Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Genesis scientifically validated?

I quite often hear that science confirms the creation story as told in Genesis 1, and that this is evidence that the story was inspired by God. After all, how could a person from the bronze age (Moses, as traditionally claimed) know about the big bang, evolution etc.
When this claim is investigated, however, it seems it falls to pieces.
The Genesis creation myth only bears a very slight passing resemblance to modern cosmology. When this is pointed out to theists, they often claim that those parts which don't match are mere poetic language, and in no way undermine the miraculous concordance with current science.

I don't buy it.

When we look at the actual account of creation we see some of the problems it has when compared with what science tells us:


  • The firmament separating the waters above from the waters below is a solid structure.

  • There are waters above the firmament (causing the blue sky, as I understand it)

  • Having waters above and waters below, and a solid structure separating them implies strongly a flat earth.

  • The Genesis account has plants (including flowering plants) created prior to the Sun, Moon and Stars.

  • The Sun is created after the Earth.

  • The stars are created after the Earth.

  • The Sun and the Moon are created at the same time.

  • The Moon is is a source of light.

  • The Sun, Moon and stars are embedded within the firmament.

  • Flowering plants are created prior to animals.

  • Birds are created prior to other land animals.

  • Man was created after all of the other animals.


Now, each and every one of these can be (and has been) rationalised away.None of these post-hoc rationalisations is successful, as far as I can tell.

The account could be scientifically accurate and still contain poetic language. I think we can all imagine how that might read.
All of the concepts required - distance, time, were available. Sure science shows us a universe vastly different to that conceived by those in the ANE, but could God not have found a way to communicate this to the author? If not it seems God has something of a communications problem.

I'm sure there are numerous other rationalisations one can make to try to resolve the conflict between Genesis and science. Some "deeper" reading can perhaps be made. Or perhaps we accept Genesis as wholly metaphorical in nature, telling us "who" rather than how, when etc. These also seem to fail, as other creation myths are open to the same sort of re-interpretation and rationalisation.

On the whole, and in the absence of an argument which dispels these issues, I take it that Genesis 1 is a creation myth, much like the Enûma Eliš. I'm sure with a bit of effort other creation myths could also be rationalised to fit the science, and the results would look very similar to that carried out for Genesis 1.

I can't see any criteria by which to differentiate them, and therefore I don't.

2 comments:

Lee said...

I would also add/note that Gen1 states the Sun came before all other stars. This goes against science's view

The funny thing is when many Christians quote "In the beginning..." and use it as evidence that Gen1 knows what it is talking about.

Ignoring the whole rest of the book. Talk about cherry picking

Havok said...

Oh, I'd almost forgotten the whole day/age rationalisation.
Why can't Christians, under the supposed influence of the Holy Spirit, interpret the duration of the Genesis account with anything approaching the consensus which science achieves?
In fact, passages from latter books in the bible seem to state rather explicitly that creation took place in 6 literal days - Exod.20:11;31:15-17