriptions of an entirely self-consistent, yet
extra-dimensional reality, such as the beginning of space and time, God's
operations before time began, and God as one, two, and three persons simultaneously.
The Bible alone teaches such doctrines as the simultaneity of free-choice
and predetermination.
For these and many other reasons, it is sensible to conclude that the Bible alone is the written word of God to man.
Did
God or man write the Bible? Part 2
How can we tell whether God or men were responsible for the Bible? One way
is to examine its accuracy. We can expect that men make mistakes, but that
God never does. Even our most carefully composed textbooks contain some imperfections.
The Bible, by
contrast, shows itself to be perfect˜ perfect in its consistency, free
of internal contradictions, and accurate in its statements about history and
the natural world. The Bible writers even dared to predict future events and
future discoveries of science. They did so not just a few times, but more
than three thousand times, and with a degree of specificity found in no other
document.
In its predictions, the Bible gives peoples' names, geographical places, dates, and descriptions of events hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years in advance. In statements about nature, such things as the water cycle, the shape of the earth, the rules of health, and the origin of the universe, the Bible again reaches hundreds even thousands of years ahead. And the Bible has never been wrong. I urge you to check it out for yourself.
By
what measure does God judge us?
Whether it's acknowledged or not, the most important issue facing all of us
is whether or not there is a day of judgment, and if so, how will God evaluate
our lives? The consensus view among all major religions is that we will face
a day of reckoning. Most portray judgment day as a weighing of good deeds
versus bad deeds.
This seems fair
from a human perspective, but the Bible reveals a different perspective˜
that even our most righteous deeds are like filthy rags in comparison with
God's holiness. Why? Because it is unrealistic and unrighteous for us to take
credit for goodness that did not emanate from us, but rather from the One
who made us.
The Bible declares that if we respond to God in humility and depend wholly upon His goodness and mercy, expressed tangibly in Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection, He will forget every bad thing we have ever done and reward us according to our responsiveness to Him. If, on the other hand, a person never bows his heart in surrender to God, God will forget every good thing he has done, and judge him according to his bad deeds.
In other words, God judges us on the stuff that's on one side of the balance
scale only. This picture of judgment is unique to the Bible. But, this is
to be expected. Only the Bible transcends man's perspective to reveal for
us God's love and justice and mercy.
I
tried to become a Christian, but couldn't.
Have you ever met someone who said he tried to become a Christian, but just
couldn't do it? There can be several reasons for this. One is that the person
may have hit the barrier of occult involvement. If he's willing to acknowledge
and turn away from that involvement, no problem. If not, big problem.
Let's define our
terms. The occult would include any attempt to gain power or knowledge through
Satan or one of his cohorts, the demons. Obvious attempts include participating
in a sceance, playing with a Ouija board, visiting a fortune teller, or practicing
astrology. More subtle attempts may include possession of occultic records,
tapes, books, pictures, charms, games, or other such objects.
If you or someone
you love need to break through the occult barrier, here are four steps you
can take:
1. Identify any and all open doors to occult influence.
2.Agree with God in prayer your opening these doors to the occult was wrong.
3. Take action to show your repentance. Des troy any and all occultic objects
and have nothing further to do with them or with occultic practices.
4.Ask Jesus Christ to be the master of your life submitting your will to His.
5. Dedicate your soul, mind, and strength to be used for fulfilling His purposes.
How is one saved?
Have you ever considered how incredibly compact the Bible is? In a little
less than a million words, 39 authors provide insight on every kind of problem
that man has ever faced or ever will face.
There is one problem, the most basic problem, that every one of the 66 books
of the Bible addresses; namely, how can an imperfect human being develop a
relationship with a holy and perfect God?
Developing an
eternal relationship with God is the essence of Christianity. What is the
starting point? It is to become convinced, through a proper examination of
the evidences God has provided in nature and in the Bible, that God is perfect
and we humans are not.
The Bible clearly
states that God is perfection, but it also says that God is so loving that
He would not leave us hopelessly distant from Him in our state of imperfection
without providing some way to come to Him.
He Himself is the only one wise enough and powerful enough to provide that means of bridging the gap. If we publicly trust in His means (His Son's sacrificial death on the cross) and no other, receive His pardon for our imperfection, and commit ourselves to follow His instructions for our lives, we will enter into an eternal relationship of love with Him.
How
can I know I am saved?
A lot of people claim to be Christians but how many of them really are? How
can anyone really be sure that he or she has received God's gift of eternal
life?
The signs of a
permanent personal relationship with God have very little to do with outward
piety,
performance at church, or even supernatural signs and wonders. According to
the Bible, the marks of a true believer are new desires, sensitivities, and
strengths. For example:
A new desire to study the words of God, found in the Bible.
A discovery that the Bible now comes alive when it is read.
A new desire for communication with God through prayer.
An informed certainty that Jesus is the way to God, the one and only.
A heightened conscience, keener sensitivity to right and wrong.
A genuine love for others and a desire for fellowship with other believers.
A new strength to do what is right and to withstand temptation.
These are just some of them. For someone who has just given his life to Christ's
control, these indicators may be latent. However, in time, with the nurturing
and encouragement of the Holy Spirit within and supportive people around,
they will be evidenced to a greater and greater degree.
