The Origins of Young Earth Creationism

[Astrid]

The status quo from ancients was based on their understanding. Our knowledge today opens us up to a more logical view without causing confusion with scripture.
Blessings

Their understanding, not revelation from God?

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Their understanding, not revelation from God?

The whole purpose of the creation story is to identify who the Creator is and not so much how He did it. So the accounts are simple and right to the point in other words, a brief overview. As you know knowledge has increased and we can now fill in the details.

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

The whole purpose of the creation story is to identify who the Creator is and not so much how He did it. So the accounts are simple and right to the point in other words, a brief overview. As you know knowledge has increased and we can now fill in the details.

Odd, then, that the more knowledge we have gained, and the more details we fill in, the less involved or necessary a creator appears to be...

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Odd, then, that the more knowledge we have gained, and the more details we fill in, the less involved or necessary a creator appears to be...

Well as a beliver it has the opposite effect on me. The more unveiling, the more I understand that the complexity of creation is not by chance but by design.
Blessings.

 

[public hermit]

Here is a video explaining the origins of Young Earth Creationists. It is also being discussed at Biologos and Peaceful Science.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is that modern day YEC can be traced back to not the early church fathers but to 19th century Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) founder Ellen G. White. White inspired George McCready Price to form the foundation of scientific creationism, and that torch was passed on to Henry J. Morris who introduced the concepts to the larger Protestant population in the 1950’s. Organizations like AiG can trace their heritage straight back to White, Price, and SDA. Whitcomb and Morris repackaged Price's work and presented it to the larger Protestant church. Modern YEC can be directly tied to White, Price, and the SDA church.​

Well worth the 25 minutes.
(The video doesn't embed so here is a direct link)
The Origins of Young Earth Creationism

Good video; I didn't realize the SDA connection. It's pretty clear, to me at least, that interpretations of Genesis have varied throughout the history of the faith, and the willingness to accept it as figure and metaphor have been common. Augustine warned that if one insisted on interpreting it in a way that contradicts natural understanding, it just makes all of us look stupid.

 

[AV1611VET]

I and many others here go by
6. Bible says ø about science = go with the evidence.

As long as it doesn't violate the prime directive.

 

[AV1611VET]

Religious common sense comes mainly from the denomination of religion you were raised in. Some people do change or give up their religion or denomination but the vast majority that remain stay with what the have been brought up with.

That's why I feel sorry for church hoppers.

 

[Astrid]

Well as a beliver it has the opposite effect on me. The more unveiling, the more I understand that the complexity of creation is not by chance but by design.
Blessings.

Thats what that ol' confirmation bias can
do for a person.

Strenuous efforts have not ever found any
" design" more designed than a sugar crystal.

Researchers are more apt to notice such things.

 

[Frank Robert]

That's why I feel sorry for church hoppers.

It isn't about church hoppers. It is about

The Creation/Evolution Continuum
​

​

Why is the creationism/evolution continuum important?
This continuum diffuses the debate and forces the uninitiated into thinking through which of the many positions most appeals to them based on their religious beliefs. With so many mutually-exclusive creationist doctrines all claiming infallibility and final Truth, a logical default position
to fall to is science because it never makes such absolutist truth claims.

In science, all conclusions are provisional, subject to new evidence and better arguments, the very antithesis of religious faith.

Source...​

 

[AV1611VET]

The Creation/Evolution Continuum

It's interesting how this continuum puts atheistic evolution ahead of theistic evolution, then calls it "a logical default position to fall to."

This is just what Paul said would happen, when he warned that embracing Linnaean philosophy puts them in danger of becoming atheists.

Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Translation:

Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be [sapiens], they became [atheists],

 

[Frank Robert]

It's interesting how this continuum puts atheistic evolution ahead of theistic evolution, then calls it "a logical default position to fall to."

Isn't that how the creationist orgs like AIG, ICR and Discovery Institute label evolution.

You are missing the forest for the trees. The default is science simply because it takes no religious or dogmatic stance.

 

[AV1611VET]

The default is science ...

Right there is the problem.

All that chart is, is a chart showing how God was progressively fire-walled out of science* over the centuries, until finally ending up atheistic.

And I'd like to add that science also played its part in those beliefs as well.

Only I believe they called it "empiricism" and not "science" per se.

* Science in general; and evolution specifically.

 

[Frank Robert]

Right there is the problem.

All that chart is, is a chart showing how God was progressively fire-walled out of science* over the centuries, until finally ending up atheistic.

And I'd like to add that science also played its part in those beliefs as well.

Only I believe it was called "empiricism" and not "science" per se.

* Science in general; and evolution specifically.

Deities were never part of science to be walled off. Suppose science says let's drop our agnosticism and choose a religion. How would they do it? A raffle, a contest between the deities, perhaps a triathlon or maybe just rotate them. Suggestions.

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

Well as a beliver it has the opposite effect on me. The more unveiling, the more I understand that the complexity of creation is not by chance but by design.

Of course - that's how the world is interpreted through the filter of belief; it's an a-priori confirmation bias.

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

Thats what that ol' confirmation bias can
do for a person.

Strenuous efforts have not ever found any
" design" more designed than a sugar crystal.

Researchers are more apt to notice such things.

No doubt God has a sweet tooth...

 

[coffee4u]

Here is a video explaining the origins of Young Earth Creationists. It is also being discussed at Biologos and Peaceful Science.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is that modern day YEC can be traced back to not the early church fathers but to 19th century Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) founder Ellen G. White. White inspired George McCready Price to form the foundation of scientific creationism, and that torch was passed on to Henry J. Morris who introduced the concepts to the larger Protestant population in the 1950’s. Organizations like AiG can trace their heritage straight back to White, Price, and SDA. Whitcomb and Morris repackaged Price's work and presented it to the larger Protestant church. Modern YEC can be directly tied to White, Price, and the SDA church.​

Well worth the 25 minutes.
(The video doesn't embed so here is a direct link)
The Origins of Young Earth Creationism

Belief in creation comes from scripture. Paul believed it and so will I.

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

All that chart is, is a chart showing how God was progressively fire-walled out of science* over the centuries, until finally ending up atheistic.

You must be misreading the chart - there's no time axis on it, it simply shows where different beliefs or worldviews fall between the extremities of young Earth/old Earth and creation/evolution.

 

[AV1611VET]

Suppose science says let's drop our agnosticism and choose a religion. How would they do it? A raffle, a contest between the deities, perhaps a triathlon or maybe just rotate them. Suggestions.

You opened a can of worms here, chief.

Here are the suggestions:

1. remove all God's children from off the earth
2. let a super-scientist appear, who will demonstrate abiogenesis by bringing an image to life
3. let said scientist require everyone to take a mark in his right hand or forehead
4. institute Scientism as a new religion

 

[AV1611VET]

You must be misreading the chart - there's no time axis on it,

What's that light grey dotted line then?

 

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

What's that light grey dotted line then?

It's the dividing line between young Earth worldviews and old Earth worldviews.