Comment on Common Arguments Against a 7-Day Creation Week by Sean Pitman.
It’s an interesting but fairly complicated argument that really doesn’t seem to me to be clearly in favor of one side or the other (young or old Earth) – because of the primary reason that I don’t generally trust radioactive “clocks” to begin with. That is, rocks or crystals that contain radioactive materials aren’t really closed systems. In any case, here’s the basic argument you’ve presented on your website, as far as I can tell, and my problem with it in a nutshell:
After 2 million years, whatever amount of 234U that was originally created would all be gone – which seems pretty straightforward due to the relatively rapid decay rate of 234U. Therefore, all the 234U in the world today would have to have been created by the decay of 238U, and the rate that 234U is being created by the decay of 238U would equal the rate at which 234U was being lost through radioactive decay – which is good so far. So, everywhere uranium is found, the rate of production should equal the rate of loss. However, this isn’t what is generally found in real life. In real life there are places with much higher levels of 234U than there should be. Some places have up to eight times, or more, than the expected levels of 234U. How can such findings be explained?
One possibility, of course, is that the Earth itself is less than 2 Ma and that the original created level of 234U was quite high and has yet to be exhausted because of the Earth’s young age. However, another option (which seems much more likely to me) is that unequal contamination is to blame due to the fact that the rocks and crystals being evaluated simply aren’t closed systems. This scenario also seems more likely to me given the fact that almost all groundwater throughout the world has a ratio of 234U/238U that is >1 (evidently since 234U is a bit more water soluble than 238U). This throws everything off and makes the uranium clock completely unreliable as far as I can tell.
Sean Pitman Also Commented
Common Arguments Against a 7-Day Creation Week
Jesus talked about Genesis in literal terms – to include the literal 7-day creation week and the worldwide nature of the Noachian Flood. Clearly then, the credibility of the Scriptures mattered to Him since He often cited Scripture, and the accuracy of its historical claims, as the basis of authority for many of His arguments against His opponents.
So, while it is possible to be saved in ignorance of the Scriptures and their credibility (by living according to the Royal Law that is written on the hearts of all mankind), it is the Bible that is the means by which God offers us meaningful hope in and understanding of the reality of the “good news” of the Gospel Message in this life – a message of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection in order to bring us a solid hope and rational understanding of a new and better life beyond this current evil world. It is this hope that gives the Christian who has such knowledge an edge, a serious advantage, in this life. This gospel message of hope, based on historical knowledge of real events, helps to make this life more bearable. And, it is this hope that we are told to spread to those around us who are living in darkness without a conscious hope of a bright future to come while living in this evil world.
So, when someone undermines the credibility of the claims of the Biblical authors they are also, at the same time, undermining the rational basis of the Christian hope. After all, even Paul said, “For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:16-19). Notice here how Paul ties in the basis of hope and rational meaningful faith with a real historical event – the resurrection of Jesus.
The same is true for the rational basis of the Christian Hope today. It’s all based on the credibility of the claims of the Bible.
Common Arguments Against a 7-Day Creation Week
Thanks Wes. You’re most kind 😉
Common Arguments Against a 7-Day Creation Week
@Art Chadwick: Thank you Art.
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I fail to see where you have convincingly supported your claim that the GC leadership contributed to the harm of anyone’s personal religious liberties? – given that the GC leadership does not and could not override personal religious liberties in this country, nor substantively change the outcome of those who lost their jobs over various vaccine mandates. That’s just not how it works here in this country. Religious liberties are personally derived. Again, they simply are not based on a corporate or church position, but rely solely upon individual convictions – regardless of what the church may or may not say or do.
Yet, you say, “Who cares if it is written into law”? You should care. Everyone should care. It’s a very important law in this country. The idea that the organized church could have changed vaccine mandates simply isn’t true – particularly given the nature of certain types of jobs dealing with the most vulnerable in society (such as health care workers for example).
Beyond this, the GC Leadership did, in fact, write in support of personal religious convictions on this topic – and there are GC lawyers who have and continue to write personal letters in support of personal religious convictions (even if these personal convictions are at odds with the position of the church on a given topic). Just because the GC leadership also supports the advances of modern medicine doesn’t mean that the GC leadership cannot support individual convictions at the same time. Both are possible. This is not an inconsistency.