Isn't
the universe infinite?
" ... it really does matter, and matters very much, how we think about
the cosmos," says author, historian, and college president George Roche.
Unfortunately, the predominant world view is that the universe is infinite,
and therefore, the dice of chance can be thrown as often as necessary to explain
even such amazing improbabilities as atoms self-assembling into living things.
However, in this
decade, astronomers and physicists have proven that the universe is finite˜
in time and in extent. Though it is extremely old and big, it is still absurdly
too young and absurdly too small to explain life's coming together by natural
processes. Furthermore, astronomers have gone on to prove that the universe
requires a Creator, a Creator who exists beyond our dimensions of space and
time. Of all the writings forming the basis for the different religions of
the world, only one, the Bible, agrees with these latest scientific breakthroughs.
We live in a day when findings every year at the frontiers of research in astronomy, physics, and other fields, simply multiply the weight of evidence for the supernatural accuracy of the Bible.
Is
there life on Mars?
A Viking spacecraft looked a few years ago without success. The Soviet space
agency and NASA will soon try again, using much more sophisticated testing
instruments. Why such great expenditure of effort and money?
Certain evolutionists
are convinced that life evolves naturally not just on Earth but elsewhere
throughout our universe. According to these scientists, the discovery of life
on Mars would prove that life evolved. And, if it evolved on two out of nine
of planets in our solar system, then life may be abundant in other stellar
systems.
However, these
experts are ignoring just how transportable and survivable the Earth's life-forms
are. Balloon studies have found microorganisms high up in the earth's stratosphere.
From these high altitudes, the solar wind is capable of pushing the organisms
all the way to the surface of Mars. Also, ancient asteroid collisions with
the earth could have sent life-carrying earth material to Mars.
We should expect to find many species of earth life at least as far away as Mars. So, don't be deceived. The discovery of minute life-forms on Mars proves nothing about the natural evolution of life.
What
about some other kind of life? part 1
When people see and hear evidence which shows them the virtual impossibility
of life coming together by chance through natural means, sometimes they argue,
"Well, that's just life as we know it." What about some other kind
of life? Perhaps natural processes could make living things quite different
from what we know.
The answer is
that a chemistry complex enough to store information, to generate reproduction,
and to process energy into useful work is a fundamental necessity. Such complex
chemistries can be built on only three atoms˜ carbon, silicon, and boron.
Let's take silicon,
first. Silicon permits molecular assemblages containing no more than 100 amino
acids. Even enzymes require more than that. That rules out silicon life. Now
for boron. Boron may permit more amino acids, but boron is rare in the universe,
so rare as to eliminate it as a realistic possibility. That leaves us with
carbon. Carbon-based life really does seem to be the only physical life in
the universe.
Since new scientific proofs establish that the entire universe is at least 10^100,000,000,000 times too small or too young to permit the natural formation of any form of carbon- based life, the only rational conclusion is that God alone is responsible for the formation of life.
What
about some other kind of life? part 2
When people see the evidence which shows them the virtual impossibility of
life coming together by chance through natural means, they often argue, "Well,
that's just life as we know it." What about some other kind of life?
Virtually the entire community of life scientists concur that physical organisms
have no option but to be built on carbon. And, the calculations demonstrating
the utter implausibility of life developing by natural processes alone are
easily substantiated. But, of course, there is another kind of life: spiritual
life.
The equations
of general relativity, the big bang origin of the universe, and some newly
discovered
fundamental particles all require a Creator God who lives in dimensions including
and beyond the dimensions of our universe. The Bible speaks of Him and about
His creating other living beings, such as angels, some of whom the Bible tells
us chose to rebel against Him. Therefore, while there isn't the slightest
possibility for other physical life-forms, there does exist the probability
for spiritual life-forms.
Did
dinosaurs and men walk the earth together?
Did dinosaurs and men walk together? What is the scientific evidence, and
what does the Bible say? The number of dinosaur fossils is truly enormous,
permitting many facts to be established. One of these facts about dinosaurs
is that they suffered a mass extinction long before Adam and Eve were created.
The Bible makes no mention of dinosaurs. A few Bible interpreters identify
the "behemoth" and "leviathan" in the book of Job as dinosaurs.
But, the word behemoth appears in Genesis chapters one and seven as a subset
of the Hebrew word nephesh, which refers to birds and mammals. Since dinosaurs
are reptiles, they would be ruled out.
Furthermore, a close examination of Job 40 and 41 reveals many metaphorical
phrases describing behemoth and leviathan as creatures terrifying to human
beings. Anatomically, the descriptions perhaps best fit the hippopotamus and
the crocodile. These two species, incidentally, rank first and second in the
animal kingdom as killers of human beings.
The Bible makes no mention of dinosaurs simply for the sake of succinctness.
The Bible is highly selective in its description of creation miracles.
The WindowView drops many of the typical presumptions to take another look. What does scientific data tell us if we start without assumptions? And ... how contiguous is science information if examined along with scriptural perspectives provided by the Bible? The Bible is the only religious or holy book we know of that is in fact consistent with science. While not a textbook, the Scriptures are either contradictory or complementary to scientific perspectives. Have you looked at these perspectives? To see 'Science and Scripture in Harmony' is to reveal life, reality, and your future.
