Several individuals have explained the origins of the universe. Some believe in the scientific explanation, while others believe in theories and evolution. Many, on the other hand, believe in the creation as what was told in the Holy Bible. This paper will inform the readers about the notable persons who have theories and beliefs about the origins of the earth.
Hugh Ross, Leonard Brand, and L. James Gibson are the three key people who have significant contribution in explaining the origins of the universe in relation to the bible story. The website of the Reasons to Believe stated that Hugh Ross is an astronomer by profession who committed faith to Jesus Christ. He linked science researches about the origins of the universe and the story of creation in the Bible. He is the President of the religious group, Reasons to Believe. (Reasons to Believe 2014 and Bebber et.al 2014)
One of the best reviews about Hugh Ross’s teachings is the article in the ChristianAnswers’s website written by Van Bebber and Paul S. Taylor. The article stated that Hugh Ross beliefs are based on the concepts that the world was created billion years ago and such was also expressed in the Bible. It noted that Hugh Ross believed that a day for God is equivalent to a billion years for us (Bebber et.al 2014).
While Hugh Ross tried to link the science researches to the Bible, some of his beliefs are inconsistent to the scripture. According to the ChristianAnswer’s website, Hugh Ross teaches that most of the stars have already existed about 15 billion years before the Creation Week. However the scripture noted that God created heavens and earth for six days (Holy Bible Exodus 20:11) and thus, God created the stars during the six days period. Van Bebber’s and Paul S. Taylor’s article said that according to Hugh Ross, we are currently in the 7th day of God and such day will not end until a new heaven and earth is created (Bebber et.al 2014). .
Another point that Hugh Ross raised about creation and origins of the earth, as specified by the ChristianAnswer’s website, is the belief that before Adam existed there were already animals and human beings. It explained Hugh Ross’s perception that natural disasters such as meteor collisions, supernovas, typhoon, and hurricane wiped out the said living things. It also noted that Adam and Eve were created from dust 6 to 60 thousand years ago. Such time frame is quite younger than the billion years of earth as claimed by the scientific research (Bebber et.al 2014). It contradicts what the Bible said that Adam was the first man ever created.
According to Van Bebber’s and Paul S. Taylor’s article in the ChristianAnswer’s website, Hugh Ross believed that God created human looking animals. Thus, it led to the rise of Neanderthals, Cro-magnon, and the likes which are actually animals (Bebber et.al 2014). Such provides the validity of Darwin’s evolution theory without negating the creation story of the Bible.
The second person with high contribution in understanding the origins of the universe is Leonard Brand, the author of Faith, Reason, and Earth History. Andrews University Press noted that Leonard Brand is a Professor of Biology and Panteology for four decades now. His book entitled Faith, Reason, and Earth History was about the explanation of the earth origins and history basing on the Bible scripture (Brand, 2014).
Kurt P. Wise’s review on Leonard Brand’s work, Faith, Reason, and Earth History, stated that Leonard Brand rejects the idea of evolutionism and believes in the story of creation as stated in the bible. However, Leonard Brand stressed the importance of respect in the differences of beliefs about the origins of earth and life. Kurt P. Wise noted that Leonard Brand recognized that the human beings have limited answers to environmental and scientific questions about earth history. Hence, people should recognize such limitations. Scientist should also be honest with the uncertainties of data (Wise, 2014).
According to the review, Leonard Brand believes that the story in Genesis is true and that God created each species. Brand reviewed all types of scientific researches on origins of earths such as the study of aborigines and geology. However, Brand found that all theories and human explanations have criticisms, inaccuracy, and unanswered questions that led him to accept or recognize human limitations (Wise, 2014). The boundless and perfect explanation of the Holy Bible supports earth history beyond researches and data analysis. God’s explanation in the Bible is strengthened by faith and makes people feel the truth in His words without the need of complex questions and data analysis.
Andrews University Press stressed that Leonard Brand believes that Faith should consider scientific data as a means to improve understanding of the earth origins based on what the bible states. Likewise, scientists should also be honest and humble to accept that no matter how adept the researches on the history of earth, there are still information or phenomenon that cannot be explained by the human mind (Brand, 2014).
The third person that has religious contribution explaining about the earth history is L. James Gibson. Adventist News Networks’ website stated that L. James Gibson is the Director of the Geoscience Research Institute of the Adventist Church. He is also the co-editor of the book, Understanding Creation. L. James Gibson, in his article entitled Why Our Book “Understanding Creation” Was Written, explained that the book is a helpful material in dealing with questions about creation and the scientific challenges about it. He noted that the book’s cord discussions include creation, morality, and the Sabbath day. It discusses explanations on questions about Darwinism, Big Bang Theory, Radiometric Dating, Plate Tectonics, Dinosaurs, and fossil records (Gibson, 2014).
