GENESIS RELOADED

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the

end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:4)

Daniel tells us that with the passing of history knowledge would increase, and man would begin to unravel the mysteries of God’s Word. For many years scientists and theologians have been in conflict with one another over one main issue: Is our universe thousands, or billions of years old? Before you are so quick to respond with the pat answer, please consider the following examples from history.

When Christopher Columbus endeavored to sail the Atlantic in search of new lands, there were many that viewed this attempt as a suicide mission. Some believed there were monstrous sea creatures waiting, which would gobble up him and his crew. Others believed that if he ventured too far out into uncharted waters, he would eventually fall off the edge of the earth. That’s right. There were many who once believed that the earth was flat, perhaps because a literal interpretation of Biblical passages that spoke of the ‘four corners’ of the earth (Isaiah 11:12; Revelation 7:1) was adhered to. But thanks to the advances of modern science, we now know that these were merely pagan superstitions, which were believed out of ignorance. 

All throughout history, God has raised up various individuals to challenge established systems of belief. One such person was Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), an Italian astronomer and physicist, who actually had the nerve, in defiance of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, to agree with the Copernican model of our solar system – that the earth revolved around the sun. So in 1633, he was dragged off to stand before the Inquisition as a heretic, and was forced to publicly renounce his convictions. What was his crime? He disagreed with the established authorities’ teaching on this matter, plain and simple. This was a dangerous man indeed, an independent thinker armed with a telescope, and he had to be dealt with.

"It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong." – Voltaire (1694-1778), French writer

“Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence.” – Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Of course, science would later vindicate Galileo, who in 1638 went on to author his Dialogues on the New Science, which forcefully restated his earlier discoveries. But this shows how authority figures are not easily dissuaded from their beliefs, because to admit error is to concede a degree of control. And those in authority do not want to concede control.

"The truth is that Christian theology, like every other theology, is not only opposed to the scientific spirit; it is also opposed to all other attempts at rational thinking.  Not by accident does Genesis 3 make the father of knowledge a serpent – slimy, sneaking and abominable.  Since the earliest days the church as an organization has thrown itself violently against every effort to liberate the body and mind of man. It has been, at all times and everywhere, the habitual and incorrigible defender of bad governments, bad laws, bad social theories, bad institutions.  It was, for centuries, an apologist for slavery, as it was the apologist for the divine right of kings." – H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist, editor, essayist, linguist, lexicographer, critic

"The doctrine of blind obedience and unqualified submission to any human power, whether civil or ecclesiastical, is the doctrine of despotism, and ought to have no place among Republicans and Christians." – Angelica Grimke (1805-1879) Source: Anti-Slavery Examiner, September 1836

The truth is that many do not have the courage, nor do they have the humility, even in the face of an overwhelming amount of evidence, to admit it when they are wrong. People could learn a thing or two from a couple of well-known figures from our past:

"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance." – Confucius

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool." – William Shakespeare

It is high time to reexamine the Genesis story. Thanks to Albert Einstein’s well-tested theory (now a proven, scientific fact) of relativity, there is no longer any reason why science and the Bible should be at odds. In the following video, nuclear physicist Dr. Gerald Schroeder does a nice job of explaining why science and the Bible must agree.

Before continuing with this article, please take the time to view physicist
Dr. Gerald Schroeder’s 77 minute lecture on the six days of creation.

VHS copies of Dr. Schroeder’s lecture can be purchased here.

Go on to PART TWO of this article.