L. James Gibson stressed that God’s scripture is a revelation to us and that it is the most reliable source of information about creation. He considered the scientific information about the earth that the nature is ruled by fixed laws and God has no intervention on any occurrences is an insult to human pride. Similarly, the explanation that the human beings are sinful fallen beings are also insult to humanity, but the ideas that God created heaven, earth, and people to have everlasting life are comforting and gives hope to humanity (Gibson, 2014).
He wrote another report entitled Issues in Intermediate Models of Origins, he discusses each queries of creation in the biblical context. Among his most notable remarks about the creation that negates the scientific theories is the definition of evolution. According to L. James Gibson, evolution is a term used to define change over time and such does not necessarily defines universal ancestry common to all beings (Gibson, 2006). Thus, it is not fair to say that all or any human beings evolved from animals.
L. James Gibson reviewed all Creation models of the scientific research such as plate tectonics, fossil fuels, dinosaurs, and the likes, and he concluded that all the scientific model of creations suffered from problems such as inaccuracy and questionable facts. He stress that although there are many questions about the biblical model or creation, the fact that scientific explanations has many questionable issues too affirms that the belief on Christianity should not be abandoned. The scientific researches cannot be considered as reliable truth about the origins of the earth (Gibson, 2006).
It is a human nature to ask questions about his surroundings and origins. God endowed us with reasons to understand various occurrences in our lives, surroundings, culture and beliefs. We, as individuals, have components. We have the physical body, mind and intellect, emotions, and spirit. If we rely only on tangible evidences we are only appealing to our physical body and mind and intellect components in the search or acceptance of truth. However, we have emotions and spirits that can discern and feel some things that are not tangible. Such are things that you can perceive as truth only by feeling and experiencing them.
The questions and adept scientific researches that disregard biblical perspective on creation are actually questioning not only the origins of earth but of the existence of God as well. Such can be explained to the scientists’ strength in physical body, mind and intellect but weakness in emotions and spirituality. One of the reasons why we cannot accept science researches as the only truth about creations aside from the many flaws, inconsistencies, and questionable issues it has is because it disregards some components of our being humans. Such other components are emotions and spirit which elicits faith, feelings, and experienced truth. Such cannot be quantified and turn into data. God’s existence and scriptures are truth that can be experienced by an individual through emotions and spirit.
The biblical story on creation explains all the living things that exist nowadays. The occurrences after creation also fit the history in the ancient times when God is still in the voice until when he came down to heaven in the person of Jesus Christ. Such, alone, is a good proof that the biblical story on creation is the most reliable information. The scientific research can only be used to support the biblical story but those alone are not sufficient explanation and consideration as the sole truth about the origins of the earth. This is due to the limitations of the human mind that is also prone to mistakes, shallowness, knowledge, and information limitation.
The strength of God can be tested on how many people still believe on the religious story of creation. The many unexplained natural occurrences nowadays that are very new to sciences are proof that there is someone very great that exists that can cause all of these on earth, because he is the one who created it. New natural phenomenon are not readily understood and explained by the scientists. The notion that someone very great and omnipresent should not be disregarded in any occurrences on earth. No other proof of an existence of a great human being or individual that caused great things on earth. The creatures are dependent and reactive on someone or something else’s action. Someone else should elicit the force to enable the initial action in the creation. That someone is the greatest being, who is God.
References
Bebber, Mark Van and Taylor, Paul S. (Wise, Kurt. 2014. “Progressive Creationist” Hugh Ross, who is he and what does believe. ChristianAnswer.com. Retrieved from http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-c014.html
2014. Dr. Hugh Ross. Reasons to Believe. Retrieved from http://www.reasons.org/about/who-we-are/hugh-ross
Brand Leonard. 2014. Faith, Reason, and Earth History - 2nd edition A Paradigm of Earth and Biological Origins by Intelligent Design. Andrews University Press. Retrieved from http://www.andrews.edu/universitypress/catalog.php?key=198
Wise, Kurt. 2014. Young-age Creationsim Grows Up. Access Research Network. Retrieved from http://www.arn.org/docs/odesign/od201/br_youngagecreationism201.htm
L. James Gibson. 2014. Why Our Book “Understanding Creation” Was Written. Adventist News Network. Retrieved from http://news.adventist.org/en/all-commentaries/commentary/go/0/why-our-book-understanding-creation-was-written/
L. James Gibson. March 2006. Issues in Intermediate Models of Origin. The Foundation for Adventist Education. Retrieved from http://fae.adventist.org/essays/34B_Gibson_J.pdf
Holy Bible Exodus 20; 11
